Carer Visa (subclass 116 and 836)

Carer Visa (subclass 116 and 836)

Features

This visa allows individuals to come to Australia to provide care to their relatives who requires support due to long term or permanent medical conditions. The difference between subclass 116 and 836 is whether the applicant is inside or outside while lodging the application and when the visa is granted.

Carer visa (subclass 116): Offshore
Carer visa (subclass 836): Onshore

Length of Stay

Permanently

Cost

From AUD $2,720

Second instalment of AUD $2,065 for each person included on the application may be waived if the Minister of Home Affairs is satisfied that the payment of the second instalment has caused, or is likely to cause, severe financial hardship to the applicant or to the person of whom the applicant is a carer

Eligibility

Who could get this visa

You might be eligible for this visa if:

You are able to provide ongoing care and assistance for a relative and their spouse or de facto partner who lives in the same house
You and your family members meet health and character requirements

Who is considered as ‘relative’:

Partner, child, parent, brother, sister, stepchild, step-parent, stepbrother, stepsister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or step equivalent

Who is your sponsor

Your sponsor (relative) or their partner must require substantial ongoing care and support due to a long-term or permanent medical condition.

Your sponsor must be:

18 years of age or older
An Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen

Following are the list of requirements that the sponsor must meet:

Have not been able to receive care they need from another source in Australia such as from another relative or an Australian welfare, hospital nursing or community service
Have been assessed or be in the process of arranging an assessment with Bupa Medical Visa Services to obtain a medical certificate stating that the sponsor or the sponsor’s partner has a medical condition which:

1. Causes physical, intellectual or sensory impairment
2. Means the sponsor or the partner will need help with practical aspects of daily life for at least 2 years
3. Have agreed to provide housing and financial support for the first 2 years the applicant and any members of the applicant’s family lives in Australia

Health

You must meet certain health requirements. The results are usually valid for 12 months Do not arrange a health examination until we ask you to.

This also applies to all the members of your family unit included in your application, whether they are migrating or not.

Character

You must meet certain character requirements. You must be prepared to provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to.

This also applies to all members of your family unit listed in your application, whether they are migrating or not.

Sign the Australian Values Statement

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must sign an Australian Values Statement to confirm that you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws. The statement is included in the visa application form. You must have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia book before you sign the statement.

Debts to the Australian Government

You must have no outstanding debts to the Australians Government or have arranged to repay any outstanding debts to the Australian Government before this visa can be granted.

Processing times and places

Carer visas are capped and queued. Home Affairs does not give a processing timeframe for these visas because demand is much higher than the number of places available. As at 31 August 2026, carer visa applications queued up to 31 December 2023 had been released for final processing.

Carer visas sit in the Other Family category, which has 400 places in 2026-27 (down from 500 in 2025-26). Since 25 July 2026, carer visas are processed after partner, child, orphan relative and contributory parent visas, but ahead of non-contributory parent, remaining relative and aged dependent relative visas.

Carer Visa 116 or 836: Which One Applies to You?

The two carer visas have the same core requirements. The difference is where you are.

	Subclass 116	Subclass 836
Where you must be when you apply	Outside Australia	In Australia
Where you must be when the visa is granted	Outside Australia	In Australia
Staying in Australia while you wait	You need a separate visa (such as a visitor visa) to visit	You will usually hold a bridging visa after your current visa ends
Visa type	Permanent	Permanent

If you plan to apply onshore, check your current visa first. A “No Further Stay” condition (8503, 8534 or 8535) generally stops you from lodging a new application in Australia, and a previous visa refusal or cancellation in Australia can also limit your options. See our page on condition 8503.

The Bupa Carer Assessment Explained

The medical side of a carer visa is not decided by Home Affairs. It is assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services, and the outcome is set out in a carer certificate. This is separate from the health examinations you, as the carer, will be asked to complete later.

The assessment considers whether the person who needs care:

has a medical condition causing a physical, intellectual or sensory impairment that affects their ability to attend to the practical aspects of daily life
has an impairment rating of at least 30 under the Impairment Tables used for these assessments
needs direct assistance with daily living because of the condition, and will need it for at least two years

The assessment must be underway when you lodge. Your application should include either the Bupa certificate or a Bupa letter confirming that the assessment has started. Once a certificate is issued, Home Affairs must accept Bupa’s findings on these medical questions. A certificate that supports the need for care does not guarantee the visa, as all the other requirements must still be met.

Preparing for the assessment

Gather recent reports from treating specialists and the general practitioner, not just a short letter.
Make sure the reports describe what the person cannot do day to day (for example bathing, dressing, preparing meals, moving around safely or managing medication), not only the diagnosis.
Include information on how long the condition is expected to last and the likely course of the illness.

Showing Care Cannot Reasonably Be Obtained in Australia

This is where many carer applications are weakest. You need to show that the care cannot reasonably be provided by another relative in Australia, or obtained from welfare, hospital, nursing or community services in Australia.

