The Remaining Relative visa is a permanent visa that lets people stay in Australia to be with their only close family members. You must be sponsored by an eligible parent or step-parent, sibling or step-sibling, or an eligible partner of your relative. DHA will not grant you this visa if:
- you or your partner have a near relative who usually live outside Australia, or
- you or your partner have a near relative who live in Australia on a temporary visa (and are not an Eligible New Zealand citizen) or unlawfully. Temporary visas include bridging visas.
The Remaining Relative visa requires the applicant to be the remaining relative of their parent, brother, sister, step-parent, step-brother or step-sister, who must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Features
This visa is a permanent visa which lets people stay in Australia to be with their only remaining relative.
What can you do with this visa?
As this is a permanent visa, it allows you and your family to:
- Stay indefinitely in Australia
- Study and work in Australia
- Apply for Australian citizenship (if eligible)
- Access to Australia’s public health care system
Location
You must be in Australia when you apply and when the department decides your application.
Cost
From $6,415
Related: Remaining Relative Visa (subclass 115) -Offshore
Eligibility
- You must be sponsored by an eligible parent or step-parent, sibling or step-sibling, or an eligible partner of your relative.
- You must not have other near relatives.
- You must have an assurance of support.
- Meet the health and character requirements.
Who is your near relative?
Near relatives is defined as
- parent or step-parent
- partner’s parent or step-parent
- sibling or step-sibling
- child or stepchild who is 18 or older and not dependent on you
- child or stepchild who is under 18 and not in your or your partner’s daily care and control
The department does not consider how much contact you have with near relatives when they make the decision about whether you are a remaining relative.
Have assurance of support
You must be able to obtain an assurance of support.
An assurance of support assures us that you will not have to rely on government assistance after you enter Australia on this visa. The assurance is for you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa.
DHA will let you know when you need to provide the assurance of support.
Meet health and character requirements
You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet DHA’s health and character requirements.
Family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet DHA’s health and character requirements.
Who can sponsor you?
Your sponsor must be your (or your partner’s) parent, brother, sister, stepbrother or stepsister. They must agree to give you support, accommodation and financial assistance for your first two years of residency in Australia. This agreement includes any family members included as applicants in your application.
Your sponsor must be:
- 18 years of age or older; and
- settled in Australia
- an Australian citizen
- an Australian permanent resident or
- an eligible New Zealand citizen
Assurance of Support
An assurance of support is a legal agreement you make with the department to ensure that the applicant will not have to rely on government assistance after he/she has entered Australia.
Health
You must meet specific health requirements. The results are usually valid for 12 months. This also applies to all the members of your family unit included in your application.
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 ten years after you turned 16 years of age.
When might you not be eligible for this visa?
This visa is not suitable for you if:
- You or your partner have near relatives who are usually living outside Australia.
- Your or your partner’s remaining relative is not a permanent resident or citizen of Australia.
