Balance of Family Test for Australia Parent Visa 884 (2026): How Children and Step-Children Count
For the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884), you pass the balance of family test in one 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. This comes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official pages for the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) and its separate balance of family test page.
Because both limbs of the test are about counting, most refusals come down to two things: which people go into the count, and whether you can prove where each of them belongs. Everything below stays within what those official pages support, and you should treat the Department's current published wording as the final authority, since policy and forms can be updated.
What exactly does the Department count?
The count starts with your children and your step-children. That is the group named in the eligibility criteria on the Subclass 884 visa page — not grandchildren, siblings, nieces or nephews.
Two points follow from that wording alone. Step-children are included from the start, so blending step-children in can change the result in either direction. And the group is defined by relationship to you, not by whether the person is migrating with you or is included in your application.
Can I leave someone out of the count?
Sometimes yes, but only where the Department accepts the exclusion. The documents list for the Subclass 884 visa page names this directly: you may give evidence that your child should not be included in the balance of family test, and it gives a death certificate as the example.
So a deceased child is removed from the count when you provide that evidence. The same section makes clear that this is an evidentiary matter — you show it, rather than simply asserting it. Where the Department has not accepted an exclusion, the person stays in the count.
Suppose a parent has four children in total and one has died. If the death certificate is provided, the test runs on three children. If it is not provided, it runs on four, and the parent may fail a test that they would otherwise pass.
Do the two ways to pass work differently?
Yes, and they can produce different answers for the same family. Keep them separate when you do your own arithmetic.
Under the first limb, the comparison is between eligible children and the total group of children and step-children. You need at least half of that group to be eligible children.
Under the second limb, the comparison is between countries. You count where your eligible children live, and Australia must hold more of them than any other single country. A simple plurality is enough here — Australia does not need an outright majority, it only needs to beat every other country taken one at a time.
The first limb is the stricter one in most mixed families, which is why the visa page presents them as alternatives rather than as a single combined check.
What gives someone "eligible child" status?
The test turns on the relationship to you and on whether each child is a settled Australian citizen, a settled Australian permanent resident or a settled eligible New Zealand citizen under Migration Regulations 1994 (Subclass 884), with the documents list asking for evidence of how you are related to each child and of each child's Australian citizenship or country of permanent residence.
"Eligible" therefore covers more than citizenship alone, but the published pages should be read for the precise current definition, including any settled-status requirement, before you finalise your own count.
This matters most for second residencies. A child may hold permanent residence in one country while living in another, and mixing those two facts up is a common source of incorrect counts.
Working through your own count
Read the steps in order, and do one action per line.
List every child and step-child you have. Write each person's name on its own line. Note whether each one is an eligible child. Note the country of permanent residence for each eligible child. Mark anyone you believe should be excluded. Count the total group for the first limb. Check whether eligible children reach at least half. Then count eligible children by country for the second limb. Pass if either limb is met.
What evidence should I prepare?
The Subclass 884 documents section asks for three categories relevant to the test, and preparing them in this order tends to keep the count and the paperwork aligned.
Provide evidence of how you are related to each child. Provide evidence of each child's Australian citizenship or country of permanent residence. Provide evidence of any exclusion, such as a death certificate.
Beyond the test itself, the same page also requires citizenship or residence evidence generally, which is why it is worth gathering those documents for every child rather than only the ones you are relying on.
Since you must show where each child sits in the count, gathering documents for children you expect to exclude can save a later request from the Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the balance of family test apply to everyone applying for Subclass 884?
Yes, subject to one exception: under Migration Regulations 1994 (Subclass 884), an applicant who holds a substituted Subclass 600 visa is not required to satisfy it. Otherwise, the eligibility criteria list it as a requirement you must meet, alongside sponsorship, age, health, character and other criteria. The Department's separate balance of family test page provides further detail and examples of how it is applied.
Are step-children counted in the same way as biological children?
Yes. The eligibility criteria refer to "your children and step-children" as one group, and both limbs of the test run over that same group. There is no separate or reduced treatment for step-children on the published page.
How do I exclude a deceased child from the count?
Provide evidence that the child should not be included, with a death certificate given as the Department's example. Without that evidence, there is nothing on record to remove them, and they remain part of the group being counted.
Is it enough for Australia to tie with another country?
Under the second limb, no — there must be more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country. A tie with another country does not satisfy that limb, though you may still pass through the first limb if at least half of your children and step-children are eligible children.
Do I need to include children who are not migrating with me?
The eligibility criteria describe the group by reference to your children and step-children, without limiting it to those included in the application. The documents list also asks for relationship and citizenship or residence evidence for each child, which points the same way.
What if my circumstances change after I apply?
The Department asks applicants to tell it about changes including family composition, such as the birth of a child. Since a change in the number or location of children can move the count, reporting it promptly keeps your evidence consistent with your circumstances.