Evidence for 'other dependent relatives' on a subclass 790 application (2026)

An "other dependent relative" on a Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790) application succeeds or fails on three conditions at once: the relative has no spouse or de facto partner, usually lives with the family head, and is wholly or substantially reliant on the family head for financial, psychological or physical support. That is the whole test as it appears on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Safe Haven Enterprise visa (Subclass 790) page, as of the August 2026 version — not a checklist of suggestions, but three cumulative requirements. This article explains how the official wording breaks down and what kinds of documents the same page points to; it is general information only, not advice on any particular case, and the current official page or a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person is the right place to take an individual situation.

What counts as an "other dependent relative" here?

The official page lists the relatives who can potentially fall into this category. They include the family head's parent, brother or sister, grandparent or grandchild, aunt or uncle, cousin, niece or nephew, and the step equivalent of any of those.

Two framing points matter before any evidence is gathered:

The family head does not have to be the main applicant. The official page says the family head can be you, or someone else in your family who has not applied for this visa.
Every person included must be in Australia at the time of application, must be eligible to apply, and must meet the health, character and security requirements.

Note also that a relative who does not meet this test does not simply "lose" a category — a child or step-child who is not a dependent child has to apply for their own visa, and the same logic applies to relatives who cannot satisfy the dependency conditions.

What does a case officer actually test?

The test is expressed in three limbs on the official page. Read together, they describe a relationship of day-to-day household dependence, not merely a family tie.

Condition as worded on the official page	What it turns on	Where the official document guidance points
Does not have a spouse or de facto partner	The relative's own relationship status, at the time the application is assessed	Relationship documents — the page lists birth certificates, notarial certificates, marriage certificates and any other evidence that supports relationships
Usually lives with the family head	Habitual residence in the same household, not an occasional or future arrangement	The form asks for address history for each person; the page also invites any other evidence that supports the relationship
Wholly or substantially reliant on the family head for financial, psychological or physical support	The degree and nature of reliance on the family head specifically	Financial documents to evidence that dependants over the age of 18 are dependent on you, plus any other evidence of relationships

The official page does not define "wholly or substantially" with a percentage, a minimum income share, or a required period of co-residence or reliance. Any figure you see quoted elsewhere is not from this page. What the page does say is that a decision can be made using only the information provided when the application is submitted, which is why the evidence for each limb should travel with the lodgement rather than wait for a request.

How do you evidence "no spouse or de facto partner"?

This limb is about the relative's own status, and the official page treats the absence of a partner as a positive fact to be shown rather than assumed.

Suppose an applicant includes their sister. The relationship document list on the official page — birth certificates, notarial certificates, marriage certificates, and any other evidence that supports relationships — is the framework: what establishes the sibling link, and what establishes that no spouse or de facto partner stands in the way. The evidentiary gap here is usually not the family link but the negative fact, and the page's catch-all ("any other evidence to support relationships") is the part of the list that carries it.

Be precise about which rule you are applying. The official page's exclusion of people who are married, engaged to be married, or in a de facto relationship is stated for dependent children. For other dependent relatives, the stated requirement is that they do not have a spouse or de facto partner.

How do you evidence that the relative "usually lives with" the family head?

The wording is "usually lives with", which points at habit rather than a single snapshot. The official page does not itemise address evidence, but it does say the application form asks for address history for each person, and that no gaps should be left in the timelines. A household shared on paper by two applicants but contradicted by their own address histories will not hold together.

The practical implication for evidence is consistency: the addresses recorded for the family head and for the relative should tell one story, and any document offered to support the relationship should not sit awkwardly against it. This is also the limb where the family head being someone other than the main applicant can cause confusion — the co-residence is with the family head, whoever that person is.

How do you evidence financial, psychological or physical reliance?

The official page sets this out as a single test expressed across three kinds of support: financial, psychological and physical. It does not separately explain how each kind is weighed, or state that one type alone is sufficient, so the safe way to build the evidence is to address whichever kinds of reliance genuinely exist and document them.

Financial: the official document list specifically names financial documents to evidence that dependants over the age of 18 are dependent on you. Who pays for the relative's living costs, and how that flow of money can be shown, is the heart of this limb.
Psychological: reliance that runs through care, decision-making or emotional dependence on the family head, rather than money.
Physical: reliance through care for the body — help with daily living, illness, disability or age-related need. For dependent children, the official page separately recognises being "incapacitated for work due to loss of their bodily or mental functions"; for other dependent relatives, physical reliance is folded into the reliance test.

