Yes, you can move to Australia from Ireland with your kids, but not on a Working Holiday visa, which can’t include children at all. Families come on a visa that lists everyone in one application: usually an employer sponsored Skills in Demand (482) or 186 visa, a skilled 189, 190 or 491 visa, or a partner visa. Each child adds a charge to the visa, and on a temporary visa you may also pay public school fees, depending on the state.
This is the family side of the move, with every fee and rule from official sources as of November 2026. For the general steps, start with our complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland, for who qualifies for each visa, our visa options to stay in Australia longer, and for the to do list, our moving to Australia checklist.
Short version
- No kids on a Working Holiday visa: Home Affairs says they can’t join you on one, not even for a day.
- Family visas: the 482, 186, 189, 190, 491 and partner visas can all include your children.
- Cost per child under 18: AUD 1,005 on a 482, AUD 1,535 to AUD 1,540 on the 186 and skilled visas, AUD 2,935 on a partner visa.
- School fees depend on the state: no tuition for 482 kids in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the NT; fees in NSW, WA and (income tested) South Australia.
- School starts early: Term 1 2027 begins between 27 January and 3 February, depending on the state.
- Childcare: a 482 doesn’t meet the Child Care Subsidy residence rules, so expect full fees.
- Health: Ireland’s health deal covers public hospitals, but a 482 needs private health insurance for the whole family. Get your kids’ Irish vaccination records onto the Australian register.
Which visas let you bring your children?
Not the Working Holiday visa. The Home Affairs 417 page says you can’t include family members, and that holders can’t be accompanied by dependent children at any time, “not even for one day”.
The visas Irish families use all let you include your partner and children in one application:
- Skills in Demand (482): your employer sponsors you, for up to 4 years. Your partner and kids come as “secondary applicants”.
- Employer Nomination Scheme (186): permanent. Its Temporary Residence Transition stream is for people who’ve worked at least 2 years full time on a 482.
- Skilled Independent (189) and Skilled Nominated (190): permanent and points tested, by invitation. No employer needed.
- Skilled Work Regional (491): a provisional visa to live and work in regional Australia.
- Partner (309/100 from outside Australia, 820/801 inside): if your partner is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Since 2 October 2026, Home Affairs says most Student visa applicants can no longer include family members. Sponsorship usually starts with your job, so see our guides for Irish nurses, teachers, doctors and tradespeople.
What each child adds to the visa cost
Home Affairs charges the main applicant a base charge, then an “additional applicant charge” for each person applying with you, set by visa and age. From the official visa pricing table, November 2026:
| Visa | Per child under 18 (main applicant; each person 18 or over) |
|---|---|
| Skills in Demand (482) | AUD 1,005 (AUD 4,015; AUD 4,015) |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (186) | AUD 1,535 (AUD 6,140; AUD 3,070) |
| Skilled Independent (189, points tested) | AUD 1,540 (AUD 6,135; AUD 3,070) |
| Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491) | AUD 1,535 (AUD 6,140; AUD 3,070) |
| Partner (309/100 and 820/801) | AUD 2,935 (AUD 11,710; AUD 5,860) |
So a couple with two children on a 482 pays AUD 10,040: AUD 4,015 for each adult and AUD 1,005 for each child. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics are extra. Our 482 visa guide covers the employer’s side and the road to PR.
Adding your kids to the application
- On a 482, include everyone at the start. Home Affairs says you can’t add family members after you submit. The 186, 189 and 190 let you add family before a decision, and the 491 a dependent child.
- Documents for each child under 18: passport pages (under 5s can be included without a passport) and birth certificates showing both parents’ names.
- Consent: anyone with a legal right to decide where your child lives who isn’t coming has to sign Form 1229 or a statutory declaration, with a copy of their photo ID.
- Health checks: for permanent and provisional visas, Home Affairs says children generally need a medical examination, plus a chest x-ray from 11 and an HIV test from 15. For temporary visas it depends on your length of stay and your country’s TB risk.
Separated or co-parenting? Sort the consent form before anything else. One wrong form on a family application can cost months, so it’s worth having registered migration agents who can check your options look at it first. Our partners at Migration Unity give Irish Around Oz readers a discount on a consultation.
