Family Members on Subclass 884: Inclusion, Evidence and Health Rules 2026

Every family member belongs on a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) application form, whether or not they intend to move to Australia, and the Department may extend health and character requirements to the ones staying behind. That combination comes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) page, checked as at August 2026. Treated as an evidence question rather than a filing chore, three consequences follow: the list decides whose health and character get tested, it decides how many applicants must be paid for, and it supplies the numbers used in the balance of family test.

Do I have to list family members who are not migrating?

Yes. The Department states that you must include details of all your family members in the application form, even if they are not migrating. There is no carve-out for relatives staying in their home country, and no option to keep someone off the form because they are not part of the move.

The obligation is not merely administrative, because the same pool of people feeds the balance of family test. Eligibility depends on that test in either of two ways: at least half of your children and step-children are eligible children, or there are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country. Both limbs are calculated across the full set of children and step-children, so an incomplete record produces the wrong arithmetic.

Suppose an applicant has one eligible child in Australia and one child overseas, and has not recorded a step-child from an earlier marriage living in the same overseas country. On the applicant's own count, one of two children is eligible, which satisfies the "at least half" limb. On the correct count of three children and step-children, one eligible child out of three falls below half, and Australia's one eligible child is not more than the two in the other country — so neither limb is met. Nothing about that outcome depends on new facts being discovered later; it changes purely because the list changed.

Who can actually be included in the application?

Members of your family can be included in the application when you apply. Each of them then stands as an applicant in their own right, which is what pulls them into the evidence and cost consequences below.

Location is a hard condition for everyone included. You and any family members applying with you must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, both when you apply and when the Department makes its decision. A related trap sits alongside it: applying in Australia while holding a temporary visa with a no further stay condition makes the application invalid, unless you obtain a waiver of that condition.

What health and character evidence applies, and does it reach people who stay behind?

It can. Applicants and included family members must meet the health and character requirements, and the Department may also require non-migrating family members to meet them. The word used is that those family members might need to meet them, which means the decision is the Department's to make, not something the applicant elects.

Person	Must appear in the family list	Health requirement	Character requirement
Primary applicant	Yes	Applies	Applies
Family member included in the application	Yes	Applies	Applies
Family member not migrating	Yes	May be required	May be required

The practical point for evidence preparation is that "not migrating" reduces nothing on the form and guarantees nothing on screening. Health checks and police certificates are listed as per-applicant costs, so the same documentary work can be requested for someone who never intends to travel.

This article sets out the published general rules only and is not advice on any individual case; a specific application should be checked against the current official requirements or with a qualified professional.

What other evidence attaches to each person on the form?

Several criteria are written in terms of "you or any family members", so they travel with each person listed:

• Debt to the Australian Government. If you or any family members owe money to the Australian Government, it must be paid back, or there must be an approved arrangement to pay it back. Evidence of repayment or of the arrangement is therefore part of the file.
• Health and character, as described above, for applicants and potentially for non-migrating relatives.
• Australian Values Statement. Applicants aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet, and must sign an Australian Values Statement confirming they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
• Best interests of the child. The visa will not be granted if doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
• Immigration history. The Department considers that history when deciding the application, and you may not be eligible if a visa was cancelled or a previous application was refused. In some circumstances an application for a permanent visa may still be possible, subject to the limitations that apply.

What happens when family evidence is incomplete or wrong?

Parent visa demand exceeds the number of places available each year, so these applications are capped and queued and processed in the order received, with long processing times. That makes the front end of the process decisive. Assessment runs in two stages: an initial assessment that checks eligibility in order to either add the application to the queue or refuse it, and then final assessment as places become available. An application whose family record is wrong can therefore fail at the first stage rather than take a place in line.

The Department lists three reasons an application takes longer: it is not completed correctly, it does not include all required documents or more information is needed, and the information takes a long time to verify. Payment is a separate gate — the application can only be processed if the correct visa application charge has been paid, and the Department will notify you and return the application if necessary.

What does each extra family member cost?

The visa costs from AUD35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you. Concessions apply in limited circumstances. The charge is paid in two instalments: the first when you apply, the second when the Department asks for it.

On top of the visa charge, there may be other costs for each applicant, including health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Since these are per applicant, adding one family member can create several separate lines of cost rather than one.

Lower cost for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible citizens who lodge a valid visa application. Eligibility is recognised through a valid passport issued by one of the listed countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Family members are eligible for the lower cost too, based on the passport of the primary applicant.

What if a child is born after I apply?

The official page routes this to the Department's change-in-situation guidance for applicants who have had a baby. Follow that guidance, because a new child does two things at once: it changes the family list that must be complete, and it changes the count used in the balance of family test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to list family members who are not migrating?

Yes. Details of all your family members belong in the application form even if they are not migrating. Leaving someone out because they are staying overseas is not an available option on this visa. The recorded list is also the basis for the balance of family test, which counts all children and step-children.

Can a family member staying overseas still be asked to meet health and character requirements?

Yes. The Department states that family members who are not coming to Australia might also need to meet those requirements. Whether they are asked is decided during assessment, so it cannot be ruled out in advance.

Do accompanying family members need to be in Australia?

You and any family members applying with you must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, both at the time of application and at the time of decision. Applying while on a temporary visa with a no further stay condition makes the application invalid unless the condition is waived.

Does adding a family member change the cost?

The single-applicant starting cost is from AUD35,430, and there are additional charges for each family member who applies with you. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics may add further per-applicant costs, and the visa charge itself is paid in two instalments.

What happens if documents are missing at the initial assessment?

Assessment begins with an initial check that either adds the application to the queue or refuses it. Missing documents are listed as one cause of longer processing, and an incomplete record also risks a refusal at that first stage instead of a place in the queue.

Are Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants charged less, including for family?

From 1 July 2026 a lower visa cost applies to eligible applicants lodging a valid application with a valid passport from one of the listed countries. Family members receive the lower cost as well, based on the primary applicant's passport. The list covers 13 countries, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste.

A baby was born after lodgement — what changes?

The official page directs applicants to its change-in-situation guidance for people who have had a baby. Use that guidance, because the new child joins the family list and also changes the arithmetic of the balance of family test.

References

• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) official page
• Australian Department of Social Services — Age pension benefits and payments