Family Member Eligibility

You may include the following dependent family members in your visa application:

• your dependent children
• your other dependent relatives.

To be included in your visa application, dependent family members must meet the following requirements. All your dependants, whether migrating with you or not, must meet health and character requirements. If not, you may not be granted a Partner visa.

Dependent children

A person is your dependent child if they are your child or step-child and they meet one of the following requirements:

• they are under 18 years of age, or
• if they are aged 18 years or over, they have been wholly or substantially dependent on you for a substantial period (at least 12 months) for their basic needs (food, clothing and shelter) and the reliance on you is greater than any other person, or
• if they are aged 18 years or over, they are wholly or substantially dependent on you because they have a total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions that stops them from earning a living (whether or not they migrate with you).

Note: If your child (regardless of their age) is married, in a de facto relationship or is engaged to be married, they will not be considered to be a dependent.

Dependent children may, in some cases, be added to your application after it has been lodged.
See: Including Family Members In Your Application

Sponsorship limitation and best interests of the child

Where an applicant is under 18 years of age, the sponsorship cannot be approved (except in very limited circumstances) where the sponsor has a conviction or an outstanding charge for an offence against a child. The applicant will also need to satisfy the requirement that there is no compelling reason to believe that the grant of the visa would not be in the best interests of the applicant.

In order to assess the sponsorship application and the best interests of the child requirement, sponsors of children under 18 years of age are required to submit an AFP National Police Check and/or foreign police certificate/s, depending on the sponsor's circumstances.
See:
Sponsor Eligibility
Stronger Measures for the Protection of Children
AFP National Police Checks

Other dependent relatives

A person is your dependent relative if they are one of the following:

• your parent, brother or sister; step-parent, step-brother or step-sister; grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew, step-grandparent, step-grandchild, step-aunt, step-uncle, step-niece or step-nephew,

and all of the following

• not your dependent child
• single, such as a widowed aunt, etc.
• usually resident in your household
• wholly or substantially financially reliant on you for their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter
• reliant on you for a substantial period (at least 12 months)
• more reliant on you for that support than on any other person or source.

Health requirement

All your dependants, whether migrating with you or not, must meet the health and character requirements. Please do not undertake a health check unless requested to do so.
See: Health Requirements

Character requirement

All your dependants, whether migrating with you or not, must be of good character.
See: Character and penal clearance requirement

Australian Values Statement

All visa applicants who have turned 18 years of age, are required to sign an Australian values statement. The statement is included in the visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years of age and over will need to sign it. Before signing the statement, applicants for this visa are required to have read, or had explained to them, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.

The Life in Australia book provides more information on the values that Australians share and their way of life.
See:
Australian Values - Overview
Life in Australia Book

Before lodging an application, please read all related requirements.
See: Eligibility