Secondary Applicant Eligibility
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As an employee, the following people may apply to accompany and stay with you in Australia:
- your spouse
- your interdependent partner
- a dependent child of you, your spouse or your interdependent partner
- other dependent relatives of you or your spouse.
Spouse
A spouse is the person that you live with as husband or wife. This relationship may be a legal marriage or a de facto/common law relationship which involves members of the opposite sex.
Interdependent partner
An interdependent partner is a same sex partner where you have a mutual commitment to a shared life together to the exclusion of all others. This relationship must be genuine and continuing.
Dependent child
A dependent child is the natural, adopted, or step-child, of you, your spouse or your interdependent partner. You, your spouse or your interdependent partner must have legal responsibility for the child. The child must:
- not be married, engaged to be married or in a de facto relationship and
- be under 18
or - if they have turned 18, are wholly or substantially reliant on you, your spouse or your interdependent partner for their basic needs, or are incapacitated for work.
Other dependent relatives
Other relatives of you or your spouse may be considered in the application if they meet all of the following:
- they have no other relative able to care for them in their own country and they either:
- have never been married
- are widowed
- are divorced
- are separated
- they are usually resident in your household
- they rely on you for financial support for their basic needs
- you have supported them for a substantial period
- they rely on you more than any other person or source.
Example: an aged, unmarried relative.
Note: You must provide details of all children or other dependent relatives aged 18 years or over, regardless of whether or not they are included in the application. For all dependent relatives 18 years of age or over, Form 47A must be completed and attached to your application.
See: Form 47A Details of child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over (248KB PDF file)
Health requirements
All secondary applicants must meet the health requirements.
See: Health Requirements
Character requirements
All secondary applicants must meet character requirements.
See: Character Requirement
Work and study
Any secondary applicants granted this visa are given full work and study rights.
Australian Values Statement
All visa applicants aged 18 years or over, must declare that they will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia. For applicants of this visa, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of the application form. By signing the form applicants will also be signing the values statement. Applicants for this visa will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if they wish.
Visa applicants are also encouraged to gain an understanding of Australia, its people and their way of life, before applying for this visa.
See: Australian Values - Overview
Before lodging an application, please read all related eligibility requirements.
See: Other eligibility