Child visas Australia: find the right family pathway

Bringing a child to Australia requires more than identifying a family relationship. The right pathway depends on the child’s age, dependency, location, the parent’s status and any adoption or custody arrangements. Australian Immigration Agency (AIA) helps families work through those questions and prepare the documents that explain the child’s circumstances accurately.

The main permanent routes are Child visas 101 and 802, Adoption visa 102 and Orphan Relative visas 117 and 837. Dependent Child visa 445 is temporary and links a child to a parent’s Partner visa process. Some children can instead be included in a parent’s application, while others may already qualify for Australian citizenship. Start with the child’s actual status before paying for a separate visa.

Compare the child pathways

The ordinary main-applicant government charges below are current as at 2 November 2026. Specified Pacific-country concessions and other exemptions can alter the charge. Medical examinations, translations, certificates, professional fees and additional applicants are separate.

The permanent visas are different from an Australian citizenship application. If a child was born overseas to an Australian citizen, assess citizenship by descent before assuming the family needs a migration visa.

Subclass 101: Child visa for a child outside Australia

Subclass 101 is a permanent pathway for an eligible dependent child of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The child must be outside Australia when applying and when the visa is decided. The sponsoring parent and the parent-child relationship must satisfy the relevant requirements.

A child can generally qualify if under 18, if aged 18 to 24 and meeting the full-time-study and financial-dependency requirements, or if an adult unable to work because of a qualifying disability and dependent on the parent. The child must meet the relevant single-status rules. Financial support alone does not make every adult son or daughter eligible.

As at 2 November 2026, the ordinary charge is AUD4,040. Prepare identity, birth, relationship, sponsorship, consent and dependency documents, then use the current Child visa application instructions. After lodgement, supply any requested health, character or additional relationship evidence. Following a grant, arrange first entry within the period stated in the grant letter.

A common pitfall is concentrating on the parent’s Australian status while overlooking the child’s study history, employment, relationship status or custody arrangements. Assess those details early, especially where the child is approaching an age threshold.

Subclass 802: Child visa for a child in Australia

Subclass 802 is the onshore permanent Child pathway. It has corresponding relationship, age, dependency and single-status requirements, but the child must be in Australia when applying and when the application is decided. Do not choose it merely because the family would prefer to wait together in Australia.

Check the child’s current visa, expiry date, any No Further Stay condition and any refusal or cancellation history. These can affect the ability to make a valid onshore application. A child entering as a visitor does not automatically become eligible for an onshore permanent application.

The ordinary base charge is AUD4,040 as at 2 November 2026. Prepare the Child and sponsorship documents together and follow the prescribed lodgement process. Check any bridging visa grant separately, including when it takes effect and its travel conditions. After permanent grant, the child can live in Australia indefinitely, but future international travel still requires attention to the permanent visa’s travel facility.

Subclass 102: Adoption visa

Subclass 102 is a permanent pathway for an eligible child adopted outside Australia, or in the relevant adoption process, by a qualifying Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. It has adoption-specific requirements rather than simply duplicating the biological-child rules. The child must be under 18 at adoption, application and decision, and outside Australia at application and decision.

Recognised intercountry arrangements and expatriate adoptions need different evidence. In an expatriate case, at least one adoptive parent generally needs to have lived overseas for more than twelve months immediately before the visa application, and the residence must not have been arranged merely to bypass Australian intercountry-adoption requirements. The adoption must satisfy the relevant legal requirements; a foreign adoption order alone does not establish every visa criterion.

The ordinary base charge is AUD4,040 as at 2 November 2026. Gather the full adoption order, evidence of parental rights, the adoption process and the parent’s circumstances. Check whether citizenship through a Hague or bilateral adoption pathway is available instead. AIA can help distinguish those possibilities before the family arranges the child’s travel.

Subclass 117: Orphan Relative visa outside Australia

Subclass 117 is for an eligible child under 18 who is single and has no parent able to care for them because each parent is deceased, permanently incapacitated or cannot be found. It is not a general pathway for a child whose parents would prefer a relative in Australia to provide better opportunities.

