Bring family to Australia on a work visa from Nigeria? Plan these costs and papers first
Tips · 2026-11-03 · 10 min read
Yes, a Nigerian worker who is sponsored on the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa can include a partner and dependent children in the application, and Home Affairs says the family can live, study and work in Australia. The catch is cost and paperwork: every extra person adds a visa charge, a passport, certificates and, for most, a medical. Start planning the family file the day you accept an offer, not the day the visa is due.
What the 482 allows for your family
Home Affairs states that subclass 482 applicants can include family members, meaning a partner and dependent children, in the application. Once granted, those family members can live, study and work in Australia. The full rules sit on the Home Affairs Core Skills stream page, so read who counts as a family member there before you pay for anything.
Our Skills in Demand (482) visa guide for Nigerians covers the main applicant's side: the occupation list, the salary rules and the streams. This post covers only what changes when a spouse and children travel with you.
Two things to keep straight. First, the family is attached to your application, so the employer's sponsorship of you is what the whole file rests on. Second, a job offer is not a visa: only the department decides, and processing times move. Nobody can promise you a result, and anyone who does is selling something.
What it costs: the family share of the visa charge
The visa pricing table lists a base application charge of AUD4,015.00 for the 482 in each of its three streams. Family members are charged as additional applicants: AUD4,015.00 for each applicant aged 18 and over and AUD1,005.00 for each applicant under 18.
| Person in the application | Visa application charge |
|---|---|
| You, the main applicant | AUD4,015.00 |
| Partner (18 or over) | AUD4,015.00 |
| Each child under 18 | AUD1,005.00 |
| Example: you, a partner and 2 children | AUD10,040 |
The example is simple arithmetic on the charges above: AUD4,015.00 plus AUD4,015.00 plus two times AUD1,005.00. It leaves out every other cost. Home Affairs says applicants also pay for English tests, health checks, police certificates and biometrics, so add those for each person who needs them.
Check the current figures on the Home Affairs visa pricing page on the day you lodge, because charges change. Also ask your employer what they will cover in writing before you assume anything: the sponsor must pay the costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating you and cannot pass those on to you or your family, but that rule is about the sponsor's own costs, not a promise to pay your family's visa charges.
The Nigerian paperwork, person by person
Most delays in a family file come from home-country documents that were never started. Here is how the pieces map to each family member, using only what the Nigerian and Australian agencies publish.
| Document | What the agencies say | Who it usually concerns |
|---|---|---|
| International passport | Standard passport: N100,000 ($150) for 32 pages and 5 years, or N200,000 ($230) for 64 pages and 10 years, before bank charges | Everyone travelling |
| Birth certificate or declaration of age | Needed for a fresh passport application, along with a NIN slip, a Local Government or indigene certificate and a photograph | Each child, and each adult without one |
| Marriage certificate | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists marriage and birth certificates among the documents it authenticates | Spouse |
| Police Character Certificate | Home Affairs may ask for one from every country a person lived in, usually if over 17 and there at least 12 months in the past 10 years | Adults in the family |
| Medical examination | Done by an approved panel physician; results are generally valid for 12 months for the 482 | Usually everyone in the application |
Passports and civil documents first
The Nigeria Immigration Service lists a 42-day turnaround after successful enrolment for a fresh standard passport, and the applicant must appear in person for the photograph and biometric capture. Four or five people booking enrolment slots takes longer than one, so book early. Our post on the international passport fee in Nigeria and which option suits a work move helps you choose between the 5-year and 10-year booklet.
The fee figures above are the ones for applications inside Nigeria. If a family member is already abroad, the Immigration Service says diaspora applications go to the nearest Nigerian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate. The Service's published checklist is for a standard fresh application, so for a young child, confirm the exact requirements with the Service before travelling to an enrolment centre.
Birth and marriage certificates matter next. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers document authentication for international use and names birth and marriage certificates among the documents it handles. Nigeria is not listed as a contracting party to the HCCH Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille route; read our guide to document authentication in Nigeria and ask what Home Affairs actually wants for your case rather than authenticating everything.
Any document not in English must be translated into English, and both the original and the translation provided. The translator must include their full name, address, phone number and language qualifications and experience. Plan this for certificates issued in other languages.
