Does the Subclass 101 Child Visa Require Health Exams in 2026?
Yes, health is one of the criteria for the Child visa (Subclass 101) — but you do not arrange the examination yourself before applying. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official "Child visa (Subclass 101)" page (as of August 2026), the department tells you when to arrange the child's health examinations, and that instruction appears in the "after you apply" stage of the process, not in the steps before lodgement. This article explains how the published rules fit together in general terms; it is not advice on any one family's circumstances, and the criteria and requests that bind a particular application are the ones the department publishes and issues in writing.
Do I need to book a health exam before I lodge the application?
No. The official step-by-step lists what to prepare first: a valid passport, identity and relationship documents, four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm, less than six months old), travel documents, and — where the child is over 16 — police certificates and Form 80. None of these is a health examination result.
The application itself is a paper one: Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia) go together by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, and the application charge must be paid before you post it. Health examinations come later, when the department asks for them. The same is true of biometrics: the page says the department might ask for them and will tell you if you need to provide them.
If health is a criterion, why isn't it in the document checklist?
Because "meeting the health requirement" and "booking a health examination" are two different things. The first is an eligibility criterion that has to be satisfied before a visa can be granted. The second is the department's own process for collecting the evidence, and it decides when that starts.
That sequencing is why trying to get ahead of it rarely helps: until the department issues its request, you don't have the referral details it wants the examination to be booked against. From the applicant's side the practical job is to lodge a complete application and then stay reachable, rather than to pre-book medical appointments.
Who can be asked to be examined?
The scope is wider than the child alone, and this is the part families most often underestimate.
| Person | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| The child applying for the visa | Must meet the health requirement |
| The child's dependent children who apply with them | Must meet the health requirement |
| Dependent children who are not applying | Might also need to meet it |
| Family members who are not coming to Australia | Might also have to meet it |
The official pages extend the health requirement beyond the applicant only to dependent children of the child who are not applying, and to family members who are not coming to Australia — both on a "might" basis, not as a certainty. A sibling is not in that list: the official page states that siblings who also want to apply must submit separate applications of their own.
What does the health requirement actually look at?
In broad terms it is about whether a condition would result in significant cost to Australian health or community services. The criterion is set out in the Migration Regulations 1994 as Public Interest Criterion 4007, which also provides a limited waiver pathway. Compilations of the regulations are amended over time, so the current consolidated text is the version to read.
How the requirement is applied in practice — which tests are asked for at a given age, what a particular condition means for the assessment — is not something this article can determine for you, and it isn't something to guess at from general descriptions.
When will the department ask, and how will I know?
The department says it will tell you when to arrange the child's health examinations. It also states that it will contact you using your authorised method if it needs more information, and that an acknowledgement of the application should arrive within approximately one month after lodgement.
One step makes the waiting easier to manage. After the acknowledgement letter arrives, the paper application can be imported into ImmiAccount — for applications lodged outside Australia this applies to those lodged on or after 1 April 2020 — which gives you online access to attach supporting documents, view messages, update your details and check application status. Requests for further information, and any documents you were not able to include at lodgement, are handled through that channel if the application has been imported. If contact details, address or passport change while the application is on foot, the department asks to be told.
Health examinations are one of several possible additional costs, alongside police certificates and biometrics. They sit outside the visa application charge, and the Visa Pricing Estimator covers the visa charge only — it does not take these other costs into account.
What should I do while waiting, and what should I avoid?
Waiting for the health request is not dead time. The application can take longer to process if it is not filled in correctly, if required documents are missing or more information is needed, if the department needs time to verify what you have sent, or if the full charge was not paid at lodgement. Keeping documents complete and contact details current is the part fully within your control.
The clear instruction on travel is the reverse: do not arrange for the child to migrate to Australia until the department has advised in writing that the visa has been granted. And the outcome, whether grant or refusal, always comes in writing — along with the reasons and any review rights if the application is refused.
Does failing a health check mean the visa is refused?
Not automatically. The health requirement is one criterion among several, and the regulations describe a waiver pathway for it. What matters in a given case is the specific condition, the assessment, and how the rest of the criteria are met — which is exactly the kind of judgement only the decision-maker, on the full evidence, can make. Nothing here predicts an outcome for any individual application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Subclass 101 child visa require a health examination?
Yes. Meeting the health requirement is one of the eligibility criteria, applying to the child and to any dependants who apply with them. Dependent children who are not applying, and family members who are not coming to Australia, might also have to meet it.
Should I book the health exam before lodging the paper application?
No. The Department of Home Affairs' official page places health examinations in the "after you apply" stage and states that it will tell you when to arrange them. Documents listed for lodgement cover identity, photographs, travel, relationship and character — not medical results.
How will I be told when to arrange the examination?
The department says it will tell you when to arrange the child's health examinations, and that it will use your authorised contact method if it needs more information. Importing the paper application into ImmiAccount after you receive the acknowledgement letter lets you view messages and upload documents online.
Do relatives who are not moving to Australia need a health exam?
They might. The official page states that dependent children who are not applying for the visa might also need to meet the health requirement, and that family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet it.
How much do the health exams cost?
The department lists health exams, police certificates and biometrics as possible additional costs, separate from the visa application charge. The Visa Pricing Estimator covers the visa charge but does not include these other costs, so they need to be budgeted for separately.
Can the visa still be granted if the child doesn't meet the health requirement?
The health criterion carries a limited waiver pathway under the Migration Regulations 1994, so a health issue is not automatically the end of the application. Outcomes depend on the individual assessment, and the department communicates its decision — including reasons and any review rights — in writing.