494 Subsequent Entrant Stream: How Your Family Can Join You in 2026

You are settling into a regional job on a 494 visa. Since you lodged, you have married, had a baby, or your partner has decided to join you after all.

Now you need to know whether they can still come. Most people worry that missing the first application closed the door.

It didn’t. The 494 subsequent entrant stream exists for exactly this situation, and your family member applies in their own right. They join you on the same visa, with the same end date.

They need your sponsor’s written agreement, Functional English or the second instalment, and health and character checks. They don’t need a skills assessment, work experience or an age test.

This guide explains who can apply, what the sponsor letter must say, the cost, the English options and the steps to lodge. It also shows how your family moves to permanent residence with you.

Want to confirm your family member qualifies before you ask your employer for the letter? A MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) at The Migration can check the details. Book a 494 family consultation.

What Is the 494 Subsequent Entrant Stream?

The subsequent entrant stream lets a partner or child join a primary 494 visa holder after the main application has been lodged. It is one of the three streams of the 494 visa, alongside the Employer Sponsored and Labour Agreement streams.

With this visa, your family member can live, work and study in a designated regional area. That covers all of Australia except Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. They can also travel in and out of Australia as often as they like while the visa is valid.

It is a provisional visa, and it ends on the same day as the primary holder’s 494. It can’t be extended.

When do you need to apply separately?

Usually, family members apply with the main applicant. A separate form is needed when the family changes after one of these points.

• The primary applicant has lodged the 494 and is waiting for a decision.
• The 494 has already been granted to the primary holder.

A child born overseas, a new marriage, or a partner who stayed behind are the usual examples. If a child is born before the main 494 is decided, it is often simpler to add them to that form instead.

Who Is Eligible for the 494 Subsequent Entrant Stream?

Your family member is eligible if they belong to your family unit and your sponsor agrees in writing to include them. They also need to meet the English, health and character rules.

• Be a member of the family unit of a primary 494 holder, or of a main applicant for a 494.
• Have a written letter from the work sponsor with the most recent approved nomination, agreeing to include them in that nomination.
• Show Functional English, or pay the second instalment if they are 18 or over.
• Meet the health requirement.
• Meet the character requirement if they are 16 or over.
• Have repaid any debt to the Australian Government, or set up a plan to repay it.
• Sign the Australian Values Statement if they are 16 or over.

A partner must be married to you or show at least 12 months of a de facto relationship. A dependent 18 or over must show 12 months of financial dependence on you, using Form 47a.

Why the sponsor letter matters

Home Affairs asks for the letter so your employer knows every family member its sponsor duties will cover.

• Talk to your employer before your family member lodges anything.
• The letter must come from the sponsor with your most recent approved nomination.
• Ask the employer for the nomination Transaction Reference Number (TRN) at the same time.

If your employer is an accredited sponsor, your family member may not need overseas police certificates. A reference from the sponsor confirming good character can be used instead, though an Australian police check may still be needed.

English language requirement

Your family member needs Functional English. If they are 18 or over and can’t show it, a second instalment of AUD 4,890 is charged. Home Affairs accepts any one of these as proof.

• A valid passport from the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada or New Zealand.
• A degree, diploma or trade certificate needing at least 2 years of full-time study, taught entirely in English.
• At least 5 years of secondary school taught entirely in English.
• An approved test score in the 12 months before applying.

Scores are from the Home Affairs Functional English page, as at 4 November 2026. Older tests use a different table.

How Much Does the 494 Subsequent Entrant Stream Cost?

The subsequent entrant stream costs from AUD 6,140, because your family member applies as the main applicant in their own application. Including them in the first 494 application costs much less.

Fees as published by Home Affairs on 4 November 2026. Check the Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge. Health checks, police checks and translations cost extra.

Planning a 494 application and expecting your family to grow? A MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) at The Migration can plan who to include from the start. Plan your 494 family application.

How Do You Apply for the 494 Subsequent Entrant Stream?

Your family member applies online in their own ImmiAccount, using your nomination TRN and the sponsor letter.

1. Check that they meet the family unit, English, health and character rules.
2. Ask your employer for the written letter and the nomination TRN.
3. Gather ID, proof of your relationship, English proof and police checks. Translate anything not in English.
4. Log in online to ImmiAccount and pay the visa charge.
5. Book health exams when asked, and reply to any request for more information.

Your family member can be in or outside Australia when they apply, but not during immigration clearance. If they are in Australia, they must hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B or C.

For a child under 18, anyone with parental rights who is not coming to Australia must consent, using Form 1229 or a statutory declaration.

How Long Does the 494 Subsequent Entrant Stream Take?

Home Affairs does not publish a processing time for the subsequent entrant stream. As at 2 November 2026, it lists figures only for the Employer Sponsored and Labour Agreement streams.

A full file usually moves faster. These are the things that most often slow it down.

• A missing or unsigned sponsor letter.
• Thin evidence of a de facto relationship.
• Police certificates from every country lived in for 12 months or more.
• Slow replies to requests for more information.

How The Migration Helps Families Join a 494 Visa Holder

The Migration has helped families with Australian visas for more than 7 years. Its MARA-registered migration agents (MARN 2518738) start with the first talk with your employer. You can confirm their registration on the MARA public register.

• Eligibility check: the team confirms your family member fits the family unit rules.
• Sponsor letter: the agents explain to your employer what the letter must cover.
• English options: the team checks whether a passport or study history avoids the second instalment.
• PR planning: your family is lined up for the 191 visa with you.

Conclusion

The 494 subsequent entrant stream lets your partner or child join you after your 494 application, without a skills test, work history or age limit. They need your sponsor’s written agreement, Functional English or the second instalment, and health and character clearances.

Their visa ends with yours, and they can move to permanent residence with you through the 191 visa.

Ready to bring your family to regional Australia? Book a 494 subsequent entrant consultation with a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738).

Frequently asked questions