Australia dependent visa
Australia does not issue a single "family reunification permit." Instead, the person you want to join sponsors or includes you under the visa that matches their own status. If your spouse or partner is already an Australian permanent resident or citizen, you apply for a Partner (Provisional) visa, subclass 309, which later converts to the permanent subclass 100. If they are in Australia to study, you join as a member of the family unit on a Student visa (subclass 500); if they hold a skilled work visa such as the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), you are added as a secondary applicant. For Indian families the honest position is that there is no shortcut: your right to be in Australia is tied entirely to the sponsor's visa, the relationship must be genuine and provable, and the Department of Home Affairs decides every case on its merits.
Each family member lodges their own application, even a child, and everyone is assessed against Australia's health and character requirements. The sponsor or primary visa holder must hold qualifying status, an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for a Partner visa, or a valid, current student or skilled-work visa for the dependent routes. Indian applicants apply online through ImmiAccount, uploading passports, relationship evidence and supporting documents directly into the account. India is not part of Australia's regional biometrics program (only Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are), so most applicants lodge and are assessed online rather than attending a biometrics centre, though the Department can request biometrics in individual cases; a health examination through a Department-approved panel clinic in India is commonly required, depending on the visa and your circumstances.
Who this visa is for
- ✓You are the married spouse, or the de facto/registered partner, of the sponsor. A de facto relationship must be genuine and continuing, and for the student route you generally need to show around 12 months of living together before lodging, unless the relationship is registered or compelling circumstances apply.
- ✓You are a dependent child under 18 of the sponsor or their partner. Older children can sometimes be included if they remain financially dependent and, for example, are still studying.
- ✓The sponsor holds qualifying status: an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for a Partner visa, or a valid, current student or skilled-work visa for the dependent routes.
- ✓Every applicant meets Australia's health and character requirements, including police clearance certificates where required.
- ✓You can show adequate financial capacity to support yourselves. Australia does not publish a fixed minimum-income figure for these routes, but the student pathway in particular assesses funds and genuine intent.
- ✓For Partner visas, the sponsor signs a two-year sponsorship undertaking to support the partner, and is limited to sponsoring two partners in a lifetime and normally only one within any five-year period.
Visa options for Australia
Partner (Provisional) visa, subclass 309 / 100
For the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The provisional 309 lets you live and work in Australia, then converts to the permanent subclass 100 once the relationship is confirmed.
Student visa (subclass 500), member of the family unit
Lets the partner and dependent children under 18 of an overseas student live in Australia for the length of the student's course. Family can be included at lodgement or, if declared on the original application, join later as "subsequent entrants."
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), secondary applicant
Adds the partner and children of a sponsored skilled worker to their temporary work visa, with unrestricted work rights for the partner and school access for the children.
Dependents on a permanent skilled visa (subclass 189 / 190 / 186)
When the primary applicant is granted permanent residence, included family members receive the same permanent status, with unrestricted work and study rights.
Documents typically required
- ✓Valid passport with the bio-data page, for each applicant including children
- ✓Marriage certificate, or evidence of a registered/de facto relationship (joint finances, shared lease, cohabitation and correspondence)
- ✓Birth certificates for dependent children, showing both parents
- ✓Copy of the sponsor's or primary applicant's Australian visa grant notice, or evidence of citizenship/permanent residence
- ✓Recent passport-style photographs meeting Australian specifications
- ✓Health examination results from a Department-approved panel clinic (arranged with a HAP ID generated in ImmiAccount)
- ✓Police clearance certificate(s) for the character requirement
- ✓Evidence of financial capacity and funds to support the family
- ✓Sponsorship form where required (for example Form 40SP for Partner visas), and Form 956 if a registered migration agent assists
- ✓Certified English translations of any non-English documents
Your exact checklist depends on your profile — we confirm it during your case analysis. Every visa decision rests with the embassy or consulate.
Indian families apply online through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs portal, where you complete the form, pay the visa application charge and upload every document for each applicant. Because India is not part of Australia's regional biometrics program (Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are), most Indian applicants are not called to a biometrics centre, though the Department may request biometrics in individual cases at its discretion. Health examinations are done at a Department-approved panel clinic in India (the Bupa Medical Visa Services network), using a HAP ID generated in ImmiAccount. Whichever route you use, the grant decision rests solely with the Department of Home Affairs.
Frequently asked questions
Do you guarantee the visa?
No. The decision rests solely with the relevant immigration authority, and no one can honestly guarantee a visa. What we can promise is a frank reading of your case and the strongest, best-documented application we can build around it. Over the last 2-3 years, the applications we have handled have carried a 97% success rate.
Can my spouse or partner work in Australia on a dependent visa?
It depends on the route. On a Partner (309) or a permanent skilled visa, partners have full work rights. As a secondary applicant on a Skills in Demand (482) visa, the partner also has unrestricted work rights. On a Student (500) family visa, work is capped at 48 hours per fortnight, unless the primary student is enrolled in a Masters or Doctorate, in which case the partner can work unlimited hours once the course has begun.
Can my children study or go to school in Australia?
Yes. Dependent children can attend school on all these routes. On temporary visas, however, state or territory school fees may apply because your children are treated as international students, so budget for tuition depending on where you live.
Is there a minimum income or accommodation requirement?
Australia does not publish a fixed minimum-income threshold for these family routes the way some countries do. What matters is a genuine, provable relationship, meeting the health and character rules, and showing you can support yourselves, with the student pathway in particular assessing your funds. For Partner visas the sponsor also signs a two-year undertaking to support their partner.