Does Australia 190 Visa Require Health and Character Checks in 2026?
Yes. The Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) carries both a health requirement and a character requirement, and they do not stop at the main applicant. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190) page (as of the July 2026 official page), you and any family who apply for the visa with you must meet the health requirement, and family members who are not accompanying you to Australia might also need to meet it if the Department requests it. On character, you and family members aged 16 years and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement, and family members not accompanying you must also meet it.
Who exactly has to be checked?
The official page splits the answer into three groups, and the boundaries between them are not identical for health and for character.
| Person | Health requirement | Character requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | Yes | Yes |
| Family members applying with you | Yes | Yes, if aged 16 or over |
| Family members not accompanying you | If requested by the Department | Yes |
Two details are easy to miss. For health, the trigger for non-accompanying family is a request — it is not automatic. For character, the official page states an age threshold (16 and over) only for family members who apply with you; it does not state an age threshold in the sentence covering non-accompanying family members, so the safest reading is to assume the requirement can reach any non-accompanying family member rather than to assume an age cut-off exists.
What are PIC 4005 and PIC 4001?
These are the Public Interest Criteria (PIC) that sit behind the plain-English "health" and "character" labels. PIC 4005 is the health criterion and PIC 4001 is the character criterion. A summarised set of legislative notes for subclass 190 (see References) lists secondary applicants as needing to satisfy PIC 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004, 4005, 4010, 4020 and 4021, with PIC 4019 added for secondary applicants aged 18 or over and PIC 4017 and 4018 for those under 18. That summary is a second-hand compilation rather than an official Departmental page, so treat the clause numbers as a map of what exists and confirm the current wording against the official legislation and Departmental guidance.
The same summary describes one figure worth knowing: a significant-cost threshold for PIC 4005 of around AUD 86,000 as at 2026, raised from AUD 51,000 with effect from April 2024. Because this number comes from the second-hand notes rather than the Department's own page, it should be read as an indication of the current threshold only, and the official published figure should be treated as controlling.
Why does one family member's result affect everyone?
Because these criteria operate at the application level. The summarised legislative notes describe PIC 4005 as a "one fails, all fail" standard: the main applicant and all secondary applicants — including family members who are not applying for the visa — must satisfy it. The notes also record a narrow relief valve, where a health examination for a family member who is not a visa applicant can be waived if requiring it would be unreasonable.
The practical consequence is that health and character are not personal hurdles each person clears independently. A problem attached to one member of the family unit can hold up the grant for everyone on the application. If your partner or dependent children are not included in the application, the official page asks you to tell the Department the reason why, to assist with processing.
What does this mean for documents, timing and cost?
The Department's own page notes that you might have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics, on top of the visa application charge, and that the Visa Pricing Estimator does not include those or the second instalment. The second instalment is an extra charge for any applicant aged 18 or over with less than functional English; the listed amount for family members is AUD 4,885, and the Department asks for it only if it is going to grant the visa. The main applicant's visa cost is not stated as a fixed figure on the page, so use the official pricing estimator rather than any figure quoted elsewhere.
On timing, the official page says processing times vary between applications and lists, among the causes, how long it takes to receive additional information from external agencies, particularly in relation to health, character and national security requirements. In other words, health and character checks are themselves a known source of delay, and a complete application plus fast responses to requests are within your control while those external checks are not.
What else sits alongside health and character?
The same official page groups two further public-interest style conditions with them:
- Debt to the Australian Government. If you or any family members — including those who do not apply for the visa with you — owe the Australian Government money, it must have been paid back or arranged to be paid back.
- Australian values statement. If you are 18 or over, you must have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia material and confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign an Australian Values Statement.
Note that the debt condition explicitly reaches family members who never appear on the application. That is the same outward reach the character requirement has, and it is the reason a "non-accompanying" family member is rarely a way to simplify the file.
This article is general information about published requirements, not personalised advice about your own circumstances, and nobody should read it as a prediction of how a particular case will be decided; for anything that turns on your own medical history, criminal record or family structure, rely on the official current requirements and, where the stakes are high, on a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a health check if I am applying alone?
Yes. The main applicant must meet the health requirement in their own right; the requirement is not something that only arises once family are added. Keep in mind as well that family members who are not on the application can still be asked to meet it if the Department requests it.
At what age do my children need to meet the character requirement?
The official page sets the threshold at 16 years and over for family members who apply for the visa with you. Children below that age who are included in the application are not covered by that sentence, though the health requirement applies to accompanying family regardless of age.
My partner is staying in our home country. Are they still assessed?
For character, yes — the official page says family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet the character requirement. For health, they may be, but only if the Department requests it.
What is the significant cost threshold under PIC 4005?
The summarised legislative notes put it at around AUD 86,000 as at 2026, up from AUD 51,000 from April 2024. That figure comes from a second-hand compilation, so verify it against the Department's current published health requirement before relying on it.
If one family member fails the health criterion, is the whole application refused?
That is how the summarised notes describe PIC 4005 working: one fails, all fail, and the standard can extend to family members who are not themselves applying. A limited exception exists where requiring a health examination from a non-applicant family member would be unreasonable.
Do these checks add to the cost of a 190 application?
They can. The official page lists health checks, police certificates and biometrics as other costs you might have to pay, and notes the Visa Pricing Estimator excludes the second instalment, which for family members is listed at AUD 4,885 and is only requested if the visa is to be granted.
Will health and character checks slow down my application?
They can. The Department's processing time page says times vary with individual circumstances, including how long it takes to receive information from external agencies on health, character and national security — none of which an applicant can accelerate directly.