Public school fees for temporary visa holders, state by state
Once you’re a permanent resident (a 186, 189 or 190, for example), there’s no tuition at public schools. On a temporary visa, each state sets its own rules, and your child’s visa decides what you pay. As of November 2026:
| State | Public school fees for temporary residents |
|---|---|
| NSW | Most temporary residents pay, including 482 kids. 2027: AUD 6,600 a year for Kindergarten to Year 6, AUD 6,700 for Years 7 to 10, AUD 7,800 for Years 11 and 12, plus an AUD 150 application fee (2026: AUD 6,400, 6,400 and 7,600). 482 kids in eligible regional postcodes can be exempt. Kids on a 309, 820, 491 or 494 pay the application fee only. |
| VIC | Kids on a 482, 491, 494, 309 or 820 are fee exempt. Visas that pay are charged AUD 17,000 (primary), AUD 20,580 (Years 7 to 10) and AUD 23,100 (Years 11 and 12) in 2027, plus AUD 300 to apply. |
| QLD | No application or tuition fee for kids on a 482, 491, 494, 309 or 820. Fee-paying visas are charged weekly: in 2027, AUD 325 a week for Prep to Year 6, up to AUD 409 in Year 12, plus AUD 315 to apply. |
| WA | 482 families pay AUD 4,000 a year per family, however many kids are in Pre-primary to Year 12, and nothing while the oldest is in Kindergarten. A waiver is possible on a combined gross income of AUD 90,000 or less. Other temporary visas vary (overseas fees start at AUD 14,575 a year for primary in 2027), so ask TAFE International WA. |
| SA | 482 families in greater Adelaide earning over AUD 78,000 pay up to AUD 7,000 per primary student and AUD 8,200 per high school student in 2027, with 10% off each extra child and less on lower incomes. Some country schools are exempt. Kids on a 491, 494, 309 or 820 pay local school fees only. |
| TAS | 482 kids pay an AUD 150 application fee and school levies, but no tuition. 491 and 494 kids pay half the tuition fee (full rate AUD 7,600 a year, Prep to Year 12). Partner visa kids pay no tuition. |
| ACT | AUD 265 application fee. Tuition is AUD 11,100 a year for primary, AUD 14,500 for Years 7 to 10 and AUD 16,200 for Years 11 and 12, but families on a 482, 491, 494, 309 or 820 can apply for an exemption (on a 482 you need an ACT employment contract and to live and work in the ACT). |
| NT | No school fees for kids on a 482, 491, 494 or partner visa. You need an Electronic Confirmation of Placement (eCoP) from International Services first. |
Tuition isn’t everything: NSW says its fee doesn’t cover uniforms, excursions or workbooks, and most temporary residents can’t apply for its selective high schools. Fees change yearly, so check your state’s page before you sign a lease.
When the school year starts, and how to enrol
The school year follows the calendar year, in four terms. Term 1 in 2027 starts on Wednesday 27 January in Queensland and South Australia, Thursday 28 January in Victoria (students), Monday 1 February in WA and Wednesday 3 February in most of NSW.
Children are placed by age, not by their class at home: the ACT puts a child turning 6 on or after 30 April in Kindergarten, and Tasmania places students in a year appropriate to their age. Your child may skip ahead or repeat part of a year. You don’t have to wait for Term 1, either: NSW and Tasmania enrol temporary residents at any time of year.
Schools have local areas: NSW says all primary schools and most high schools do, and South Australia and the ACT use zones too. Pick the school, then rent inside its area. NSW and Tasmania issue temporary residents an Authority to Enrol first, the NT an eCoP, and the ACT goes through its International Education Unit, while Victoria, Queensland and WA let 482 kids enrol at the school directly. Have ready:
- passports and visa grant notices for your child and the main visa holder
- birth certificates
- proof of address, like a lease or utility bill
- proof of health insurance (the ACT asks for it)
- an immunisation history statement from the Australian Immunisation Register
- recent school reports from Ireland
Childcare: the subsidy probably won’t apply to you yet
The Child Care Subsidy is paid straight to the centre to cut your fees, but you have to meet the residence rules. Services Australia says you or your partner must live in Australia and have Australian citizenship, a permanent visa, a Special Category visa, or “a certain temporary visa that is partner provisional or temporary protection type visa”. A 482 or 491 isn’t on that list, and your child must also meet the immunisation requirements.
So on a 482, budget for full fees. They vary a lot by centre, so we won’t guess a figure: the government’s Starting Blocks search, from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, lets you compare fees and quality ratings near where you’ll live. A permanent visa meets the residence rules.
Health cover for the whole family
Services Australia says Ireland’s Reciprocal Health Care Agreement covers medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital, and some PBS prescription medicines, if you were living in Ireland before you arrived. It runs from the day you land until your visa expires. You don’t enrol in Medicare: Irish citizens show their Irish passport. It doesn’t cover GP visits or anyone on a student visa. More in our guide to whether Medicare covers Irish people.
On a 482, Home Affairs makes adequate health insurance a condition of the visa for you and every secondary applicant, for your whole stay, on individual or family policies. Price family cover before you accept the job. Once you hold a permanent visa, or in some cases have applied for one, Services Australia says you can enrol in Medicare, as a family through myGov.