Police certificates and medicals for adults and children
Home Affairs says Nigerian citizens, resident or not, request the Police Character Certificate by creating an account on the POSSAP portal with a NIN or BVN. The Nigeria Police Force states a certificate takes 5 to 7 working days from complete documents, with an express service of 2 to 3 working days at extra cost. The fingerprint step is where people stall: applicants inside Nigeria give fingerprints at the Central Criminal Registry in Ikoyi, Lagos, while applicants outside Nigeria get a form that is scanned and sent back for analysis.
Home Affairs warns that mailed requests are not an effective way to get a Nigerian police certificate. If your spouse is abroad, it advises getting the certificate on the next visit or asking someone to attend the Registry in person. Our post on getting a Nigerian police clearance certificate from abroad sets out the options. Police certificates for Australian visas are valid for 12 months from the issue date, so do not collect them too early.
For medicals, Home Affairs lists panel physicians in Nigeria in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, and a HAP ID is needed to book. Check the Home Affairs list of offices and panel physicians for Nigeria, and read our summary of the approved clinics in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu. Home Affairs advises organising health examinations before lodging to reduce processing times, and results are generally valid for 12 months, so line the family's appointments up close together.
Partner work rights and what to prepare
Because Home Affairs says family members of a 482 holder can work in Australia, a spouse with a trade or profession can start preparing early. A clear, up-to-date English CV is the first thing an Australian employer asks for; a tool like Build AI CV can help your partner put one together while the visa file is being built. Browse the community services jobs on our site to see how Australian employers describe roles.
Keep expectations honest. The work right is a visa condition; it is no promise of a job, and nothing here says what a partner's occupation will earn or how fast it is found.
Step by step: building the family file
- Read the Home Affairs page and confirm who counts as a family member in your situation.
- Ask your sponsor, in writing, which visa costs they will pay and which fall to you.
- Book passport enrolment for every person who needs a new passport, allowing for the 42-day turnaround.
- Collect birth and marriage certificates, and ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether authentication fits your case.
- Request Police Character Certificates for the adults through POSSAP and plan the fingerprint step.
- Book panel physician appointments for the whole family at the same clinic where you can.
- Lodge through ImmiAccount. The Australian High Commission in Nigeria does not process visa applications.
Our japa paperwork checklist in the right order goes through the same steps for the main applicant. For another view of how employers and visa rules interact for families, Red Migration published its own look at bringing family on a work visa.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting for one person. The charge for a partner is the same as yours, and each child adds AUD1,005.00. Add tests, medicals and certificates on top.
- Waiting on the police certificate. Mailed requests from abroad stall, and a certificate collected too early can run out of its 12 months.
- Assuming the sponsor pays for the family. The rule that sponsors cannot pass on their own costs does not mean they cover your family's charges. Ask.
- Paying a stranger who promises approval. The Australian High Commission in Nigeria says it does not process visas and no diplomat will contact you offering jobs or visas. Check any helper against the official registers first.
- Leaving children's passports to last. The booklet has a 42-day turnaround after enrolment, and everyone must attend in person.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my spouse and children on a 482 visa from Nigeria?
Home Affairs says subclass 482 applicants can include a partner and dependent children in the application. Those family members can live, study and work in Australia. Confirm who qualifies as a family member on the Home Affairs page before you lodge.
How much do family members add to the visa charge?
The visa pricing table lists AUD4,015.00 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD1,005.00 for each under 18. For a couple with 2 children, the visa charges come to AUD10,040 including the main applicant. English tests, medicals and certificates cost extra.
Does my family need police certificates?
Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from every country a person lived in, usually if they are over 17 and lived there at least 12 months in the past 10 years. That mostly affects the adults. Follow the instructions in your own visa request.
Where can my family do the visa medical in Nigeria?
Home Affairs lists panel physicians in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, including the IOM centres in Lagos and Abuja. A HAP ID is needed to book. Results are generally valid for 12 months for the 482, so do not book too far ahead.
Can I apply for the family visa at the Australian High Commission in Abuja?
No. The High Commission states it does not process visa or citizenship applications. These are managed by the Department of Home Affairs and lodged through ImmiAccount, with biometrics required where requested.
Key takeaways
- The 482 lets you include a partner and dependent children, who can live, study and work in Australia.
- Each adult adds AUD4,015.00 and each child under 18 adds AUD1,005.00 to the visa charges, before other costs.
- Start passports, certificates and police checks early; fingerprints and enrolment need people to appear in person.
- Get the sponsor's cost commitments in writing and never pay anyone who promises an approval.
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