Family Visas

family visas
Child Visas

A Child Visa grants the child Australian Permanent Residency, including the right to live, work, and study in Australia, and access to Medicare. All applicants must meet the health and character requirements, and the grant of the visa must be determined to be in the best interests of the child.

1. Standard Child Visas (Biological/Step-Child)

These visas are for the biological or step-child of an eligible sponsor. The determining factor is where the child is located when they apply for and when the visa is granted.

  • Subclass 101 – Child (Class AH)
    • Type: Permanent Visa.
    • Location: The child must be outside Australia when the visa application is lodged and granted.
    • Key Requirement: The child must be sponsored by their parent (or the parent's partner) who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen.
  • Subclass 802 – Child (Class BT)
    • Type: Permanent Visa.
    • Location: The child must be in Australia when the visa application is lodged and granted.
    • Benefit: Lodging this visa onshore often allows the child to be granted a Bridging Visa, enabling them to remain lawfully in Australia while the application is processed.

2. Adoption and Orphan Visas

These permanent visas cater to children in specific family situations who need to be brought to Australia.

A. Adoption Visa
  • Subclass 102 – Adoption (Class AH)
    • Purpose: Allows a child who has been or is being adopted overseas by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen to come to Australia.
    • Key Requirement: The child must be **outside** Australia when the visa is lodged and granted. The adoption must meet the requirements of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption or be a de-facto adoption recognised under Australian law.
B. Orphan Relative Visas

These visas are for single children whose parents are deceased, permanently incapacitated, or whose whereabouts are unknown. The child is sponsored by a relative in Australia.

  • Subclass 117 – Orphan Relative (Class AH)
    • Type: Permanent Visa.
    • Location: The child must be **outside** Australia when the visa is lodged and granted.
  • Subclass 837 – Orphan Relative (Class BT)
    • Type: Permanent Visa.
    • Location: The child must be **in Australia** when the visa is lodged and granted.

Parent Visas

1. Non-Contributory Visas (Longest Wait Time, Lower Cost)


These visas have significantly lower application fees but are subject to capping and queueing, resulting in extremely long processing times (often decades).

  • Subclass 103 - Parent (Migrant)

    Type: Permanent visa.
    Applicant Location: Must be outside Australia for the visa grant.
    Key Feature: The standard, non-contributory option for parents who are not of Age Pension age.

  • Subclass 804 - Aged Parent (Residence)

    Type: Permanent visa.
    Applicant Location: Must be in Australia for both application and grant.
    Key Feature: Non-contributory option for parents who are of Age Pension age. Applicants in Australia may be eligible for a bridging visa.


2. Contributory Visas (Faster Processing, Much Higher Cost)

These visas require a substantially higher application charge (the 'contribution') in exchange for significantly faster processing times (generally years, not decades).

  • Subclass 143 - Contributory Parent (Migrant)

    Type: Permanent visa.
    Key Feature: The main Contributory permanent residency option for parents who are not of Age Pension age.

  • Subclass 173 - Contributory Parent (Temporary)

    Type: Temporary visa (valid for 2 years).
    Key Feature: This is the first step in a two-stage process leading to the Subclass 143 visa. It allows applicants to spread the higher cost over several years.

  • Subclass 864 - Contributory Aged Parent (Residence)

    Type: Permanent visa.
    Applicant Location: Must be in Australia for both application and grant.
    Key Feature: The Contributory permanent residency option for parents who are of Age Pension age.

  • Subclass 884 - Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary)

    Type: Temporary visa (valid for 2 years).
    Applicant Location: Must be in Australia for both application and grant.
    Key Feature: This is the first step in a two-stage process leading to the Subclass 864 visa, allowing the higher cost to be paid in two instalments.


3. Temporary Sponsored Visa (No PR Pathway)

This is a temporary option focused on long-term visits and does not have a permanent residency pathway.

  • Subclass 870 - Sponsored Parent (Temporary)

    Type: Temporary visa (granted for 3 or 5 years, with a maximum stay of 10 years).
    Key Feature: Does not require the Balance of Family Test. The sponsor must be approved first. **No access to Medicare** and **no work rights** (unpaid volunteering/domestic care is allowed).


Other Family Visas
  • Remaining Relative Visa (Subclasses 115 & 835):

    Purpose: Allows you to live permanently in Australia to be with your only close relatives.
    Key Requirement: You (and your partner) must have no other near relatives (parents, children, siblings, step-equivalents) living outside Australia.
    Location: Subclass 115 is for applicants outside Australia; Subclass 835 is for applicants in Australia.

  • Aged Dependent Relative Visa (Subclasses 114 & 838):

    Purpose: Allows an older, single relative who is dependent on an Australian relative for financial support to migrate permanently.
    Key Requirement: You must be of Australian Age Pension age, be single, and have been wholly or substantially dependent on your Australian relative for financial support for basic needs for at least 3 years.
    Location: Subclass 114 is for applicants outside Australia; Subclass 838 is for applicants in Australia.

  • Carer Visa (Subclasses 116 & 836):

    Purpose: Allows you to live permanently in Australia to care for a relative who has a certified long-term medical condition.
    Key Requirement: You must be willing and able to provide continuous, substantial care, and the Australian relative must be assessed as having no reasonable access to care options in Australia.
    Location: Subclass 116 is for applicants outside Australia; Subclass 836 is for applicants in Australia.

The Australian 'Other Family' visa stream provides permanent residency pathways for people in specific and often unique family situations outside of the standard Partner and Parent categories. These visas—the Remaining Relative Visa, Aged Dependent Relative Visa, and Carer Visa—are all highly constrained and operate under a system of capping and queuing. This means that although they grant permanent residency, the processing times are exceptionally long, often extending for many years, even decades. Each visa has extremely strict, non-negotiable criteria, making the process highly competitive. Given the very low number of visa places allocated to the "Other Family" category (only 500 places in the 2024-25 Migration Program year), new applicants can expect a **wait of well over 50 years** before their application is even assessed for the final stages, as the queue contains applications lodged decades ago.

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