How to add a family member to your ImmiAccount application

Adding family members before lodgement

While an application is still in draft (showing a status of "Incomplete" or "Ready to submit" in your ImmiAccount dashboard), you can add dependants directly within the application form. Most visa application forms include a section asking whether you want to include family members in the application. When you select "Yes," the form expands to collect details for each additional applicant.

Each family member added at this stage is treated as a concurrent applicant. The portal will generate individual questions for each person — including identity documents, travel history, and health declarations. You can save progress and return later, but all family members must be fully completed before the application reaches "Ready to submit" status.

If you realise you need to add another person after completing but before submitting, you may need to navigate back through the form sections. Use the "Previous" button or the section menu on the left-hand side of the screen to return to the dependant details section.

Adding family members after lodgement with Form 1436

Once an application has been submitted and shows a status of "Submitted," "Received," or is under assessment, you cannot edit the original form to add new dependants. Instead, you must use Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after initial lodgement).

The steps to submit Form 1436 through ImmiAccount are:

1. Log in to your ImmiAccount.
2. Locate the relevant application in your dashboard.
3. Select "Attach documents" or use the "Update details" function if available for your visa subclass.
4. Upload the completed Form 1436 as a PDF attachment.
5. Attach supporting documents for the new family member (identity, relationship evidence, photographs).

Not all visa subclasses permit adding family members after lodgement. The form itself lists which subclasses are eligible. The Department may also request additional visa application charges for the new applicant.

Information needed for each family member

For every family member you add — whether before or after lodgement — the portal will require or the form will ask for:

- Full legal name as it appears on their passport or travel document
- Date of birth and gender
- Country of birth and citizenship
- Passport or travel document details (number, country, expiry date)
- Relationship to the primary applicant (spouse, de facto partner, dependent child)
- Current residential address
- Previous travel and immigration history (including any visa refusals or cancellations)
- Details of other family members not included in the application (the "family composition" or "non-migrating" members section)

For dependent children, the portal also asks about custody arrangements and whether both parents consent to the child being included in the application. Children aged 18 or over may need to demonstrate that they are financially dependent on the primary applicant.

Health and character requirements for added members

Every person included in a visa application — including those added after lodgement — must meet the health and character requirements for that visa subclass. In practice, this means:

- Health examinations: Each added family member will likely need to complete a medical examination. The Department generates a HAP (Health Assessment Protocol) ID for each person, which they take to a panel physician. You can generate the HAP ID through ImmiAccount under "My Health Declarations" before or after associating it with the application.
- Character checks: Family members aged 16 and over generally need to provide police clearance certificates from every country where they have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.
- Biometrics: If applicable to the visa subclass, each added person may need to provide biometrics at a designated collection centre.

The Department will not finalise the primary applicant's visa until all added family members have satisfied these requirements or have been formally withdrawn from the application.

Notifying the Department about a newborn child

If a child is born after a visa application has been lodged but before a decision is made, the process uses Form 1022 (Notification of changes in circumstances) rather than Form 1436.

To notify the Department through ImmiAccount:

1. Complete Form 1022 with the child's details.
2. Attach the child's birth certificate (or hospital-issued birth notification if the formal certificate is not yet available).
3. Upload the completed form through the "Attach documents" function on the relevant application in your ImmiAccount dashboard.

The newborn is generally included in the parent's application without a separate visa application charge, provided the notification is made before the visa is decided. If the visa has already been granted, a separate application may be required.

Document upload rules for family member evidence

All documents uploaded for family members follow the same portal constraints as the primary applicant's uploads:

- Maximum file size of 5 MB per file
- Maximum of 60 documents per application (or 100 for partner visa subclasses)
- Filenames must use only A–Z, 0–9, dashes, and underscores — no spaces, special characters, or non-Latin characters
- Encrypted PDFs and form-fillable PDFs are rejected by the system
- Accepted formats typically include PDF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF

When uploading documents for multiple family members, use clear filenames that identify which person the document belongs to (for example, `passport-jane-doe.pdf` or `police-clearance-john-smith.pdf`). This helps both you and the case officer track documents across a multi-applicant file.

Common scenarios and timing considerations

Adding a spouse or partner after lodgement: This is common when a relationship forms or is formalised after the primary applicant has already lodged. Form 1436 is required, and the new partner must meet all health and character requirements independently.

Adding a child who was not included initially: If a dependent child was omitted from the original application — whether by oversight or because they were not yet part of the family unit — Form 1436 allows them to be added to eligible visa subclasses.

Withdrawing a family member: If a family member no longer wishes to be included, you can notify the Department through ImmiAccount using Form 1022 or by uploading a written withdrawal request.