Your kids’ vaccinations
- Get the Irish records registered: Services Australia says to take evidence of overseas vaccinations to an Australian vaccination provider, such as a GP, who’ll update the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
- Childcare (“No Jab No Play”): NSW childcare centres can’t accept overseas records and only enrol children who are up to date, on a recognised catch-up schedule or medically exempt. Victoria needs an AIR statement showing your child is up to date for childcare and kindergarten.
- School: NSW asks for an immunisation certificate at enrolment. Victoria needs an AIR statement for primary school, but it doesn’t have to show your child is up to date.
- “No Jab No Pay”: the Child Care Subsidy and the full rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A both depend on your child meeting the immunisation requirements.
Money: what’s different for a family
Savings targets and accounts to open are in our money checklist for moving to Australia, and rent, groceries and transport by city are in our cost of living in Australia guide. On top of that, a family on a temporary visa needs to budget for visa charges per child, school fees if your state charges them, full price childcare, health insurance for everyone and flights for the whole family.
Moving a house deposit’s worth of savings? Don’t let your Irish bank do the exchange. Our partner CurrencyFair shows you the rate and exactly what lands before you send your euro savings to Australia.
Your first month as a family
- Bank and tax: the working parent applies for a tax file number; our first week in Australia checklist has the steps. A child’s savings account doesn’t need a TFN for small amounts: the ATO says no tax is withheld on interest under AUD 120 a year, and a child under 16 earning AUD 120 to AUD 420 can give the bank a date of birth instead.
- Medicare and school: enrol in Medicare if your visa allows it, sort school enrolment, and book the GP visit for the AIR.
- A home: families need a whole house or unit, not a room, so give yourself time. Have passports, visa grants and payslips or an employment contract ready, and read the renting section of our moving guide. Not sure where? Try our where should you live in Australia quiz and the guides to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Perth.
- The beach: it’s not Salthill. Teach the kids to swim between the red and yellow flags; see are Australian beaches safe?
- Your people: join your city’s Irish Facebook group before you land. Our GAA clubs in Australia guide lists youth clubs and teams, including Naarm Gaels in Melbourne (ages 4 to 15), Peninsula Harps in Mornington, Brisbane Youths, and Tír Rua and Na Fianna Catalpa in Perth. The Australasia Féile youth tournament is in Brisbane in 2027, and some clubs run Gaelic for Mothers and Others, so the parents can play too.
Moving to Australia with kids: the pros and cons
The pros, as we see them:
- Outdoor life: beaches, parks, weekend sport and plenty of sunshine, especially in Brisbane and Perth.
- Somewhere to land: Irish groups, GAA clubs and other Irish families going through the same thing.
- A road to staying: a 482 can lead to a 186, and permanent residency brings free public school, Medicare and the childcare subsidy.
The cons, honestly:
- The grandparents: the one that hurts. Birthdays and Christmases happen on video calls, at awkward hours because of the time difference.
- Flights home for four or five add up fast. Our flights between Australia and Ireland guide has typical fares and the cheapest months.
- The school year doesn’t match Ireland’s, so kids may skip ahead or repeat part of a year, in either direction.
- Temporary visas cost more than people expect: charges per child, school fees in some states, full price childcare and health insurance.
Planning the move with kids? Ask the parents who’ve done it. The groups are the place to find out which suburbs suit families, which schools have places, where the nearest GAA club trains and how the first term went for someone else’s child.
FAQ
Can I bring my kids to Australia on a working holiday visa?
No. Home Affairs says Working Holiday visa holders can’t be accompanied by dependent children at any time. Families come on a sponsored, skilled or partner visa.
How much does it cost to add a child to an Australian visa?
As of November 2026, AUD 1,005 per child under 18 on a 482, AUD 1,535 on a 186, 190 or 491, AUD 1,540 on a 189 and AUD 2,935 on a partner visa.
Are public schools free for temporary visa holders?
It depends on the state and visa. For 482 kids there’s no tuition in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania or the NT. NSW and WA charge, South Australia’s fee depends on income, and the ACT charges unless you get an exemption.
Can I get the Child Care Subsidy on a 482 visa?
Not under the residence rules, which cover citizens, permanent visas, Special Category visas and certain partner provisional or temporary protection visas.
Does Medicare cover my children?
The Ireland agreement covers public hospital care and some medicines if your family was living in Ireland, until your visa ends, but not GP visits. Full Medicare comes with a permanent visa.
When does the school year start in Australia?
Late January or early February: in 2027, from 27 January in Queensland and South Australia to 3 February in most of NSW.
Is moving to Australia with a family worth it?
Only you can answer that. The outdoor life and the work draw plenty of Irish families, but go in with your eyes open on distance from family, flights home and the extra costs of a temporary visa.