The child needs an eligible settled Australian relative as sponsor. The relationship and sponsor requirements need to be established, along with reliable evidence about both parents’ circumstances. Poverty, a parent’s willingness to transfer care or informal guardianship does not by itself satisfy the statutory orphan-relative definition.

Apply while the child is outside Australia and follow the offshore grant requirements. The ordinary government charge is AUD2,475 as at 2 November 2026, subject to the available concessions. Provide evidence of the family relationship, parents’ deaths or incapacity or efforts to locate them, custody and consent, and the proposed care arrangements. The visa is permanent if granted; Home Affairs still assesses health, character and the other relevant requirements.

Subclass 837: Orphan Relative visa in Australia

Subclass 837 is the corresponding onshore permanent pathway for an eligible orphan relative already in Australia. The under-18, single-status and parental-care requirements remain central. Being in Australia with a relative does not establish that the child has no parent capable of caring for them.

The child must meet the onshore application and decision-location requirements. Review current visa conditions and any application barriers before lodging. The ordinary base charge is AUD2,475 as at 2 November 2026, with specific concessions or exemptions where the statutory category is met.

Prepare the parental-circumstances evidence and sponsorship together. If a welfare authority is involved, provide the actual documents rather than treating informal assistance as an official endorsement. Check any bridging arrangements while the case is processed. AIA can help organise a clear record where overseas family evidence, child-protection issues and Australian immigration status intersect.

Subclass 445: Dependent Child visa linked to a Partner application

Subclass 445 is temporary. It can allow an eligible child to join a parent holding a temporary or provisional Partner visa while the parent’s permanent Partner application is being processed. It is particularly important where a child was not included in the original combined Partner application.

The parent’s Partner status and the child’s relationship and dependency need to satisfy the relevant criteria. The sponsor is generally connected with the parent’s Partner sponsorship. A child who is already an Australian citizen does not use this temporary migration route.

The ordinary charge is AUD4,040 as at 2 November 2026. The pathway can involve applications from inside or outside Australia under its specific location rules. After a 445 grant, the child must be added to the parent’s permanent Partner application through the required process, including Form 1002 where applicable. Do not assume the temporary grant automatically includes the child in the permanent stage.

Timing matters: obtain advice while the permanent Partner application remains pending. A permanent decision on the parent’s application can change the available route. Keep the parent and child’s records coordinated so that a temporary child application does not become disconnected from the permanent-stage plan.

Partner-linked children, stepchildren and adoption questions

A child may qualify for inclusion in a parent’s eligible application rather than needing a separate Child visa. That depends on the parent’s pathway, the child’s relationship and dependency and the stage the application has reached. Identify every child at the start, including non-migrating children, and disclose the family circumstances accurately.

Stepchild rules are specific. A person who has cared for a child for years is not necessarily a qualifying parent under every visa. Custody orders, the status of the relationship with the child’s biological parent and the child’s age can matter. Similarly, an adopted child may need assessment under adoption-specific rules even when the family treats the relationship exactly like a biological parent-child relationship.

If the child may already be Australian, obtain an assessment of citizenship and the documents needed for travel. A citizenship pathway and a visa pathway should not be pursued on contradictory assumptions about the child’s status.

Consent, dependency and the application process

For a child under 18, establish who can legally decide where the child lives. Consent from the other parent, relevant court orders or another recognised legal basis may be needed. A divorce order does not necessarily give one parent unrestricted permission to move the child overseas. Translate and supply complete orders, including any conditions.

For an adult child relying on study and dependency, prepare enrolment, attendance, financial-support and other required evidence. Explain any breaks, work or changes in education. For disability-related eligibility, obtain evidence addressing the legal requirements rather than assuming any diagnosis establishes inability to work.

Use the current Home Affairs Child visa instructions for lodgement. The ability to import a paper application into ImmiAccount does not mean every Child pathway is lodged through an ordinary online visa form. Keep copies, respond to requests and update changes in custody, relationships, location or passports. Government processing times are guides; no family should rely on an agent’s promised grant date.

Frequently asked questions