Who Can Be Included in a Subclass 884 Application in 2026?

Who can be included in a subclass 884 application, which family members must be declared, and when non-migrating relatives face health and character checks.

Published: 9 October 2026

You can include members of your family in a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884) application, and you must enter the details of all your family members in the application form even if they are not migrating. Family members who apply with you must meet Australia's health and character requirements, and the department may also ask non-migrating family members to meet them. This is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) official page, as at August 2026.

Who can be included in a subclass 884 application?

The subclass 884 page states the rule in terms of "members of your family" rather than a fixed checklist, so the operative question is not the label but the role each person plays in the application. Two groups matter:

Family members who apply with you — they are included in the application, are assessed against the health and character requirements, and, if the visa is granted, hold the visa on the same terms as you.
Family members who are not migrating — they are declared in the form but do not seek the visa, and they may still be asked to meet health and character requirements.

Because the page does not enumerate who falls inside "family", the declaration step carries the practical weight: every person you would describe as family goes into the form, and the department decides which of them are assessed.

Do you have to declare family members who are not coming to Australia?

Yes. The requirement to list family members is not limited to those who want the visa. The official page says you must include details of all your family members in your application form, even if they are not migrating.

This matters in practice because an incomplete family declaration is a completeness problem rather than a preference. The subclass 884 visa is subject to capping and queueing, and the same page lists "you do not complete it correctly" and missing documents or information among the reasons an application may take longer to process.

Can non-migrating family members still be asked to meet health and character requirements?

Yes. The eligibility criteria state that you and any family members who apply with you must meet the health requirement and the character requirement, and that the department "might also ask that other non-migrating family members meet the requirement" — for both health and character.

Requirement	Family members applying with you	Family members not migrating
Declared in the application form	Yes	Yes
Must meet the health requirement	Yes	May be asked to
Must meet the character requirement	Yes	May be asked to
Must be in Australia at lodgement and decision	Yes	Not applicable
Australian Government debt must be repaid or under an approved arrangement	Yes	Yes

The debt rule is worth reading carefully: the official page says that if you or any family members owe the Australian Government money, the debt must be paid back or there must be an approved arrangement to pay it back. That obligation is not confined to the people who are migrating.

Where must each family member be when you apply and when the decision is made?

You, and any family members who apply with you, must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance both when you apply and when the department makes its decision. Two consequences follow:

A family member who is outside Australia at either of those points cannot simply be "added later" while offshore.
If you apply in Australia while on a temporary visa with a no further stay condition, the application will be invalid unless you apply for a waiver of that condition.

What does it cost to include family members?

The visa costs from AUD 35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you; concessions apply in limited circumstances. The charge is paid in two instalments — the first when you apply, the second when the department asks for it. You may also need to pay other costs for each applicant for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Family members are also eligible for the lower cost, and eligibility is based on the passport of the primary applicant, or of the visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria, rather than on each family member's own passport. The specified countries are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

What else must each included person satisfy?

Beyond health and character, the criteria that bear on individuals rather than the application as a whole include:

Australian values statement — anyone aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet and sign the Australian Values Statement.
Best interests of the child — the visa will not be granted if doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Obligations after grant — you and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

The sponsor requirement and the balance of family test operate at the primary applicant level and are not altered by who is included in the application. This article is general information about how the published rules are framed; it is not advice on any individual case, and the official pages remain the authority for your own circumstances.

What if a child is born before the visa is decided?

The official page addresses this as a change in situation and directs applicants to the department's guidance on having a baby. Treat a birth during processing as a change that must be notified through that process rather than as something that waits until a decision is made.

Does inclusion now affect the later subclass 864 application?

The subclass 884 visa is designed as the first stage of a two-stage path: it lets you live in Australia for up to two years, work and study in Australia (you will not receive government support), and then apply for the permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864). You must apply for the subclass 864 visa before your subclass 884 visa expires to ensure you meet all applicable lodgement criteria. Anyone included in the 884 stage who intends to continue to permanence needs to be considered again at the 864 stage, on the criteria that apply then.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I include family members in my subclass 884 application if they will not move to Australia?

They still have to be declared, but declaration is not the same as inclusion. The official page requires details of all family members in the form even if they are not migrating, and only those who apply with you are assessed as visa applicants.

Do non-migrating family members need health and character checks?

They may. While only applicants must meet the health and character requirements, the department states it "might also ask" non-migrating family members to meet both, so an assumed exemption is not safe.

Do family members have to be in Australia when I lodge?

Yes, for those applying with you. They must be in Australia and not in immigration clearance both at lodgement and at the time of decision.

Does adding family members increase the cost?

Yes. The base cost of AUD 35,430 is for a single applicant, and there are additional charges for each family member who applies with you, plus possible per-applicant costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Are family members covered by the same two-year stay?

The visa allows a stay of two years from the date of grant with multiple entry, and the stay period is a feature of the visa itself, so included family members hold the visa on its own terms. The visa cannot be extended or reapplied for, and staying longer requires a different visa.

What happens if a baby is born while my application is in the queue?

The department treats this as a change in situation and publishes separate guidance on having a baby during the process. Given subclass 884 applications are subject to capping and queueing, a birth during processing should be notified rather than held until decision.