Work and study rights for Subclass 445 dependent children in 2026

Updated 2026-09-30 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

Yes — a child granted a Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445) may be able to work and study in Australia from the date the visa is granted, and can remain here until the Department decides the parent's permanent Partner visa (subclass 100 or subclass 801) application. That is what the Australian Department of Home Affairs sets out on its Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445) official page, as at the July 2026 version of that page. The same source adds that if the child works, Australian workplace law protects them.

This article is general information only, not advice tailored to one family's circumstances; the entitlements that matter are the ones actually recorded on the child's own grant, and where a decision carries real consequences, treat the official record and a qualified professional's opinion as the final word.

Can a Subclass 445 child work in Australia, and from when?

The work entitlement attaches to the grant, not to the application. Home Affairs states that the child might be able to work or study in Australia from the date the visa is granted, which means the practical starting point is the grant date shown in the child's own record rather than the date the family lodged.

Home Affairs also says it will usually acknowledge an application, and advise of any associated bridging visa, within approximately one month of lodgement — an acknowledgement is not a grant, and it does not by itself create this visa's work permission. For an indication of how long a decision may take, the Department points users to its visa processing time guide tool, while noting that the published figures cover recently decided applications and are a guide only, not a prediction for a particular case.

Home Affairs does deal with cost on this page: the visa costs an amount for the main applicant, there is also a charge for each dependent child who applies with the main applicant, and there might be other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. To work out what the visa will cost, the Department points users to the Visa Pricing Estimator, which does not consider those other costs. Specific work conditions are those recorded on the child's own grant rather than any general rule of thumb.

Can the child study on this visa instead of a student visa?

Study is one of the four things Home Affairs lists the child can do on this visa: stay in or move to Australia until the parent's permanent Partner visa is decided, travel to and from Australia, work and study in Australia, and attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible.

Because the study permission comes with the 445 itself, the child is not relying on a separate student visa to be lawfully enrolled — the visa they hold already carries the study entitlement. What they can study, and any condition attached to it, is a matter for the conditions on their grant.

Is the child protected by Australian workplace law?

Yes. Home Affairs states plainly that if a Subclass 445 child works, they are protected by Australian workplace law, and it refers readers to the Fair Work Ombudsman's fact sheet on visa holders and migrant workers' workplace rights and entitlements. Visa status does not put a young worker outside that protection, and the fact sheet is the place the Department itself sends people to see what those rights look like in practice.

How can an employer or the family confirm what this child is allowed to do?

Home Affairs points to VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) for this. The Department's guidance says you can check the child's visa expiry, conditions and work and study entitlements in VEVO, and that VEVO is also how you prove you hold a visa and show your conditions to someone else — which is exactly the position an employer is in when they want to see that a young person may lawfully be on the payroll.

What does the family have to arrange after the grant?

Joining the parent's permanent Partner visa application

Being granted the 445 is not the end of the process. Home Affairs says that once the child holds this visa, they must apply for the same permanent Partner visa as their parent, using Form 1002 (Application by a subclass 445 dependent child for a permanent partner visa), and that this must be lodged before the Department decides the parent's application — doing so is what keeps the child lawful in Australia.

Where the child may be when that application goes in depends on which permanent visa the parent is seeking. To be added to a parent's Partner (subclass 100) application, the child can be in or outside Australia but must be a member of the family unit; to be added to a Partner (subclass 801) application, the child must be in Australia.

The Department's stated lodgement route is to upload the application to the parent's Partner visa application in ImmiAccount and then notify it using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form; if the form cannot be uploaded to the ImmiAccount application, the completed form can be uploaded through that online enquiry form instead.

First entry, staying lawful, and reporting changes

The child must enter Australia before the date specified in their grant letter, and Home Affairs notes the first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant. The child and any family members granted the visa must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

Changes that must be reported include changes to the child's passport, the birth of a child, and changes of name.

How long does the visa last, and does travel change anything?

The 445 is a temporary visa. It starts on the date of grant, and the child can stay until Home Affairs decides the parent's permanent Partner visa application, or until the parent withdraws that application.

Travel is unrestricted in the sense that the child can travel to and from Australia as often as they wish while the visa is valid — but time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa, and the visa cannot be extended to lengthen the stay. Home Affairs directs people in that position to explore other visa options. There is no passport label: the visa is digitally linked to the child's passport.

What about brothers, sisters and the child's own children?

Each of the child's siblings must apply for this visa separately. The child's own dependent children can be included on their application, either when they apply or at any time before the Department decides it, and those dependent children must meet the health requirement; family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet it.

One timing point is easy to miss: a dependant cannot be added after the application has been decided, so the decision date is a hard deadline for bringing a family member onto the case.

Does the child get Medicare and free English classes?

Medicare access is tied to the next step, not to the 445 grant itself. Home Affairs says that once an application to add the child to the parent's permanent Partner visa application has been submitted, the child can enrol in Australia's public healthcare scheme, Medicare. Separately, if eligible, the child can attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Subclass 445 child start work the day the visa is granted?

Home Affairs states the child might be able to work or study in Australia from the date the visa is granted, so the grant date is the reference point. The entitlement and any attached conditions can be checked in VEVO. An application acknowledgement, which the Department says usually arrives within about a month of lodgement, is not the same thing as a grant.

Does the child need a student visa to study?

The official page lists study in Australia among the things a Subclass 445 holder can do, so study permission comes with this visa rather than from a separate student visa application. The Department does not treat a student visa as a precondition on this page; the child's recorded conditions govern what study looks like in their case.

Are 445 holders covered by Australian workplace law?

Yes — Home Affairs says that if the child works they are protected by Australian workplace law. The Department refers readers to the Fair Work Ombudsman's fact sheet on visa holders and migrant workers' workplace rights and entitlements for the detail.

When can the child enrol in Medicare?

Home Affairs says the child can enrol in Medicare once an application to add them to the parent's permanent Partner visa application has been submitted. That is the Form 1002 step, not the 445 grant itself, so the timing of that application matters for healthcare access.

What happens when the parent's permanent Partner visa is decided?

The 445 is temporary and runs until the Department decides the parent's permanent Partner visa application or the parent withdraws it. This is why the child must apply to be added to the parent's permanent application, using Form 1002, before that decision is made.

How can an employer check a young 445 holder's permission to work?

Home Affairs says VEVO shows visa expiry, conditions and work and study entitlements, and is the way to prove a visa and show its conditions to someone else. An employer being shown the child's VEVO record is therefore the straightforward check.

Can the child travel overseas and keep the visa?

Yes. The child can travel to and from Australia as often as they wish while the visa is valid, and time outside Australia does not extend the visa. First entry, however, must happen before the date in the grant letter, which Home Affairs says is generally set 12 months from grant.