Relocating a Specialist to Australia in 2026: Can Their Family Work or Study on Subclass 400?
No — family members included in a Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (Subclass 400) application are not permitted to work or study in Australia. The single exception named by the Australian Department of Home Affairs on its Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (Subclass 400) official page, as at the August 2026 version, is participation in a language training program. For households planning a cross-border assignment, that turns the dependant question from a paperwork detail into a scheduling decision: the accompanying partner keeps no Australian work rights, and school-age children cannot take up a formal course of study for the duration of the stay. This article is general information only and is not personalised migration advice; your family's position should be checked against the current official page and, where the stakes are high, with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.
Who can actually be included as family?
The Department uses the term Members of the family unit, and for this visa the official step-by-step guidance defines family members as:
- your partner
- your dependent child and stepchild
- your partner's dependent children and stepchildren
Being a family member is not the same as being eligible. Each included family member must satisfy the health requirement, family members aged 16 years and over must satisfy the character requirement, and the whole group must be able to show adequate means of support while in Australia. The Department states this as a condition of including family at all, not as an optional extra.
| Household member | Can be included | Work in Australia | Study in Australia | Must also meet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner (married or de facto) | Yes, if relationship evidence is provided | No | No, except language training | Health; character if 16+; funds |
| Dependent child or stepchild | Yes, if under-18 documents are provided | No | No, except language training | Health; character documents if applicable |
| Partner's dependent children/stepchildren | Yes | No | No, except language training | Health; character documents if applicable |
| Main applicant (specialist) | — | Yes, the approved specialised work | No formal course, except language training | All of the above plus skills criteria |
Can an accompanying partner take a job locally?
No. The visa listing page is explicit: family members who come with you are not allowed to work or study in Australia, except to do a language training program. The official wording makes no distinction between paid employment, self-employment, or short-term contract work, and it does not create a carve-out for roles that could be done remotely. The grant letter and visa conditions are what govern in practice, and the Department requires both the main applicant and family members to comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.
The practical consequence for a two-career household is that the assignment is usually costed as a single-income period in Australia. Employer allowances, accommodation and other support can count toward the financial means the Department requires you to show, but they do not convert into work rights for the partner.
Can dependant children enrol in school?
Not in a formal course of study. The Migration Regulations 1994 set this out as a criterion for secondary applicants: under clause 400.312, a family member of a main applicant in the Highly Specialised Work stream must not intend to undertake any course leading to a formal qualification, with a course of language training excepted. A parallel restriction applies to the main applicant under clause 400.225.
So the distinction the rules draw is between formal education and language training. A child accompanying a specialist could take a language training program; enrolling in a school term, a diploma or any award-bearing course is outside what this visa permits.
Assume a specialist is sent to Australia for a five-month equipment commissioning project and plans to bring a partner and two school-age children. Under the official rules, the partner cannot take local employment during those months, and the children cannot take up places at a school; a language training program is the only study avenue the Department names. Families in that position typically weigh two options: treat the Australian months as a language-study and travel period, or keep the children in their home-country school system for the term and have them join the specialist outside school weeks.
Does the same restriction apply to the specialist?
For study, yes, in the same terms. The Highly Specialised Work stream criteria bar the main applicant from intending to study any course leading to school education, a degree, diploma, trade certificate or formal award, with the same exception for language training. For work, the specialist is expected to do the short-term, highly specialised job the visa was granted for — non-ongoing work, meaning work likely to be completed within six months or less, with no expectation or arrangement to stay on afterwards for reasons related to that work.
How do you add family, and how late can it be done?
Family members can be included when you apply, and they can also be added at any time before the Department decides the application. Timing has one hard edge: you, and anyone included in the application, must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the decision is made. The Department also states that a person who travels to Australia on a different visa cannot obtain a bridging visa to remain once that visa ends, precisely because the Subclass 400 decision must be made while the applicant is outside Australia.
Each family member's application charge must be paid and their documents attached to their own application. Applications are lodged online in ImmiAccount, and incomplete or incorrect applications are among the reasons the Department gives for longer processing.
What evidence does the Department ask for on dependants?
- Partner: identity documents, character documents, and either a current marriage certificate or enough documents to show a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before applying — joint bank statements, joint billing accounts, joint leases or mortgages, or documents showing shared address.
- Each dependant under 18: the child's identity documents, proof of your relationship such as a birth or marriage certificate, and the child's character documents if applicable.
- Funds: evidence of funds such as an employment contract or bank statements, or a letter from a bank or financial institution; employer allowances, accommodation and other support can also be considered.
- Health and character: examinations if requested, and police certificates if and when the Department asks for them.
Non-English documents need English translations, and scans or photos must be in colour and legible.
How long can the family stay, and can the stay be extended?
The visa allows a stay of up to six months depending on the circumstances, and it cannot be extended — the Department's page states you cannot stay longer by extending this visa. The stay period begins on first arrival in Australia and does not restart on each re-entry; you must arrive within six months of grant, or a shorter period if one is specified, as set out in the visa grant letter. Grants are made as single entry or multiple entry, and time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa. Visa details can be checked in the grant letter or through VEVO.
Because the stay is capped and non-extendable, a household whose plans depend on the partner working or the children completing a school term in Australia is generally looking at a different visa category rather than a longer Subclass 400 arrangement.
What about visa costs for family members?
The official page states there is a charge for each family member who applies with you, and directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out the total; that estimator does not cover other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, and family members are also eligible for the lower cost — assessed on the passport of the primary applicant. The eligible countries listed are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my spouse work in Australia while I hold a Subclass 400 visa?
No. The Department of Home Affairs states that family members included in the application are not permitted to work or study in Australia. The only activity named as an exception is a language training program.
Can my children attend an Australian school on this visa?
No formal enrolment. Clause 400.312 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires that a family member of a Highly Specialised Work stream applicant not intend to undertake a course leading to a formal qualification. Language training is excluded from that restriction.
Who exactly counts as a family member I can include?
Your partner, your dependent child and stepchild, and your partner's dependent children and stepchildren. Each must meet the health requirement, those aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement, and you must show adequate means to support everyone.
Can I add family members after I have already lodged the application?
Yes, at any time before the Department decides the application. Each family member needs their own application charge paid and their own documents attached, and everyone included must be outside Australia when the application is made and decided.
How long can my family stay, and can we extend if the project runs long?
The stay is up to six months depending on circumstances, and it cannot be extended — you cannot remain in Australia longer by extending a Subclass 400. If a longer stay with work or schooling rights is needed, the household would need to look at a different visa option.
Do family members get a cheaper visa fee?
Each family member pays their own application charge. Since 1 July 2026, family members of eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens also receive the lower visa application cost, based on the passport of the primary applicant.