PIC 4005 and PIC 4001 on 190 Visas in 2026: Health and Character Thresholds
How PIC 4005 (health) and PIC 4001 (character) apply to subclass 190 nominations in 2026 — who is checked, the cost threshold, and what failure means.
Yes — a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) application can fail on health or character grounds even when the points score, skills assessment and state nomination are all in order. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) page (current as at July 2026), you and any family members who apply with you must meet the health requirement, and you and family members aged 16 and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement. Those two requirements correspond to the public interest criteria known as PIC 4005 (health) and PIC 4001 (character). This article explains the thresholds in general terms only; it is not advice about your own circumstances, and because thresholds and policy settings move, the current figures should always be confirmed against the Department's latest published requirements or a registered professional's assessment of your case.
What do PIC 4005 and PIC 4001 actually test?
PIC 4005 is the health criterion. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, PIC 4005 turns on whether an applicant's health condition would result in significant cost to the Australian community, rather than on whether a person is simply unwell. Most conditions are not disqualifying; the criterion bites when the projected cost or demand on Australian health and community services crosses the threshold discussed below.
PIC 4001 is the character criterion. The Migration Regulations 1994 read PIC 4001 together with section 501 of the Migration Act 1958, which covers serious criminal conduct, associations with criminal groups, and conduct indicating a risk to the Australian community. Anything in a person's history that raises those questions — charges, convictions, or adverse intelligence or police information — tends to attract closer scrutiny rather than a quick clearance.
Is there a dollar figure for the "significant cost" test?
The Department's policy guidance on PIC 4005 sets the significant cost threshold at around AUD 86,000 for 2026, raised from AUD 51,000 in April 2024. The amount is adjusted over time, so any figure should be confirmed against the Department's current published requirements. The safe reading is structural — PIC 4005 is a cost test with a set threshold, and whether an individual case falls above or below it depends on a health assessment of that person's condition and likely service use. Confirm the operative amount before drawing conclusions from it.
Who has to be checked — including family who aren't coming?
This is where many 190 applications are caught out. The Department's page sets the coverage as follows:
| Person | Health (PIC 4005) | Character (PIC 4001) |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | Must meet the health requirement | Must meet the character requirement |
| Family members applying with you | Must meet the health requirement | Must meet it if aged 16 or over |
| Family members not accompanying you | Must meet it if the Department requests | Must meet the character requirement |
Two details are worth noticing. For accompanying family, the character requirement is expressed with an age threshold of 16 and over, while for non-accompanying family the page states the character requirement without that qualifier. On the health side, non-accompanying family are only drawn in if the Department asks; they are not automatically outside the system either.
What happens if one person fails?
The Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes PIC assessment as operating on a "one fails, all fail" basis: the criteria apply to the application as a unit, so a health or character problem affecting one required family member can defeat the application even though the main applicant personally meets every criterion. That is why the family group, not just the points-tested applicant, is the real unit of assessment.
The same guidance notes a narrow health concession: where a family member who is not applying for the visa would face an unreasonable requirement to undergo health assessment, that requirement may be waived. Character does not work the same way — the Department's page states the character requirement for non-accompanying family in direct terms.
What else sits in the public interest basket?
Two further requirements on the same official page sit alongside health and character. First, debt: if you or any family members — including those who do not apply for the visa with you — owe the Australian Government money, it must have been repaid or arrangements must have been made to repay it. Second, the Australian values statement: applicants aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia material and must confirm they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
What should applicants plan for in practice?
Health checks, police certificates and biometrics sit outside the visa application charge; the Department's page notes that these are additional costs you may have to pay, and that processing time can be affected by how long external agencies take on health, character and national security checks. The practical implication is that the timeline is partly driven by checks you can prepare for in advance, and partly by checks you cannot accelerate.
Assume, for example, that an applicant's EOI is strong enough for a nomination and invitation, but a dependent child has a condition requiring ongoing specialist care. Whether the application proceeds is not decided by the points test at all — it turns on whether that child's projected cost to the Australian community falls under PIC 4005's threshold. That is the kind of scenario where the health criterion, not the skills or points criteria, decides the outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Do family members who stay overseas still need to meet the character requirement?
Yes. The Department's official page states that family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet the character requirement, so excluding someone from the application does not remove them from character assessment.
Is there a set dollar amount for the health "significant cost" threshold?
The significant cost threshold is around AUD 86,000 for 2026, raised from AUD 51,000 in April 2024 under the Department's policy guidance on PIC 4005. Because the amount is adjusted over time, confirm the operative threshold against the Department's current published requirements.
At what age does a family member need a character check?
The Department's page applies the character requirement to family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you. For family members who are not accompanying you, the page states the character requirement without an age qualifier.
Can a health problem be waived?
Departmental policy guidance describes a limited concession where a family member who is not applying for the visa would face an unreasonable requirement to undergo health assessment. There is no equivalent general waiver described for the main applicant or for accompanying family.
Does owing money to the Australian Government affect a 190 application?
Yes. The Department's page requires that you or any family members — including those not applying for the visa with you — have repaid the debt or arranged to repay it.
If one family member fails, does the whole application fail?
The Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes PIC assessment as operating on a "one fails, all fail" basis, meaning a health or character failure by one required family member can defeat the application even when the main applicant meets every criterion individually.