Who counts as family for a Subclass 200 Refugee visa in 2026?
For a Subclass 200 Refugee visa, the Australian Department of Home Affairs counts four groups as your family: your partner, your dependent children, your partner's dependent children, and another relative who is a dependant on you. That list comes from the Department's official page Refugee category visas (Subclass 200, 201, 203 and 204), as at the August 2026 version of that page. The same page makes a second point that matters just as much: you must declare all family members, even those who are not applying with you, because an undeclared family member may not be proposable for a Humanitarian visa after you arrive in Australia.
Which relatives does the Department actually count as family?
The official page defines family for this visa as:
- your partner
- your dependent children
- your partner's dependent children
- another relative who is a dependant
It is a closed list. Relatives who fall outside it — a sibling or parent who is not dependent on you, for example — are not included as family members on your application, even though they may be central to your life. They are handled through the separate proposal pathway the visa provides once you hold it.
Because the definition turns on dependency rather than on blood relation alone, the practical question is usually whether the person relies on you, not whether you share a household or a surname.
Does "family" include people who are not travelling to Australia?
Yes, in two different senses.
First, a family member who stays behind is still someone you must declare. The Department's document checklist asks for certified copies of marriage certificates or relationship registrations for you and anyone else included in the application "even if they are not joining you in Australia." Declaring a person and having them apply are two separate things.
Second, family members who are not coming to Australia may still have to meet the health requirement. So a person who never intends to travel can still affect the processing of your case.
What happens if a family member is left off the application?
This is the consequence the official page states most plainly: if you do not declare a family member in your application, you may not be able to propose them for a Humanitarian visa after you arrive in Australia.
The rule reflects how the proposal pathway works. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, the family-member proposal route (clause 200.211(2)) requires, among other things, that the relationship existed when the proposer was granted their visa and that the relationship was declared to the Department before the proposer's visa was granted. A relationship that was never on the record at the earlier stage is the one most likely to be blocked later. Since these provisions are technical and subject to amendment, confirm the current wording in the official legislative text before relying on them.
If you have already lodged and realise something is wrong, the Department's step-by-step guidance points to Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers for correcting mistakes on an application.
How does a dependent child differ from one who applies alone?
The official page is explicit: if your child is not dependent on you, they must apply for their own visa.
Dependency is therefore the dividing line, not age by itself. Adult children can be included as dependants, and the document checklist has a dedicated document set for dependants aged 18 or over, which shows that adulthood alone does not exclude someone.
Can family members be added after you lodge?
The Department states you can add certain family members to your application at any time before a decision is made, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement. The step-by-step page phrases it more narrowly — "in some circumstances" — so it is a pre-decision option rather than a guarantee.
Either way, the safer sequence is to declare everyone at the outset and add applicants before the decision, rather than to rely on fixing the record afterwards.
What documents prove each family relationship?
| Person | Core relationship evidence | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Partner | Current marriage certificate, or proof of a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before you apply (joint bank statements, joint billing accounts, joint lease or mortgage, documents showing a shared address) | Identity documents, character documents, documents about other relationships if applicable, visas or residence permits held, 2 photographs |
| Dependant under 18 | Proof of your relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate | Identity documents (or a statement explaining why none exist), visas or residence permits held, any marriage certificates or relationship registrations, character documents if applicable, 2 photographs |
| Dependant 18 or over | Identity documents and documents about their other relationships, if applicable | Character documents, visas or residence permits held, 2 photographs |
Photographs must be recent, 45mm x 35mm, full face against a plain background, with the person's name printed on the back.
For reference, the de facto evidence the Department lists is evidence of a shared life — money, bills, housing and address history — rather than statements of intention.
Does everyone have to meet health and character requirements?
Yes. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements, and family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet the health requirement.
There is no visa application charge for this visa, so including family members does not add a government application fee.
One timing point is worth knowing before you plan around any of this: the Department says the decision process takes many months, even years, and that applications can take longer if forms are incomplete or information needs verification. That makes the declaration decision hard to revisit late in the process.
After you apply, you are expected to tell the Department about changes including a change in marital or de facto status and the birth of a child.
This article explains the published rules in general terms and is not personalised advice about your circumstances; where your situation is unusual or the outcome matters, the official pages and the current legislative text, or a qualified professional, should be your final reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to declare family members who are not applying with me?
Yes. The Department's official page states it is important to declare all of your family members, even if they will not be applying with you. The document checklist also asks for relationship documents for everyone included in the application even if they are not joining you in Australia.
What is the risk of not declaring a family member?
You may not be able to propose them for a Humanitarian visa after you arrive in Australia. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, the family proposal route also requires the relationship to have existed at the proposer's grant and to have been declared before that grant, so an undeclared relationship is difficult to revive later.
Can I add a partner or child after I have lodged my application?
The Department says certain family members can be added before a decision is made, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement. The step-by-step guidance describes this as available "in some circumstances", so it is not automatic.
Can my adult child be included as a dependant?
Possibly. The official definition covers "your dependent children" without an age cut-off, and the checklist sets out separate document requirements for dependants aged 18 or over. A child who is not dependent on you must apply for their own visa.
Do family members who stay behind still need health checks?
They might. The Department states that family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet the health requirement, while all family members applying for the visa must meet both health and character requirements.
What counts as proof of a de facto partner relationship?
The Department asks for documents showing you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before applying, such as joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner lived at the same address as you.
Is there a fee to include family members on a Subclass 200 application?
No. The official page states there is no visa application charge for this visa.