Because the page does not define "wholly or substantially", an application is better served by showing the shape of the reliance — who provides what, how often, and since when — than by asserting the legal word itself.

Does the dependency have to run to the family head specifically?

Yes. All three limbs are framed around the family head: the relative lives with the family head and is reliant on the family head. This trips up applications where the relative is in truth supported by a different household member, or by a relative overseas.

Suppose an applicant's mother lives with the applicant and the applicant's sibling, but the money comes from the sibling. The official test is written against the family head, so the evidence should be organised around that person even where the household is larger. If the family head is someone who has not applied for the visa, the dependency still has to be on them.

When does the evidence need to be in — and can a relative be added later?

Earlier, on lodgement, is safer. The official page states that a decision can be made using the information provided when the application is submitted, and that an interview is not guaranteed — you may not get another opportunity to present the claims. You can provide more relevant information in writing at any time until a decision is made, and if the department asks for more information there will be a set date to respond to, after which it can decide on what it already has.

There is a hard limit worth knowing. After an application is submitted, the official page says you can only add a spouse or de facto partner of someone who has already applied, or a dependent child of someone who has already applied, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement. An "other dependent relative" is not in that list. Practically, that category has to be in the original application to be considered at all.

What else does each included relative have to provide?

Dependency evidence sits alongside the standard material for every person in the application. From the official page:

Identity: colour scans or photos of original and translated documents — passports (all pages, including the biodata page), birth certificate, national identity card, driver's licence, proof of change of name where applicable, and any other documents supporting identity, nationality or citizenship. If these cannot be provided, the page says to include a statement explaining why.
Relationship: birth certificates, notarial certificates, marriage certificates, financial documents, and any other evidence to support relationships between each applicant.
Character: military service records or discharge papers for anyone who served in the armed forces of any country. Police certificates are required from each country lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after turning 16, other than the country of claimed protection — but the page says not to arrange them until asked.
Visas or residence permits: a copy of any held by each person included.
Health and biometrics: the department will advise when health examinations are needed, and biometrics may be requested for any member of the family unit.

Where someone helps with the application, only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person can give immigration assistance; anyone can be appointed to receive documents. The relevant forms are Form 956 and Form 956A.

What happens if the dependency is not accepted?

If the department is not satisfied that a relative meets the test, that person is not part of the same family unit for the visa and the application can be refused. The official page states that the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused, and that a refusal letter will set out review rights with the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), including the timeframes to apply. It also notes that a person can ask the Minister for Home Affairs to intervene once appeal rights are exhausted, but the Minister does not have to consider the request.

Processing is described as very complex and slow, and the page lists missing documents, incorrect forms and slow responses to requests as reasons an application takes longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a parent really be an "other dependent relative" on a 790 application?

Yes. The official page lists the family head's parent among the relatives who may qualify, along with siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and step equivalents. The parent still has to meet all three dependency conditions and be in Australia when the application is made.

Does a married relative automatically fail the test?

For other dependent relatives, the stated requirement is that the person does not have a spouse or de facto partner, so a current partner is fatal to that limb. The separate rule excluding people who are married, engaged to be married or in a de facto relationship is written on the official page for dependent children, so the two should not be blended.

Must the family head be the main applicant?

No. The official page says the family head can be you or someone else in your family who has not applied for this visa, and the dependency conditions are framed around that person. The evidence should therefore be built around the family head whoever they are.

Can an "other dependent relative" be added after the application is lodged?

Not according to the official page. After lodgement you can only add a spouse or de facto partner, or a dependent child, of someone who has already applied, using Form 1436. The relative must also be in Australia, eligible, and added before a decision is made.

Does the relative have to be in Australia?

Yes. The official page states that the applicant and any members of the family unit included in the application must be in Australia when applying, and that family members added later must also be in Australia.

Is there a stated income threshold for "wholly or substantially reliant"?

No threshold appears on the official page. It uses the phrase "wholly or substantially reliant" without a percentage, dollar figure or minimum period, so any specific cut-off should be treated as not sourced from that page.

Who is allowed to help prepare this evidence?

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person can give immigration assistance on the application; any person can be appointed to receive documents on your behalf. The relevant appointment forms are Form 956 and Form 956A.