Remaining Relative Subclass 115/835
A remaining relative is someone who is the only and last family member of an Australian permanent resident or citizen living overseas. The Remaining Relative visa is a permanent visa for people whose entire family is living permanently in Australia have no other close relative outside Australia.
There are two subclasses for Remaining Relative visa:
Remaining Relative (Subclass 115) is for applicants outside Australia when application is made.
Remaining Relative (Subclass 835) is for applicants inside Australia when application is made.
Both onshore and offshore applications cost the same, and all criteria are the same.
Criteria for the visa
Applicant must meet all the following criteria to be eligible to apply for this visa.
- Have a sponsor in Australia
Applicant must have an eligible sponsor who is an Australian PR or citizen and resides in Australia. The sponsor can be a parent or step-parent, sibling or step-sibling, or an eligible partner of your relative.
- Have no other near relative overseas
Applicant should NOT have any other near relatives, living outside Australia. A near relative may include: parent or step-parent, partner’s parent or step-parent, sibling or step-sibling, a child or stepchild who is 18 or older and not dependent on you, and a child or stepchild who is under 18 and not in your or your partner’s daily care and control. This means if you have a relative as listed above, your visa won’t be approved.
- Obtain and Assurance of Support (AOS)
Before the visa can be granted, the Department would ask applicant to obtain an assurance of support from a third party. The purpose of this AOS is to ensure the applicant won’t reply Australian government for financial assistance after they entre Australia.
The person who provides assurance of support is called the assurer and the person who receives the assurance, that is the visa applicant or the migrant, is called the assuree. The assurer is different from the sponsor, but the sponsor can also be the assurer if he or she is eligible to provide the assurance of support.
For details of the requirements for an AOS, please visit our Assurance of Support page.
- Other requirements to be met
Other requirements for a Remaining Relative visa application include: the health, character, health insurance, no debt to Australian government and signing the Australian values statement etc. Please note that if the grant of the visa for an applicant under 18 is not in their best interest, it may not be approved by the Australian government.
Who can be the sponsor?
A sponsor must be the remaining relative of the visa applicant. That sponsor must have lived lawfully in Australia for at least 2 years and take Australia as his/her home. A sponsor must be 18 years of age or older.
The sponsor is obliged to provide support, accommodation and financial support to the visa applicant for the first 2 years during their residence in Australia. Sponsor is also obliged to support the dependents of the applicant.
The following people can be eligible sponsors:
- An Australian citizen
- An Australian permanent resident
- An eligible New Zealand citizen
A sponsorship is normally valid for 2 years after the visa is granted. During the 2 years of sponsorship, the sponsor must provide basic accommodation and financial assistance to the visa holder for their first 2 year residence in Australia.
Duration of the visa
Once approved, this visa is a permanent visa. The applicant can stay in Australia indefinitely. After 5 years, the applicant must renew their permanent residency visa Resident Return Visa 155.
Cost of Visa
The current visa costs for Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115/835) is AU$6,490 for the main applicant. Addition fees apply for additional applicants.
