Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835)

How the Remaining Relative Test Works in Practice

The remaining relative test looks at your whole family, not just your sponsor. It also looks at your partner’s family if you have a spouse or de facto partner. To pass, every near relative of you and your partner must usually live in Australia as an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

This makes the test much stricter than the balance of family test used for parent visas. Having most of your family in Australia is not enough. One near relative who usually lives overseas, or who is in Australia on a temporary visa, is generally enough to fail.

Keep these points in mind:

• your partner’s parents, step-parents, brothers, sisters and step-siblings are counted, as well as your own
• adult children who are not dependent on you are near relatives, so an adult son or daughter living overseas will usually mean you cannot pass
• a near relative who is in Australia on a student, work, visitor or bridging visa is treated the same as one who lives overseas
• how often you see or speak to a relative does not matter, so an estranged relative overseas still counts
• the test must be met when you apply and again when a decision is made

Remaining relative test: three examples

• Example 1 (may pass): A single applicant has no children. Both parents have died, and the applicant’s only sibling is an Australian citizen living in Melbourne. All of the applicant’s near relatives are in Australia permanently, so the applicant may pass, with the sibling as sponsor.
• Example 2 (does not pass): An applicant’s parents and two brothers are all Australian permanent residents. The applicant is married, and the applicant’s husband has a sister who lives in India. Because the partner’s sister is a near relative living overseas, the applicant does not pass.
• Example 3 (does not pass): An applicant’s only sibling is an Australian citizen, and the applicant’s parents have died. The applicant has an adult, independent daughter who is in Australia on a student visa. A near relative on a temporary visa does not count as living in Australia permanently, so the applicant does not pass unless the daughter’s circumstances change.

Your Visa Status When You Apply

The 835 visa is applied for from inside Australia, so your current visa matters. Before lodging, check that:

• your current visa does not have a “No Further Stay” condition (8503, 8534 or 8535). These conditions generally stop you from lodging a new visa application while you are in Australia. Read more about condition 8503.
• you have not had a visa refused or cancelled while in Australia. A previous refusal or cancellation can limit the visas you are allowed to apply for onshore.
• you will remain in Australia. You must be in Australia when you lodge and when the visa is granted.

If you lodge a valid application while you hold a substantive visa, you will usually be granted a bridging visa that lets you stay in Australia lawfully after your current visa expires. Because the wait for this visa is very long, the conditions of that bridging visa (such as work rights and travel) are important. A bridging visa A does not let you travel and return, so if you need to leave Australia you would usually need to apply for a bridging visa B first. See our bridging visas guide.

Processing Times and the Queue

Remaining Relative visas are part of the Other Family category, which is capped and queued. Only a limited number of places are available each year and demand is much higher, so applications wait in a queue for many years.

• Home Affairs first checks that your application meets the core criteria. If it does, it is given a queue date.
• Applications are released for final processing in queue date order. As at 31 August 2026, Remaining Relative applications with queue dates up to 30 June 2013 had been released.
• Home Affairs’ own published estimate for new Remaining Relative applications is measured in decades (26 years at the time of writing).
• Since 25 July 2026, Remaining Relative visas sit in the lowest processing priority group for family visas, together with non-contributory parent and aged dependent relative visas.

For the latest queue dates, see our family visa processing times page.

Changes while you wait

Because you must still pass the remaining relative test when a decision is made, changes in your family during the wait can affect your application. Examples include marrying or entering a de facto relationship (your partner’s relatives then count), a child turning 18 and becoming independent, or a relative in Australia moving overseas. You must tell Home Affairs about changes in your circumstances, including new passports and changes of address.

Costs: A Worked Example

Government visa application charges for the 835 visa from 1 July 2026 are:

Charge	Amount
First instalment, main applicant	$6,600
First instalment, each additional applicant 18 or over	$3,300
First instalment, each additional applicant under 18	$1,655
Second instalment, per applicant (paid before grant)	$2,065

For a couple applying together, the government charges come to $9,900 at lodgement ($6,600 + $3,300) and $4,130 before grant ($2,065 for each of you), a total of $14,030. A single applicant pays $8,665 in total.

