Both of these permanent visas let people move to Australia to be with their only close family members. Remaining Relative visas allow you to work and study and enrol Australia’s public healthcare scheme, Medicare and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
The only difference between Remaining Relative visas 115 and 835 is the applicant’s location:
- 115: must be outside Australia when the application is submitted and the visa is decided
- 835: must be in Australia when the application is submitted and the visa is decided
Primary Requirements for applicants:
- Be sponsored
- Have no near relatives
- Must be able to obtain an assurance of support
- Meet health requirements
- Meet character requirements (a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16)
- Must not have any debt to the Australian government (the applicant or any family members) or have an approved formal arrangement to pay it back
Primary Requirements for sponsors:
- An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- Settled and usually resident in Australia (have lived lawfully in Australia for a reasonable period, usually at least 2 years)
- 18 years old or older
- The applicant must be the remaining relative of you or your Partner
- Must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia
- Temporary visa holders (who are not an Eligible New Zealand citizen) or people unlawfully living in Australia are not eligible. Temporary visas include bridging visas.
Sponsorship must be approved.
The Department of Home Affairs fee:
- AUD 6,415 for the main applicant (paid in two instalments)
- There is an additional charge for each family member who applies with you
Who is near relative
For remaining relative visas, your near relative is your:
- 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
Assurance of support
An assurance of support (Aos) is a legal agreement to help someone get a visa to live in Australia.
AoS is a legally binding and unconditional commitment by an Australian resident (the assurer) to repay certain Australian social security payments that have been paid to migrants (the assurees) during their respective AoS period.
It’s your promise to pay the Australian Government back for any social security payments that were given to the visa applicant.
Both of these permanent visas let a single older person, who relies on a relative living in Australia for financial support, move to Australia permanently. Aged Dependent Relative visas allow you to work and study and enrol Australia’s public healthcare scheme, Medicare and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
The only difference between Remaining Relative visas 114 and 838 is the applicant’s location:
- 114: must be outside Australia when the application is submitted and the visa is decided
- 838: must be in Australia when the application is submitted and the visa is decided
Primary Requirements for applicants:
- Be sponsored
- Be pension age
- Be dependent (basic needs like food, shelter and clothing for at least 3 years before you apply for the visa. You could be dependent on your relative due to disability that prevents you from working)
- Have no partner
- Must be able to obtain an assurance of support
- Meet health requirements
- Meet character requirements (a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16)
- Must not have any debt to the Australian government (the applicant or any family members) or have an approved formal arrangement to pay it back
Primary Requirements for sponsors:
- An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- Settled and usually resident in Australia (have lived lawfully in Australia for a reasonable period, usually at least 2 years)
- 18 years old or older
- Must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia
Sponsorship must be approved.
The Department of Home Affairs fee:
- AUD 6,415 for the main applicant (paid in two instalments)
- There is an additional charge for each family member who applies with you
Pension Age Requirements
The pension age will be gradually increased from 65 to 67 years as set out in the table below.
| Period within which a person was born | Pension age | Date pension age changes |
| From 1 July 1952 to 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months | 1 July 2017 |
| From 1 January 1954 to 30 June 1955 | 66 years | 1 July 2019 |
| From 1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months | 1 July 2021 |
| From 1 January 1957 onwards | 67 years | 1 July 2023 |
Assurance of support
An assurance of support (Aos) is a legal agreement to help someone get a visa to live in Australia.
AoS is a legally binding and unconditional commitment by an Australian resident (the assurer) to repay certain Australian social security payments that have been paid to migrants (the assurees) during their respective AoS period.
It’s your promise to pay the Australian Government back for any social security payments that were given to the visa applicant.
Both of these permanent visas let people move to Australia to care for someone with a long-term medical condition. They must have no reasonable access to care options in Australia. You can work, study and enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme, Medicare.
