Family Migration on Subclass 884: Who Can Accompany You in 2026
You can include members of your family in a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) application, and you must list every family member in the application form whether or not they are coming to Australia. That is the position set out on the Department of Home Affairs page for the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884). The same page adds the condition that shapes most family planning: family members who apply with you must meet the health and character requirements, and family members who are not migrating might also be asked to meet them.
Who counts as a family member on a subclass 884 application?
The official page works with two categories rather than a relationship checklist. There are family members who apply for the visa with you, and family members who are not coming to Australia. Everyone in both categories goes into the application form.
The published criteria contemplate applicants under 18, since a visa will not be granted if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18. Beyond that, the page does not publish a separate list of eligible relationships for this subclass; the application form is where each person is declared and classified, and any doubt about a particular person is resolved against the current official wording rather than assumption.
Do I have to declare family members who are staying behind?
Yes. The Home Affairs page states plainly that you must include details of all your family members in the application form, even if they are not migrating. Declaration is not the same as inclusion: a person can be listed without being granted a visa.
This matters because the department runs an initial assessment to check eligibility before it either adds an application to the queue or refuses it. An application that is not completed correctly, or that omits information the department needs, is also listed among the reasons processing can take longer. For a family with members spread across several countries, the practical task is to build a complete family schedule first and decide who is migrating second.
Can a non-migrating family member still be asked for health and character checks?
Yes. Both the visa overview and the eligibility criteria use the same wording: the department might also ask that other non-migrating family members meet the health requirement and the character requirement. Being listed as not coming to Australia does not remove a person from scope.
Assume, for example, that a parent applies with a spouse while an adult child remains overseas and is declared as non-migrating. The department can still require that adult child to satisfy health and character. In other words, the family's health and character profile is assessed more broadly than the group that actually travels.
What does each accompanying family member have to satisfy?
The official page extends the following criteria expressly to family members who apply with you:
- the health requirement
- the character requirement
- any debt to the Australian Government must be paid back, or there must be an approved arrangement to pay it back — the criteria apply this to "you or any family members"
Once granted, you and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.
Where does everyone need to be when you apply and when the decision is made?
This is the constraint that hits internationally mobile families hardest. You, and any family members who apply with you, must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance both when you apply and when the department makes a decision on the application.
Subclass 884 applications are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order received, and the page warns of long processing times because demand for parent visas exceeds the places available each year. Family members who intend to accompany you therefore need to be positioned in Australia for both ends of that wait, not only for lodgement.
Two further limits follow from the same section. An application made in Australia while on a temporary visa with a no further stay condition will be invalid unless a waiver of that condition is obtained. And the department's instruction is not to arrange to stay permanently in Australia until the visa is granted.
What does each family member add to the cost?
The visa costs from AUD 35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you. Concessions apply in limited circumstances. The charge is paid in two instalments: the first when you apply, and the second when the department asks for it. Each applicant may also need to pay separately for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Family members are also eligible for the lower cost, based on the passport of the primary applicant. The primary applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of: the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu.
How does the two-year ceiling affect the people who come with you?
Subclass 884 is a temporary visa. The visa period starts on the date of grant and runs for two years, with multiple entry, so you can travel outside Australia and return as often as you like within that window.
Holders can work and study in Australia, but will not receive government support. The visa cannot be extended, and you cannot stay longer by reapplying for it. The pathway forward is the permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864), and the official page states that you must apply for the subclass 864 visa before your subclass 884 visa expires to ensure you meet all applicable lodgement criteria. For a family planning around school years, business relocation or tax residence, that fixed horizon is the single most important date in the file.
What can put a whole family application at risk?
Because everyone travels on one application, one person's problem becomes the household's problem. The published refusal and delay triggers include a family member's failure to meet health or character requirements, an unpaid government debt without an approved repayment arrangement, immigration history, and the best-interests test for any applicant under 18. The department will only process an application if the correct visa application charge has been paid, and it will notify you and, if necessary, return the application if the amount is wrong.
The overview above describes how the published criteria are structured; it is general information, not an assessment of any particular family, and the official page together with current visa pricing should be treated as the final reference for your own circumstances.
What if a child is born while the application is pending?
The official page routes this to its change-in-situation guidance for applicants who have had a baby. Rather than assuming the child is covered by the pending application, treat the birth as a change that has to be reported through that process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I include my family in a Subclass 884 application?
Yes. The Department of Home Affairs page states you can include members of your family in your application when you apply. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements.
Do I have to list family members who are not moving to Australia?
Yes. You must include details of all your family members in the application form, even if they are not migrating. Declaration is separate from whether a person is granted a visa.
Can someone not coming to Australia still be asked for health and character checks?
Yes. The eligibility criteria state that the department might also ask other non-migrating family members to meet the health requirement and the character requirement. Non-migrating status does not guarantee they are outside scope.
Where must accompanying family members be when I apply?
You and any family members applying with you must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when you apply and when the department makes its decision. Applications made on a temporary visa with a no further stay condition are invalid unless that condition is waived.
How much does it cost to add family members?
The visa costs from AUD 35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you. Each applicant may also face separate costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
How long can accompanying family members stay?
Subclass 884 is a temporary visa that allows a stay of two years from the date of grant, with multiple entry. It cannot be extended or reapplied for; a permanent Subclass 864 application must be lodged before the 884 expires.
Can I apply if I already hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870)?
No. You cannot apply for Subclass 884 if you have already applied for or hold a subclass 870 visa. The department also considers immigration history, including previous cancellations and refusals.