Australia 190 Family Migration 2026: Bringing a Partner on a Skilled PR Visa
Yes — your partner can be included in your Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) application rather than applying separately, and in most cases they can still be added after you lodge, as long as the visa has not yet been decided. This follows the Department of Home Affairs’ official page for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), as at the July 2026 official page: partners and dependent children are treated as members of the family unit, they are assessed on the same application, and they must meet the same health and character requirements as you do. The practical point for planning is that “family migration” on the 190 is not a separate visa stream — it is a question of timing, relationship evidence and dependency, all resolved inside your own application.
Visa rules and forms are updated without notice, and this article is general information rather than advice about your own circumstances, so treat the current official page as the authority before you rely on any specific requirement.
Who counts as family on a 190 application?
The 190 is built around one main applicant: you are the person who submitted the Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, scored at least 65 points, was under 45 at the time of invitation, held a suitable skills assessment and competent English, and was nominated by a state or territory government agency. Everyone else travels on your file.
| Family member | Key condition | Extra documents or forms |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse or de facto partner | Relationship must be genuine and continuing; de facto must be registered or have lasted at least 12 months before you apply | Marriage certificate or de facto evidence, identity and character documents |
| Child under 18 | Dependency is assumed; consent to migrate is required only from anyone who has a legal right to decide where the child lives and is not coming to Australia | Birth certificate or family book, Form 1229 or statutory declaration |
| Child aged 18 to 22 | Must be dependent on you or your partner | Form 47a, proof of relationship and financial dependency |
| Child 23 or older | Must be unable to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations | Form 47a plus a medical practitioner’s report |
A child who turns 18 while the application is being processed must be shown to be dependent on you; otherwise they cannot meet the criteria for this visa. The same logic applies at 23 for a child relying on disability.
What does my partner actually have to provide?
Four things: identity, character, proof of the relationship, and health clearance if requested.
Identity and character. Your partner needs the pages of a current passport showing photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if they have one and proof of any change of name. On character, they need an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate if they have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16 — only complete disclosure certificates are accepted, and for immigration purposes they are valid for 12 months from the date of issue — plus an overseas police certificate from every country where they spent 12 months or more in the same period. Military service records or discharge papers are required if they served in any country’s armed forces.
Relationship evidence. Whether married or de facto, the Department requires evidence that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship. The examples given are joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner has lived at the same address as you.
For de facto partners, one of two routes applies: either evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian state or territory, or enough documents to prove the de facto relationship has existed for at least 12 months before you apply. Registration is what removes the 12-month requirement; without it, the 12 months is measured against the date you lodge the visa application, not the date you submitted the EOI.
Both married and de facto applicants must also provide documents about other relationships, if applicable — and if you have previously been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated, the relationship documents section asks for proof such as divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations.
Can I add my partner after I have already applied?
Yes, up to the point of decision. The official page states that you can add members of the family unit to your application after you apply but before the visa is decided. You do that with Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement), pay through ImmiAccount, and attach the form and supporting documents to your ImmiAccount.
Two things follow from this. First, a partner you add later is still assessed against the same criteria — including the 12-month de facto rule measured at the time you apply — so adding someone late does not lower the evidential bar. Second, the Department is not obliged to ask you for further documents and may make a decision on your application without requesting them, so waiting until you are asked is a risky way to handle a missing partner file.
Family members added later must meet the health and character requirements. Family members who are not coming to Australia still have to meet the character requirement and might have to meet the health requirement.
What if we marry or start living together after the EOI?
This is the situation that catches people out. An EOI is not a visa application — it is free to submit, it can sit in SkillSelect for up to two years, and it records the claims you intend to prove later. If your relationship begins, or changes, during that window, your obligation is to keep the record accurate. The Department lists changes to marital or de facto status among the things you must tell it about after you have applied, and the same principle applies to the claims in your EOI: you must provide documents to prove all claims made in it, and you must tell the Department as soon as possible if you made a mistake on your application, using Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers).