The only difference between Carer visas 116 and 836 is the applicant’s location:
- 116: must be outside Australia when the application is submitted and the visa is decided
- 836: must be in Australia when the application is submitted and the visa is decided
Primary Requirements for applicants:
- Be a carer (be willing and able to provide ongoing substantial care and support for your sponsoring relative or the family member who lives with them)
- Be sponsored
- Meet health requirements
- Meet character requirements (a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16)
- Must not have any debt to the Australian government (the applicant or any family members) or have an approved formal arrangement to pay it back
Primary Requirements for sponsors:
- Must be the applicant’s relative or their relative’s partner who lives with them
- An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- 18 years old or older
- Be unable to reasonably access care in Australia from another relative or an Australian welfare, hospital nursing or community service
- Be issued with a certificate which must include a statement that you or your family member has a medical condition which:
- causes physical, intellectual or sensory impairment
- means you or your family member will need help with practical aspects of daily life for at least 2 years
Sponsorship must be approved.
The Department of Home Affairs fee:
- AUD 1,795 for the main applicant
- There is an additional charge for each family member who applies with you
This visa is for a person who is not a New Zealand citizen but is a member of a family unit of a New Zealand citizen. It lets you live, work and study in Australia for 5 years from the date of the visa grant. The visa is granted with multiple entry and you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply.
If you are offshore, you can apply for the subclass 461 visa without needing to hold another type of visa first.
If you are onshore you need to hold a substantive visa when you lodge your application. If you do not hold a substantive visa you will need show you do not hold a visa because of factors beyond your control and there are compelling reasons to grant you a subclass 461.
Primary Requirements for applicants:
- Must not be a New Zealand citizen
- Must be one of the members of the family unit of a New Zealand citizen
- Meet health requirements
- Meet character requirements (a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16)
- Have health insurance
- Must not have any debt to the Australian government (the applicant or any family members) or have an approved formal arrangement to pay it back
Primary Requirements for sponsors:
- Must not be an eligible New Zealand citizen
- Must be living in Australia on a Special Category visa (subclass 444) or will be travelling with you to Australia and should be granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival
The Department of Home Affairs fee:
- AUD 365 for the main applicant
- There is an additional charge for each family member who applies with you.
Members of the family unit
For visa purposes, you are a member of the main applicant’s family unit if you are:
- the main applicant’s spouse or de facto partner
- the main applicant’s child, or their partner’s child, who is not engaged, married or in a de facto relationship and is:
- aged under 18 years, or
- aged 18 to 23 years and dependent on the main applicant or the main applicant’s partner, or
- aged 23 years or older and dependent on the main applicant or the main applicant’s partner due to a partial or total physical or mental disability
- the dependent child of the child above
Stay longer
You can apply for another New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary) visa (subclass 461) if:
- you are still a members of the family unit of the New Zealand citizen you named in your application for your first subclass 461 visa and that New Zealand citizen is in Australia on a Special Category visa (subclass 444)
- you are still a member of the family unit of the New Zealand citizen you named in your application for your first subclass 461 visa and that New Zealand citizen is outside Australia and will travel with you to Australia and be a holder of a Special Category visa (subclass 444) on entry to Australia
- your New Zealand citizen family member is not an eligible New Zealand citizen
You can also apply again if you are in Australia and:
- you hold a subclass 461 visa or it was the last visa you held
- you are no longer a member of the family unit of the New Zealand citizen named in your first application as a result of relationship breakdown
- you have not become a member of the family unit of another person (whether you are still part of that new family unit or not)
You can also apply again if you are outside Australia and:
- you either
- have been in Australia as the holder of a subclass 461 visa for at least 2 years in the past 5 years
- you have substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties with Australia that are of benefit to Australia and you have not been away from Australia for more that 5 years before applying for this visa (unless there is a good reason for being away)
- you held a subclass 461 visa when you last left Australia
- you are no longer a member of the family unit of the New Zealand citizen named in your first application as a result of relationship breakdown
- you have not become a member of the family unit of another person (whether you are still part of that new family unit or not)