Subclass 124 dependants in 2026: Form 47a, turning 18 or 23, and consent

If you are trying to work out Subclass 124 dependent over 18 evidence, the short answer is that an adult child is included only if they are dependent on you or your partner, and the evidential core is a completed Form 47a (Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over), proof of the parent-child relationship, and proof of at least 12 months of financial dependency before you apply. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Distinguished Talent visa (Subclass 124) page, as of August 2026, a child who is 23 or is likely to turn 23 while the application is being processed must also provide a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating they are dependent on you or your partner because of the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions.

This is general reference only and is not personalised professional advice; whether your child meets the test depends on your actual documents, so verify against the Department's current published information or take the matter to a qualified professional. This piece looks at including your own child as a dependant. It is not about an under-18 main applicant including a parent, which is a separate family-unit question.

Which children can actually be included as dependants?

Note first that the Department's Subclass 124 page states this visa is closed to new applications, so the rules below apply to applications already in the system; subject to that, a child can be brought into the application as a member of your family unit, either when you lodge or later — but any addition has to happen before a decision is made, using Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement).

For an adult child, the age limits matter more than the label. The Department treats an over-18 child as a dependant in two situations:

• the child is over 18 but has not yet turned 23, and is dependent on you or your partner; or
• the child is over 23, and is unable to earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations, and is dependent on you or your partner.

Dependency is therefore not automatic at 18, and it stops being assumed after 23. The practical consequence is blunt: a child who turns 18 while the application is being processed and is not dependent on you cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa, and a child who turns 23 during processing without meeting the disability-related evidential requirements also cannot satisfy the criteria.

What does Form 47a actually cover?

Form 47a is where the adult dependency claim is formally recorded. Its full name — Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over — tells you its job: it is the Department's structured record of who the adult dependant is and why they say they are dependent.

The form does not stand alone. It sits with:

• proof of the relationship, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers;
• the 12-month financial dependency evidence discussed below;
• identity documents for the dependant;
• documents about the dependant's other relationships, if applicable; and
• character documents, because family members applying with you must meet health and character requirements.

From an agent's side of the desk, Form 47a is rarely the hard part. The hard part is that the answers in Form 47a have to be backed by documents that show dependency as a fact, not as a family arrangement described in a covering letter.

What evidence proves an adult child is financially dependent?

You must show the person has been financially dependent on you for at least the 12 months immediately before you apply. The Department's own list of supporting material points to four practical categories: proof they live with you, their tax records, proof they are currently studying, and proof of payments you made to them or on their behalf.

Those documents work best when they cover the full 12-month period rather than a snapshot. A student enrolment letter, standing transfers for rent and living costs, and a tax record showing no independent income together tell a clearer story than one bank statement. Study alone is not the test; dependency is. The enrolment is evidence that helps explain why the financial support exists, and it has to sit alongside proof that you actually provided that support.

The timing trap is important. If your child is under 18 now but is likely to turn 18 while the application is being processed, the Department expects dependency evidence at that later stage as well. A file that is complete for a 17-year-old can become incomplete the day that child turns 18 if no dependency evidence has been prepared.

How does turning 23 change the evidence for a disabled adult child?

This is the point where most adult-dependency cases are won or lost. Once a child is 23, or is likely to turn 23 during processing, dependency has to be tied to disability in medical terms the Department recognises.

You must provide a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating that the child is dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions. That report is additional evidence; it does not replace the 12-month financial dependency proof. Both are required.

The policy reason is easy to state and hard to satisfy: after 23, the visa is not open to an adult child simply because the family remains close or the child is still financially supported. The criteria require that the child cannot earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations, and the medical report is how that link is documented. If your child turns 23 during processing and the report does not connect dependency to the loss of bodily or mental functions, the dependant falls outside the criteria.

Do you still need consent for someone who is 18 or over?

Consent is an under-18 issue; dependency is an adult issue. They are two different gates, and a family can cross from one into the other while the application is open.

For any applicant under 18, you need consent to migrate to Australia from every person who has a legal right to decide where the child lives and who is not coming to Australia with the child. That person completes either Form 1229 (Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years) or a statutory declaration giving consent. As alternatives, you can show an Australian court order allowing the child to migrate, or that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate.

Whichever route you use, include an identity document showing the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or driver's licence, plus adoption or court documents where relevant.

Once the child is 18 or over, consent forms drop away and Form 47a dependency evidence takes over. If the child crosses 18 during processing, expect to do both: consent for the period when they were under 18, and dependency evidence for the period after.

What does it cost to include an adult dependant?

There is an additional charge for each family member who applies with you; use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator to work out the charge that applies to your application.

The exception that is stated is the second instalment. All applicants aged 18 or over must have functional English or pay the extra charge, and that second instalment is AUD 4,890. If you or any family member applying with you has less than functional English, you provide a statement indicating your intention to pay the second instalment for each affected person, and the Department will tell you when to pay it. The pricing estimator does not include the second instalment or other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

What happens if the dependency evidence is not enough?

After lodgement you can attach more documents, either in ImmiAccount or sent to the office where you lodged, but the Department is not obliged to request further information and may make a decision on the application without asking for more. That means dependency evidence should be front-loaded rather than held back for a request that may never come.

If the visa is refused, the Department will tell you why and whether you have a right to review the decision. The application charge is not refunded if the application is refused. For that reason, the adult-dependency evidence — Form 47a, the 12-month financial trail, and, where relevant, the medical practitioner's report — is usually the difference between a child included in the permanent grant and a child left out of it entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Form 47a for in a Subclass 124 case?

Form 47a is the Department form used to record details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over. For an adult dependant, it is the central document for the dependency claim and must be supported by relationship evidence and 12 months of financial dependency. Without it, the adult child's dependency has not been documented in the required form.

Can my 20-year-old child be included as a dependant?

A child who is over 18 but has not yet turned 23 can be included if they are dependent on you or your partner. You still need Form 47a, proof of the parent-child relationship, and proof they have been financially dependent on you for at least the 12 months before you applied. If they are likely to turn 23 during processing, the disability-related medical report is also required.

What if my child turns 23 while the Subclass 124 application is pending?

You must provide evidence they are dependent on you because of disability. In practice this means a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions. A child who turns 23 during processing and does not meet this requirement cannot satisfy the criteria for the visa.

Does a disability automatically qualify my adult child after 23?

No. After 23 the child must be unable to earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations and must also be dependent on you or your partner. The medical report is evidence of that link, not a replacement for the 12-month financial dependency proof.

Do I need consent forms for an adult dependant?

Consent forms apply to applicants under 18, not to a dependant who is already 18 or over. For an adult dependant the equivalent requirement is the Form 47a dependency evidence. If the child was under 18 when you applied but is likely to turn 18 during processing, you need consent for the earlier period and dependency evidence for the later stage.

Can I add a dependant after I have lodged the Subclass 124 application?

Yes, you can add members of the family unit after you apply but before a decision is made, using Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement). The added person still has to meet the dependant rules that apply at that point, including adult dependency and any medical report requirement if they are 23 or turning 23.

References

• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Distinguished Talent visa (Subclass 124)