Family members on the 2026 Subclass 445 path: siblings, dependants and timing

How siblings and an applicant's own dependent children fit on a 2026 Subclass 445 application, and the deadline for adding them.

Published: 30 September 2026

Each sibling needs his or her own Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445) application — the Department of Home Affairs frames that rule without exception: "Each of the child's siblings must apply for this visa separately." A different, more generous timing rule applies one generation down. The child's own dependent children can be included on that child's application when it is lodged, or at any point before the Department decides it. After a decision, nobody can be added. This article sets out those boundaries as published on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445) official page, current as at July 2026.

One caveat before the detail: this is general information about how the rules are framed rather than advice on an individual case, and it cannot predict how a decision-maker will apply them to a particular family. Because mistakes about family composition can leave someone with no visa pathway, decisions about who goes on which form should be made against the Department's current page and any professional advice a reader chooses to obtain.

What does the Subclass 445 visa actually bridge?

The visa is a holding arrangement for a child whose parent has applied for a permanent Partner visa. On the official page, the visa lets the child move to or stay in Australia until the parent's permanent Partner visa application is decided, travel to and from Australia, work and study, and attend free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible.

It is a temporary visa that starts on the date of grant and runs until the parent's permanent Partner visa application is decided or withdrawn. The child cannot extend it. Once granted, the child must apply to be added to the parent's permanent Partner visa application — and Medicare enrolment becomes available once that addition application has been submitted.

Do siblings have to file separate Subclass 445 applications?

Yes. Every sibling applicant lodges their own Form 918 application with their own supporting documents, their own set of photographs and their own relationship evidence. The Department's reasoning is structural: eligibility flows from each child's own relationship to the parent holding the temporary Partner or Dependent Child visa, so there is no shared application that two siblings can appear on.

The practical consequence is duplicated paperwork. Each application must independently establish:

the child's relationship to the parent, using a birth certificate, marriage certificate, adoption certificate, or an officially issued and maintained family status certificate or family book;
identity, via the passport pages showing photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if held and proof of any change of name;
dependency, if the child is over 18 when the application is made — evidence of reliance on the parent for basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing, and how long that support has been provided, which can include bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts;
character clearances for children over 16, including Form 80 and police certificates from every country where the child has spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16.

For applicants over 18 with a disability, the page also asks for evidence from a qualified medical practitioner of a total or partial loss of mental or body function that stops the applicant working.

Can the child's own dependent children travel on the same form?

They can. A dependent child of the main applicant may be included when the application is made, or later — "at any time before we decide the application", in the Department's words. That window is the entire period between lodgement and decision, which matters because a 445 application can sit unresolved for many months while the parent's Partner visa is processed.

Included dependent children carry their own requirements. They must meet the health requirement, and the Department notes that family members who are not coming to Australia may also have to meet it. For every dependent under 18 applying with the child, the application needs identity documents, proof of the relationship with the applicant such as a birth certificate, and character documents if applicable. Four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm) are required for the child and for any other dependent child included.

The contrast with siblings is sharp enough to be worth tabulating:

Family member	Can they join another person's 445 application?	Latest point they can be included
A sibling of the child	No — each sibling applies separately	Not applicable; each files their own Form 918
A dependent child of the applicant	Yes	Any time before the Department decides the application
Anyone at all	No	After the decision, no dependant can be added

What is the practical cut-off, and what happens if it is missed?

The cut-off is the decision itself. The Department states plainly that you can't add a dependant after the application has been decided. Once refused or granted, family members who were not on the form fall outside that application entirely, and the official page points such people to its visa options tool to identify some other visa. In plain terms, the cost of missing the window is a separate search for a different pathway, not a late amendment.

Consider a hypothetical family: assume two adult children of a Partner visa applicant are both eligible, and one has a young baby. The first outcomes depend entirely on sequence. If the baby is added to that applicant's form before decision, the baby travels with the parent's 445 application. If the decision is made first, the baby cannot be added to it, and the family must look for another visa for the baby.