On top of this, the Assurance of Support bond is usually $5,000 for the main applicant and $2,000 for each other adult. The bond is held for the two year assurance period and then refunded, less any recoverable social security payments. Health examinations, police certificates, translations and professional fees are extra. See our 2026 visa fee changes and Assurance of Support guide.

How to Apply for the 835 Visa: Step by Step

1. Map your family. List every near relative of you and your partner, where each one usually lives and their citizenship or visa status.
2. Confirm your sponsor. Your sponsor must be your parent, step-parent, brother, sister, step-brother or step-sister (or that relative’s partner in some cases), aged 18 or over and settled in Australia.
3. Check your visa status. Make sure you can lodge onshore and understand which bridging visa you will hold while you wait.
4. Prepare the forms and documents. 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.
5. 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, supporting documents and first instalment must be sent together, or the application may be invalid.
6. Receive an acknowledgement and queue date. If your application meets the core criteria, it is placed in the queue.
7. Keep your details up to date. Report changes in your family, address, passport and contact details while you wait.
8. Final processing. When your application is released, you will be asked for health examinations, police certificates, an Assurance of Support and the second instalment before the visa is granted.

Document Checklist

For you (and your partner, if included):

• passport and national identity documents
• birth certificate and any change of name documents
• marriage, divorce or relationship documents, if applicable
• birth, adoption or death certificates showing each of your near relatives (and your partner’s)
• evidence of where each near relative usually lives and their citizenship or visa status
• details of your current and previous Australian visas
• police certificates and health examinations, when requested

For your sponsor:

• proof of identity and Australian citizenship, permanent residence or eligible New Zealand citizenship
• evidence that they are settled and usually resident in Australia
• documents showing how they are related to you, such as birth certificates showing shared parents

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

835 vs 115, 838 and Parent Visas

Visa	Where you apply	Who it suits	Key test
835 Remaining Relative	In Australia	People whose only near relatives are in Australia permanently	Remaining relative test
115 Remaining Relative	Outside Australia	The same as the 835, for applicants overseas	Remaining relative test
838 Aged Dependent Relative	In Australia	Single people of Age Pension age who are financially dependent on a relative in Australia	Age, being single and financial dependence
Parent visas	In or outside Australia, depending on the visa	Parents of Australian citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens	Balance of family test

A parent whose children all live in Australia cannot be sponsored by a child for the 835 visa, because a child is not an eligible sponsor. Parent visas are usually the better path in that situation. Our relative visa options page explains the other choices.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting that your partner’s parents and siblings are counted in the remaining relative test.
• Counting a relative who is in Australia on a temporary visa as living in Australia permanently.
• Assuming an estranged relative overseas can be left out.
• Lodging while holding a visa with a “No Further Stay” condition, which can make the application invalid.
• Lodging a paper application without the sponsorship form, all supporting documents or the full first instalment.
• Not planning for how long the queue is, including work rights and travel on a bridging visa.

Remaining Relative Visa 835: Frequently Asked Questions

Can my son or daughter sponsor me for the 835 visa?

No. The sponsor must be your parent, step-parent, brother, sister, step-brother or step-sister (or in some cases that relative’s partner). If your children live in Australia, look at the parent visa options instead.

Can I include my partner and children?

Yes. Members of your family unit can be included in the application, but they must meet health and character requirements. Remember that including a partner means their near relatives are also counted in the remaining relative test.

What happens if a relative moves to Australia while I am in the queue?

If a near relative overseas becomes an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen and usually lives in Australia, your position under the test may improve. The test is assessed again at the time of decision, so let Home Affairs know about the change.

Is there an age limit for the 835 visa?

There is no general age limit for the main applicant. Additional rules apply to applicants under 18, including that the visa must be in the child’s best interests.

Can I travel overseas while my application is in the queue?

You must be in Australia when the visa is granted, and a bridging visa A does not allow you to return after travel. If you need to travel, you would usually apply for a bridging visa B before leaving. Plan any travel carefully around the stage your application is at.

Can a migration agent move my application up the queue?

No. Applications are released in queue date order. A registered migration agent can make sure your application is valid and complete so it is queued without problems, and help you manage your visa status during the long wait.