After a Subclass 445 grant in 2026: how the child joins the parent’s Subclass 100/801 Partner visa

Updated 2026-09-29 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

A granted Dependent Child (Subclass 445) visa is not the end of the process — it is the step that puts the child in position to be added to the parent’s permanent Partner visa. According to the Department of Home Affairs’ official Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445) page, once the child holds a 445 they must apply to be added to their parent’s permanent Partner visa application, using Form 1002 (Application by a Subclass 445 dependent child for a permanent partner visa), and they must do it before the Department decides the parent’s application. The rules below reflect those official pages as of July 2026; government forms and requirements can change, so the Department’s current pages remain the authority. This article is general information about published rules rather than advice on any one family’s situation — where custody consent, sponsorship history or a missed deadline is involved, the published requirements and qualified professional guidance should be checked together.

What exactly does the child have to do after the 445 is granted?

The Department states that once the child is granted a 445, they must apply for the same permanent Partner visa as their parent, and must apply to be added to that parent’s application. The application is made on Form 1002 and lodged in ImmiAccount. Submitting it before the parent’s permanent Partner visa is decided is what keeps the child lawful in Australia while the two applications move together.

The parent’s visa matters here, because the 445 holder follows the parent’s permanent stream: a parent in the offshore stream is heading toward the Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100), and a parent in the onshore stream is heading toward the Partner (Residence) visa (Subclass 801). The form is the same; the location rule is not.

How is the child added when the parent’s permanent visa is a Subclass 100?

For a parent’s Subclass 100 application, the Department requires two things of the child: they must be a member of the family unit, and they may be either in or outside Australia when the request is made.

That second point is the practical relief for offshore families. A child who was granted a 445 while living overseas does not have to travel to Australia first in order to be added to a Subclass 100 application. What they cannot do is wait past the decision on the parent’s application.

Being a member of the family unit is the substantive condition, so it is worth checking before lodgement rather than after: if the child’s circumstances no longer fit the family unit definition, the request is exposed regardless of where the child is physically located.

How is it different for a parent’s Subclass 801?

For a parent’s Subclass 801 application, the Department requires the 445 holder to be in Australia. There is no offshore option listed for this stream.

So the same family can face two different travel consequences depending on which permanent visa the parent is awaiting. If the parent is an 801 applicant and the child is overseas, the child needs to be onshore for the request to meet the stated requirement — and because the 445 visa itself allows travel to and from Australia while it is valid, the sequencing is usually about getting the child into Australia and then lodging, rather than lodging and hoping the location question resolves itself.

Suppose, for example, that a parent’s 820/801 case is close to a decision and the 445 child is still finishing a school year overseas. The location rule is what turns “we will do it soon” into a calendar problem: the request has to be made while the child is in Australia and before the parent’s application is decided.

Where is Form 1002 actually lodged?

The Department sets out two routes, and both end with the same notification step.

ImmiAccount: upload the application to the parent’s Partner visa application in ImmiAccount. After the form has been attached, the Department asks to be told using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form. Uploading alone is therefore not the whole process — the notification is what connects the uploaded form to the parent’s file.

Online form: if the application cannot be uploaded to the parent’s Partner visa application in ImmiAccount, the completed form is instead uploaded directly to the Partner Processing Enquiry Form online form.

For families using a migration agent or a paper-based file where the ImmiAccount upload is not available, the second route is the one the official page provides.

What is the child’s status while the Form 1002 request is pending?

The 445 is a temporary visa. It starts on the date of grant, and the child can stay until the Department decides the parent’s permanent Partner visa application or the parent withdraws that application. The visa cannot be extended to stay longer.

Two details matter during the wait:

Medicare: once an application to add the child to the parent’s permanent Partner visa application has been submitted, the child can enrol in Medicare.
Evidence of status: visa expiry, conditions and work and study entitlements can be checked in VEVO, including for proving the visa to a school or employer.

The child can travel outside Australia and return as many times as they wish while the 445 is valid, though time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa. The grant letter also sets a first entry date, generally 12 months from the date of grant, by which the child must enter Australia.

Can anyone else be included, and what happens if the parent’s visa is decided first?

The child’s own dependent children can be included on their application when they apply, or at any time before the Department decides it. Those dependent children must meet the health requirement.

What cannot be undone is timing relative to the parent’s decision: the Department states that a dependant cannot be added after the application has been decided. If that window closes, the official page points families toward exploring other visa options rather than any route that retrofits the child onto the parent’s decided Partner visa. That is the core reason the Form 1002 step belongs at the top of a post-grant to-do list, not somewhere below it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Subclass 445 child need to be in Australia to join a Subclass 100 application?

No. For a parent’s Subclass 100 application the Department allows the child to be in or outside Australia, provided the child is a member of the family unit. The Subclass 801 route is the one that requires the child to be in Australia.

What is the deadline for lodging Form 1002?

The form must be submitted before the Department decides the parent’s permanent Partner visa application. The official page’s rationale is that lodging in time ensures the child remains lawful in Australia, and it also states that a dependant cannot be added after the application has been decided.

Is Form 1002 the same as a fresh Partner visa application?

It is the designated form for a 445 dependent child to seek a permanent Partner visa by joining the parent’s existing application — Form 1002, Application by a Subclass 445 dependent child for a permanent partner visa. It is lodged against the parent’s application, not as a stand-alone Partner case.

Does the child need a new sponsor for this step?

The child must be sponsored by the same person who sponsored or nominated the parent’s permanent Partner visa application, and the sponsorship must be approved before the visa can be granted. Sponsorship can be refused where there is a pending registrable offence charge, and approved only in very limited circumstances where there is a registrable offence conviction.

What happens to the child’s lawful status if the parent withdraws their application?

A 445 lets the child stay until the Department decides the parent’s permanent Partner visa application or the parent withdraws it. Withdrawal by the parent therefore removes the basis for the child’s continued stay on the 445, which makes timing on Form 1002 especially sensitive in cases where the parent’s application may not proceed.

Is there a published government charge for this step?

The official 445 page does not state a fixed amount for the visa for the main applicant, and directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out cost. It also notes a charge for each dependent child applying with the main applicant, and possible additional costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.