Timing discipline also applies one step further along. After the child is granted a 445 visa, they must themselves apply to be added to the parent's permanent Partner visa application, and must do so before the Department decides the parent's application; failing that risks the child's lawful status in Australia. That step uses Form 1002 — Application by a subclass 445 dependent child for a permanent partner visa.

Does it matter whether the parent's permanent visa is onshore or offshore?

Yes, and this is easy to overlook while worrying about siblings. To be added to a parent's permanent Partner (subclass 100) visa application, the 445 visa holder can be either in or outside Australia, but must be a member of the family unit. To be added to a parent's permanent Partner (subclass 801) visa application, the 445 holder must be in Australia.

The lodging mechanics are also fixed. The completed Form 1002 is uploaded to the parent's Partner visa application in ImmiAccount, after which the Department is notified through the Partner Processing Enquiry Form. Where an upload to ImmiAccount is not possible, the completed form is submitted through that same enquiry form instead.

What happens when a baby is born, or other details change?

A birth during processing is treated as a change in situation rather than a silent amendment. The official page directs readers with a child born after lodgement to its guidance on having a baby, and lists matters requiring notification both before and after grant: the birth of a child, changes of name, changes to the child's passport, phone number, email or address, changes to relationship status, and any decision to withdraw the application. Incorrect answers on an existing application are corrected with Form 1023.

This is also where the addition window proves useful: because a dependent child of the applicant can be added any time before decision, a baby born during processing can still be brought onto the parent's 445 application — provided the addition occurs before the decision, not after it.

How is a 445 application lodged in 2026?

Applications are paper-only, using Form 918, completed in English and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. Post goes to Locked Bag 7, Northbridge WA 6865; courier goes to Wellington Central, 836 Wellington Street, West Perth WA 6005. Payment of the application charge must be made before posting, and proof of payment plus supporting documents go in the same package. Lodging at another office, by another method, or in person renders the application invalid, and the Department does not process invalid applications.

Readers inside Australia should note two further points: a bridging visa is granted when a child applies for this visa in Australia, taking effect if the current visa expires before the decision; and travelling overseas during processing requires a valid visa to return. The Department indicates receipt within approximately one month of lodgement, and warns that it does not provide progress updates within published global processing times.

What does it cost, and are there concessions?

No fixed amount appears on the page; the visa charge is set out for the main applicant, with an additional charge for each dependent child applying with the main applicant, plus possible separate costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. The Visa Pricing Estimator is the tool the Department provides for working out the charge, though it does not factor in those other costs. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application. Eligibility is recognised through a valid passport issued by the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu. Family members are also eligible for the lower cost, based on the passport of the primary applicant, and the reduced charge is applied during the application process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do siblings need separate Subclass 445 applications?

Yes. The Department of Home Affairs states that each of the child's siblings must apply for the visa separately, so there is no single form covering two siblings. Each sibling's application carries its own documents, photographs and relationship evidence.

Can a child include their own dependent children on a 445 application?

Yes. The child's dependent children can be included when the application is lodged or at any time before the Department decides it. Those dependent children must meet the health requirement, and identity, relationship and applicable character documents are required for each dependent under 18.

Can a dependant be added after the 445 application is decided?

No. The Department states that a dependant cannot be added after the application has been decided. Family members left out of a decided application have to be matched to another visa using the Department's visa options tool.

What if a baby is born while the application is being processed?

A birth is a change in situation that must be notified to the Department. Because dependent children can be added at any time before decision, a newborn may still join the application — but only if the addition is made before the decision is recorded.

After the child is granted a 445 visa, what is the next step?

The child must apply to be added to the parent's permanent Partner visa application using Form 1002, before that parent's application is decided. For a subclass 100 application the child may be in or outside Australia and must be a member of the family unit; for a subclass 801 application the child must be in Australia.

Are reduced visa charges available for Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants?

Yes, from 1 July 2026 for eligible citizens lodging a valid application. Recognition is based on a valid passport from one of the listed Pacific Island countries or Timor-Leste, and family members also receive the lower cost based on the primary applicant's passport.