Evidence that can help includes:

statements from other relatives in Australia explaining why they cannot provide the care (for example their own health, work, distance or caring responsibilities)
evidence of what local services have been looked into and why they are not suitable or available
evidence of any existing support the person receives and why it is not enough
a clear explanation of the help you will give, how often and for how long

Your own ability to provide the care also matters. Home Affairs will want to see that you are willing and able to give substantial, ongoing help, including that your own health and circumstances allow it.

Costs: A Worked Example

Government visa application charges from 1 July 2026 are:

Charge	Amount
First instalment, main applicant	$2,720
First instalment, each additional applicant 18 or over	$1,365
First instalment, each additional applicant under 18	$680
Second instalment, per applicant (paid before grant)	$2,065

For a carer applying with a partner and one child under 18, the first instalment is $4,765 ($2,720 + $1,365 + $680). The second instalment is $6,195 ($2,065 for each of the three applicants), so the total government charges come to $10,960, unless a severe financial hardship waiver of the second instalment is approved. Health examinations, police certificates, translations and professional fees are extra. See our 2026 visa fee changes.

Unlike the remaining relative and aged dependent relative visas, the carer visa is not on the list of visas that require a bonded Assurance of Support. Your sponsor instead agrees to provide accommodation and financial support for your first two years in Australia.

How to Apply for a Carer Visa: Step by Step

Confirm the relationship. Check that you are an eligible relative of the person who needs care.
Start the Bupa assessment. The person who needs care arranges the carer assessment with Bupa Medical Visa Services and provides medical reports.
Collect evidence about other care options. Show why care cannot reasonably come from other relatives or from services in Australia.
Confirm your sponsor. Your sponsor must be 18 or over, settled in Australia and able to give the two year support undertaking.
Choose 116 or 836. Decide based on where you will be at lodgement and grant, and check your current visa conditions if you are in Australia.
Prepare the forms. The application is made on paper using the Other Family visa form (form 47OF), with a sponsorship form (form 40) from your sponsor and a form 47A for each family member aged 18 or over.
Lodge and pay the first instalment. Paper applications are sent by post or courier to the Home Affairs processing centre for parent, child and other family visas. The application, sponsorship, Bupa evidence, documents and payment must be sent together, or the application may be invalid.
Wait for your queue date and final processing. When your application is released, you will be asked for health examinations, police certificates, any updated information and the second instalment before grant.

Document Checklist

For you (the carer) and family members included:

passports and national identity documents
birth certificates and any change of name documents
marriage or relationship documents, if your partner is included
documents proving your relationship to the person who needs care
evidence of your ability to provide the care
details of current and previous Australian visas
police certificates and health examinations, when requested

For the sponsor and the person who needs care:

proof of Australian citizenship, permanent residence or eligible New Zealand citizenship
evidence that the sponsor is settled and usually resident in Australia
the Bupa certificate, or a Bupa letter confirming the assessment has started
medical reports and evidence about why other care is not reasonably available

Documents that are not in English must be translated into English by an accredited translator.

After Your Carer Visa Is Granted

As a permanent resident you can live, work and study in Australia, and you may be able to enrol in Medicare. Your visa includes a five year travel facility. After it ends, you remain a permanent resident, but you will need a Resident Return visa (or Australian citizenship) to travel and return as a permanent resident. You may become eligible for citizenship once you meet the residence requirements.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Lodging without evidence that the Bupa assessment has started.
Providing medical reports that describe a diagnosis but not the day to day help needed.
Not explaining why other relatives in Australia cannot help.
Overlooking local community and nursing services that Home Affairs may consider reasonable alternatives.
Applying for the 836 while holding a visa with a “No Further Stay” condition.
Assuming the situation will not be reassessed. The need for care must still exist when the decision is made, which may be many years after lodgement.

Carer Visa 116 and 836: Frequently Asked Questions

How long will a new carer visa application take?

Carer visas are capped and queued, so there is no standard processing time. Home Affairs’ own published estimate for new carer applications is 16 years at the time of writing, although this can change from year to year with planning levels.

Can I care for my sponsor’s partner instead of my sponsor?

Yes, in some circumstances. The person needing care can be your relative or a member of their family unit, such as their partner, provided the other requirements are met, including that the person needing care is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Is a Bupa certificate enough to get the visa?

No. The certificate deals only with the medical need. You must also meet the relationship, sponsorship, alternative care, health, character and other requirements.

What happens if the person I care for passes away or recovers while I wait?

The requirements must be met at the time of decision. If the need for care no longer exists, the application is unlikely to succeed. Get advice about other visa options as soon as possible if circumstances change.

Can I include my partner and children?

Yes. Members of your family unit can be included as secondary applicants, and they must meet health and character requirements. Each additional applicant also pays visa application charges.

Can a parent use the carer visa to join their child in Australia?

Yes, if the parent will care for a child (or the child’s family member) with a qualifying medical condition and all carer requirements are met. If there is no care need, look at our parent visa options instead.

Family visa guides

Other Family Visas

Temporary Parent Visas

Please complete our Parent visa assessment form to determine your eligibility. VisaEnvoy are industry leaders and your trusted migration agents and immigration lawyers in Melbourne with offices across Australia.

Book an appointment today for a detailed assessment with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find more about your visa options.