The timing chain is worth being clear about, because each step has a hard edge:
- You are invited only if a state or territory agency nominates you. Each agency sets its own nomination criteria.
- Once invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply. That period cannot be extended.
- If you do not apply after two invitations, your EOI is removed from SkillSelect.
- Getting an invitation does not mean the visa will be granted.
So, as a planning matter: if a marriage or a de facto relationship is likely to start before you lodge, build the relationship evidence into your document preparation from the beginning rather than treating it as an afterthought attached to an already-lodged file.
Does my partner affect my eligibility or points score?
Indirectly, in two ways.
First, through the points test. “Partner skills” appears in the list of claims for which you may need to provide supporting evidence, alongside skills assessment, English, employment and study claims. Any points you claim on the basis of your partner’s skills have to be proven with documents at the time you apply, using the same evidence standard as your own claims.
Second, through the requirements that apply to the whole family. You and family members aged 16 and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement. You and any family applying with you must meet the health requirement. If you or any family member — including those who do not apply with you — owes money to the Australian Government, it must have been repaid or arrangements made to repay it. And if you are 18 or older, you must have read (or had explained to you) Life in Australia and confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign the Australian Values Statement.
Note what is not required of a partner: the points test, the skills assessment, the under-45 age limit, and the competent English requirement are tests that apply to you as the main applicant. The official page does not impose them on an accompanying partner.
What if a family member is not coming to Australia?
You must still account for them. The relationship documents section says that if your partner or dependent children are not included in the application, you must tell the Department the reason why — for example, they already hold Australian citizenship or are permanent residents. Family members who do not accompany you must still meet the character requirement, and might have to meet the health requirement if requested.
Being silent about an excluded family member is the failure mode here, not the exclusion itself. The requirement is disclosure plus a reason.
What happens to everyone when the visa is decided?
The decision covers the whole family unit on the one application. If the visa is granted, the Department advises the visa grant number, the date the visa starts and any visa conditions. If it is refused, it tells you why and whether you have a right to review — and the application charge is not refunded.
For children specifically, the outcome also turns on age and dependency at decision time, not just at lodgement: a child who turns 18 during processing without evidence of dependency, or turns 23 without meeting the disability-based test, cannot satisfy the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my partner be included on my subclass 190 application?
Yes. A spouse or de facto partner is a member of the family unit and is assessed on the same application as you, provided you supply identity, character and relationship evidence and they meet the health and character requirements. There is no separate partner visa step inside the 190 process.
Can I add my partner after I have lodged the application?
Yes, you can add members of the family unit after lodging but before the Department decides the visa, using Form 1436 and paying through ImmiAccount. The added partner still has to satisfy the same relationship, health and character requirements, so late additions are assessed on the same standard as day-one applicants.
Does my partner need to prove 12 months of living together?
Only if you rely on a de facto relationship that is not registered. A de facto partner must show either registration of the relationship by an Australian state or territory, or enough documents proving at least 12 months in a de facto relationship before you apply. The 12 months is measured against the date you lodge the visa application.
Does my partner need English test results or a skills assessment?
The official page applies the points test, the skills assessment, the under-45 age limit and the competent English requirement to the main applicant. Your partner’s own obligations are identity, character, health and the genuine-and-continuing relationship evidence — though if you claim points for partner skills, you must provide evidence for that claim.
What happens if we marry after I have already applied?
You must tell the Department about changes to your marital or de facto status after you apply. You would then use Form 1436 to add your partner before the decision, with the relationship evidence attached. Do not leave the change to be discovered at decision time; the Department is not obliged to request further documents.
Do family members who are not migrating still need to be declared?
Yes. If your partner or dependent children are not included, you must state the reason, such as their already holding Australian citizenship or permanent residence. Non-accompanying family members must still meet the character requirement and might be asked to meet the health requirement.
Can my 20-year-old child come with us on the 190?
Yes, if they are over 18 and not yet 23 and are dependent on you or your partner. You would provide their identity documents, Form 47a (Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over), proof of the relationship such as a birth certificate, and proof of financial dependency such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts.