Bringing your children to Australia: how it generally works

Reuniting the family often includes the children. How bringing them is handled depends on your situation and theirs. This is a general information guide — not an assessment of your case — so you understand the landscape before looking at it in detail.

Is there a visa for children?

Yes: the official information provides for a child visa for the children of Australian citizens or permanent residents (and, in certain cases, eligible New Zealanders), as well as other specific situations. There’s more than one option within this.

Including them in another application, or their own visa

Broadly, children can appear in two ways: included as dependants in a parent’s application (for example, in a partner or work visa), or through a child visa of their own. Which fits depends on the timing and the family situation.

What is usually looked at

In these applications, the relationship with the child, their age and their dependency usually matter, along with documents to evidence it. There’s no single rule or one-size number: age and dependency are assessed against the current criteria, so it’s worth confirming at the official source and case by case.

Adoption and other situations

General information also covers specific situations, such as adoption, with their own subclasses and requirements. If your case falls into one of these categories, it’s exactly the kind of thing worth reviewing carefully and with the official source in view.

Things worth knowing

• Including a child from the start or later are different paths.
• Documents on the relationship and identity are usually part of the process.
• If you’re also thinking about your partner or parents, see partner visa and parent visas.
• The rules update; always confirm what’s current before planning.

The next step

Every situation has its nuances, and every country of origin its own. If you’d like to look at how this applies to your case, contact us and we’ll go through it with you.

Moving as a couple or family raises a lot of questions. Start with the essentials.

Download the guide for a general overview of how these paths work.

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General information · not individual legal advice.

Last reviewed: 2026-07-03 · Source: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au