190 Adding Applicants 2026: Form 1436 Procedure and Supporting Documents

Yes — members of the family unit can be added to a subclass 190 application after it has been lodged, but only up to the point the Department of Home Affairs makes its decision, and only by using Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement), paying through ImmiAccount, and attaching the form with supporting documents. According to the Department of Home Affairs Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190) official page, as of the July 2026 official page, family members who apply for the visa must meet the Department's health and character requirements. From an agent's desk, that last sentence is the one that decides whether an addition is quick paperwork or a serious risk to the whole application: the person you add is assessed in their own right, not carried along on the main applicant's checks.

When can someone still be added, and who counts?

The window is "after you apply but before we decide on your visa". The official page repeats this in two places — the "Include family" section and the "Add family" step in the after-you-apply stage — which is a fair signal that the Department treats it as a hard boundary rather than a guideline. Once a decision is made, the addition route described on that page no longer applies.

In practice this means the trigger date matters more than the calendar. A marriage, a de facto relationship becoming provable, or the birth of a child during processing all start a clock you cannot see, because the decision date is not announced in advance. The same page also lists changes in marital or de facto status and the birth of a child among the things you must tell the Department about after applying, and asks you to explain the reason when a partner or dependent child is not included in the application.

Do added family members have to meet health and character themselves?

Yes, and this is where most of the delay risk sits. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements. Family members who are not coming to Australia still have to meet the character requirement, and might have to meet the health requirement as well.

That has a knock-on effect on timing. The official page lists, among the reasons actual processing times vary, how long it takes to receive additional information from external agencies, particularly for health, character and national security requirements. It also states that processing times are a guide only and not specific to your application, and that the Department may make a decision without requesting further documents. So an addition filed late, or filed with thin evidence, can collide with a decision that arrives before the new person's checks are finished.

What does an added partner need to provide?

For a partner, the Department wants evidence of identity and of the relationship:

• identity documents and photos
• character documents
• marriage certificate, if applicable
• documents about other relationships, if applicable

For a de facto partner, provide either evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or enough documents to prove the de facto relationship existed for at least 12 months before you apply. For both married and de facto partners you must show the relationship is genuine and continuing — the official page gives joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner lived at the same address as examples, and states the list is not exhaustive.

The character documents are the same set the main applicant is held to:

• an Australian Federal Police complete disclosure National Police Certificate if the person has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16 — standard disclosure certificates and state or territory police certificates are not accepted
• an overseas police certificate from every country, including the home country, where they spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16
• military service records or discharge papers if they served in any country's armed forces
• completed Form 80 and Form 1221

One date trap worth flagging: for immigration purposes, Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

What does an added child need to provide?

For a dependent child aged 18 or younger: copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents of all dependent children, plus adoption papers if applicable.

If a child is under 18, you also need consent to migrate from anyone who has a legal right to decide where the child lives and who is not coming to Australia with the child. They complete Form 1229 or a statutory declaration giving consent; alternatively you can show an Australian court order allowing the child to migrate, or that the laws of your home country allow it. You must also include an identity document showing the signature and photo of the person who signed, plus adoption or court documents where relevant.

For a child over 18, dependency is the whole test. They must be over 18 but not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or over 23 and unable to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations while dependent on you or your partner. Evidence includes:

• identity documents and documents about other relationships, if applicable
• proof of the relationship, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
• a completed Form 47a (Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over)
• proof of financial dependency, such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts
• if the child is 23 or likely to turn 23 while the application is processed, a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating they are dependent due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions

The official page is explicit about the moving-target problem: a child who turns 18 during processing and is not dependent on you cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa, and a child who turns 23 during processing without meeting the over-23 requirements cannot either. Adding a 17-year-old or a 22-year-old without dependency evidence already in hand is a common way to create a refusal risk that did not exist at lodgement.

What does the Form 1436 procedure actually involve?

The official instruction is short: use Form 1436, pay using ImmiAccount, and attach the form and supporting documents to your ImmiAccount. Everything else follows from general lodgement discipline on that page — attach documents as soon as you can if they were not attached at the time of application, because the Department is not obliged to ask for more and may decide on what it already holds. If you later find a mistake on the application, the page directs you to notify it as soon as possible using Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers) attached in ImmiAccount.

What does adding an applicant cost?

The official page gives one fixed figure relevant to additions: the second instalment charge for family members is AUD 4,885. This is the charge that may apply to an applicant aged 18 or older who has less than functional English; it is charged only if the Department is going to grant the visa, and you pay it only when asked. For the visa application charge itself, the page directs you to the Visa Pricing Estimator, and notes that the estimator does not include the second instalment or other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

This article is general information about published requirements, not personalised advice about your circumstances or your family's, and the current official wording should always be the final reference.

Common questions

Can I add my partner or child to my 190 application after I have lodged it?

Yes, if the Department has not yet decided your application. The official page says you can add members of the family unit after you apply but before a decision is made, using Form 1436, paid and attached through ImmiAccount with supporting documents.

Do added family members need their own health and character checks?

Yes. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements individually, which is why an addition can extend the time needed for external checks. The official page lists external health, character and national security checks as one reason actual processing times vary.

What if the family member I add is not coming to Australia?

They still have to meet the character requirement, and might have to meet the health requirement as well. Not migrating with you does not remove them from the assessment.

How do I prove a de facto partner when adding them?

Provide either evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or enough documents to prove the de facto relationship lasted at least 12 months before you applied. Either way you must also show the relationship is genuine and continuing, using evidence such as joint bank accounts, joint billing accounts, joint leases or mortgages, or shared-address documents.

Can I add a child who is about to turn 18 or 23?

You can add them, but they must meet the dependency test that applies at the time of decision. A child who turns 18 during processing and is not dependent on you cannot satisfy the visa criteria, and a child who turns 23 without meeting the over-23 disability-related dependency requirements cannot either.

Is there a fixed extra cost for adding an applicant?

The second instalment charge for family members is AUD 4,885, and it applies only to an applicant aged 18 or older with less than functional English, only if the visa is going to be granted, and only when the Department asks for it. The visa application charge itself is worked out using the Visa Pricing Estimator.

References

• Department of Home Affairs — Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)