Secondary Applicant Eligibility

The following secondary applicants may be eligible to accompany you and stay with you in Australia:

• your partner
• your or your partner’s dependent children
• other dependent relatives living with you.
  

These secondary applicants must intend to remain members of your family unit.

Sponsorship requirements

All secondary applicants who intend to accompany you or join you later in Australia must be sponsored and be listed in the nomination and visa application.

Secondary applicants who have not been listed in the nomination or visa application and who want to join you in Australia at a later time will need to lodge a visa application with a letter from your sponsor confirming that they will accept responsibility for the secondary applicants for the period of their stay in Australia.

Health insurance requirements

All secondary applicants must hold adequate private medical and hospital health insurance cover for the entire time they are in Australia. They should ensure their insurance will provide at least the level of coverage required for their purpose of stay. Their health insurance cover does not have to be held with an Australian insurer, arrangements made in their home country may be assessed as being acceptable.

This requirement may not apply to secondary applicants if their country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, and they are enrolled with Medicare.
See: Medicare Australia Health Care for Visitors to Australia

Medicare levy exemption

The Medicare Levy is a tax paid through the personal tax system in Australia. People granted temporary residence visas may be subject to the Medicare Levy. The Medicare Levy is based on the taxable income of the individual for each income tax year.

If you are from a country that has no reciprocal health care arrangements with Australia, you and your dependents, who have not been entitled to Medicare benefits can seek an exemption from the Medicare levy in your end of financial year income tax return. Your lack of entitlement to Medicare benefits must be certified by the Minister for Health.

If you are from a country with reciprocal health care arrangements with Australia, Medicare assistance is available for immediately necessary treatment. Nationals from reciprocal countries are therefore not exempt from the Medicare levy.
See: Medicare > Medicare Forms > Medicare Levy Exemption Certification Form

Health requirements

All seondary applicants must meet health requirements and may need to undergo a health examination.
See: Health Requirements

Character requirements

All secondary applicants must be of good character to enter Australia.
See: Character and Penal Clearance Requirements

Australian Values Statement

If you are aged 18 years or over, you must declare that you will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia. For this visa, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of the application form. When you sign the application form it means you will also be signing the values statement. You will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if you wish.

You 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