Proof of Dependency for Parent Visa 884 in 2026: Children Over 18
A child who has turned 18 can still be included in a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) application, but only on one of two dependency grounds: they are over 18 and not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or they are over 23, unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner. That is the wording on the Australian Department of Home Affairs official page for the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884).
What follows is general information about how that dependency test is documented. It is not personalised advice about your family's circumstances, and the final check should always be against the current Home Affairs page and the regulations, or with someone qualified to advise on your situation.
Who counts as a dependent child over 18 on a Subclass 884 application?
The Home Affairs page sets out three age bands for a child included as a dependant:
- under 18 years of age;
- over 18 but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner;
- over 23, unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner.
The middle band is the one most families are asking about. Age alone is not enough once a child turns 18: dependency is a separate requirement, and it has to be proved with documents rather than asserted.
What does "dependent" mean here, and how long must it last?
The evidence the Department asks for has two layers. First, the relationship: you must show the person is your child, for example with a birth certificate or adoption papers. Second, the financial reliance: the Department's page states you must prove the person has been financially dependent on you for at least 12 months before you apply.
The 12 months is measured backwards from the application date, not from the date of decision. A child who becomes financially independent after you lodge is a different problem — see the question about turning 23 during processing below.
Which documents can show 12 months of financial dependency?
Home Affairs lists the financial dependency evidence as examples rather than a fixed checklist, using the phrase "you could provide":
- proof they live with you;
- their tax records;
- proof they are currently studying.
Because these are examples, the practical test is whether your documents, taken together, make a continuous 12-month picture of reliance. A single bank transfer is weak evidence; records that cover the whole period and that line up with each other are stronger. Suppose an applicant's 21-year-old child lives at home, is enrolled full time, and has no income of their own — in that hypothetical, the lease or household registration showing the shared address, the enrolment record, and the child's tax or income records would each cover a different part of the same 12-month window.
What is Form 47A, and who has to complete it?
Form 47A, Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over, is the form the Department uses to record the dependency claim. The proof of dependency section of the visa page requires a completed Form 47A along with proof of the relationship.
One detail is easy to miss. The lodgement section of the same page states that each member of your family aged 18 years or over must complete Form 47A, even if they are not migrating. So the form is not limited to the children you are bringing with you.
Form 47A sits alongside the main application, Form 47PA Application for a parent to migrate to Australia, and Form 40 Sponsorship for migration to Australia completed by the sponsor. The 884 visa cannot be lodged online; the application is made on paper, you must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance when you submit it, and all forms must be completed in English.
What if your child turns 23 while the visa is being processed?
The Department addresses this directly: if your child is likely to turn 23 while the application is processed, you will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you due to disability.
In practice this means the 18-to-23 band is not a safe harbour for the whole of the processing period. A child who is 22 at lodgement and still dependent may cross the 23 threshold before a decision is made, and at that point the only remaining pathway is the disability ground. Parent visa processing is long, and the Department's own page points applicants to the Parent visa queue release dates page for this reason — which is why families whose child is close to 23 should treat the disability evidence question as part of lodgement planning rather than as a later problem.
How does the over-23 pathway differ?
The over-23 ground has three elements that must all be present: the child is over 23, they are unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and they are dependent on you or your partner.
Note the difference in emphasis. In the 18-to-23 band, the focus of the evidence is the 12-month financial reliance. In the over-23 band, the physical or cognitive limitation itself becomes the thing that has to be documented, alongside dependency. The visa page does not specify which medical or other documents satisfy this element, so the format of that evidence should be checked against the current official page.
What else has to travel with the child's dependency evidence?
Dependency evidence is only one part of the documents for a dependant aged 18 or over. The Home Affairs page also requires:
- identity documents;
- evidence of your relationship with them, such as a birth or marriage certificate;
- documents about their other relationships, if applicable;
- character documents.
Those items are independent of the dependency question. A complete dependency package with missing identity or relationship documents still leaves the application exposed, because incomplete applications may be treated as invalid and are not processed.
Only certified copies should be sent with a paper application, other than police certificates, and you should keep a full copy of the application and supporting documents for your own records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a child over 18 be included in a Subclass 884 application at all?
Yes, but only if they are over 18 and not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or over 23 and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations while dependent on you. Age alone does not qualify a child once they turn 18.
How long must my child have been financially dependent on me?
The Department of Home Affairs states you must prove the person has been financially dependent on you for at least 12 months before you apply. The 12 months runs backwards from the application date.
What documents does Home Affairs accept as proof of dependency?
You must provide a completed Form 47A and proof of your relationship, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers. For the 12-month financial reliance, the page gives proof they live with you, their tax records, and proof they are currently studying as examples.
Does my child need Form 47A if they are not migrating with me?
Yes. Home Affairs states that each member of your family aged 18 years or over must complete Form 47A, and this applies even if they are not migrating.
What happens if my child turns 23 after I lodge the application?
Home Affairs says that if your child is likely to turn 23 during processing, you will need to provide evidence they are dependent on you due to disability. That is the same ground that applies to children who are already over 23 at the time you apply.
Does a job or income disqualify my child from being a dependant?
The visa page does not set an income threshold. It requires the child to be dependent on you or your partner, and for the over-23 ground it requires them to be unable to earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations. Whether particular earnings break dependency is a question for the current official wording or for professional advice on your circumstances.