Including Dependent Family Members In Your Application

Dependent children

Generally, you can include your dependent child in your visa application before you lodge your application.

If you have a dependent child that you did not include in your visa application, but you later decide to include them, you can write to the department and ask for them to be added to the application. However, you must do this before a decision is made on your visa application. You should send the letter to the office that is processing your Partner visa application and give all the details of the child.
Example: Names, date of birth, place of birth, parents' full names and dates of birth.
See: Immigration Offices outside Australia

Dependent child location

If you lodged your visa application while you were outside Australia, your dependent child must also be outside Australia at the time the department receives the request to add them to your visa application. Similarly, if you were in Australia when you lodged your visa application, your dependent child must also be in Australia when you make the request to add them to your visa application.

If you are in Australia when you lodge your visa application, but your dependent child is overseas, you will not be able to include your child in your application. However, once you have been granted a temporary Partner visa, your child may apply for a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445).
See: Dependent Child Visa

Newborn children

To include a child born to you and your partner after you have applied for your visa, write to the office processing your visa to tell them the child has been born, and give them a certified copy of the birth certificate. The processing office will then automatically include your child in your visa application.

If your child was born overseas and the child's other parent was an Australian citizen at the time of the child's birth, the child may be eligible for registration as an Australian citizen by descent.

If your child was born in Australia, your child will have automatically been granted the same visas that you and your partner hold at the time of your child's birth. If the child's other parent was an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident at the time of the child's birth, the child may be an Australian citizen by birth.

Other dependent relatives

A dependent relative (other than a dependent child) cannot be added to your visa application after you have lodged your application. They can only be included in your visa application when you initially fill in that application.

Family definitions

The following terms are used for this visa.
See: Family Definitions