Family Visa

Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 173)

Features:

This visa lets parents of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia temporarily.

If you are granted this visa and want to stay in Australia permanently, you can then apply for aContributory Parent visa (subclass 143).

Applying for this temporary subclass 173 visa before the permanent subclass 143 visa lets you spread the costs of your migration over a number of years.

Visa allows you to:

This visa lets you:

live in Australia for up to two years
work and study in Australia (you will not receive government support)
enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for two years from the date the visa is granted.
apply for a permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143).

You cannot extend or re-apply for this visa.

Eligibility:

You must have a child who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

At least half of your children must live in Australia or more of your children live in Australia than any other country.

Processing times:

75 per cent of applications processed in 36 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 37 months

Contributory Parent Visa (Subclass 143)

Features:

This visa lets parents of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia permanently.

You could apply for the Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173) before this visa. Applying for the temporary visa and then this permanent visa costs more but the costs are spread across the two visas over a longer period of time.

You could also apply for a Parent visa (subclass 103). The subclass 103 visa costs less than this visa but there can be long waiting times of up to 30 years.

Visa allows you to:

This visa lets you:

stay in Australia indefinitely
work and study in Australia
enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
travel to and from Australia for five years
apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

Information about social security payments.

Eligibility:

You must have a child who is an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

At least half of your children must live in Australia or more of your children live in Australia than any other country.

Processing times:

75 per cent of applications processed in 37 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 39 months

Partner Visa (Subclass 820 & 801)

Features:

The Partner visas (subclasses 820 and 801) allow the partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia.

The temporary Partner visa (subclass 820) is granted first and lets you stay in Australia while the permanent Partner visa (subclass 801) is processed.

Visa allows you to:

The temporary Partner visa (subclass 820) lets you:

stay in Australia until a decision is made on your permanent Partner visa (subclass 801)
work in Australia
study in Australia (no government support)
travel outside Australia as many times as you want
access up to 510 hours of free English language tuition provided by the Adult Migrant English Program
enrol in Medicare, Australia’s national health scheme.

The permanent Partner visa (subclass 801) lets you:

stay in Australia indefinitely
work and study in Australia
enrol in Medicare, Australia’s health care scheme
receive some social security payments. More information is available on the Department of Human Services website.
sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
travel outside Australia as many times as you want for five years from the date the visa is granted – you will then need a Resident Return visa to re-enter Australia
apply for Australian citizenship, when eligible.

Eligibility:

You must be married or in a de facto relationship with:

an Australian citizen
an Australian permanent resident
an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Your marriage must be valid under Australian law. This means you must have parental permission if you are 16 or 17 years of age.

You must have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months.

Processing times:

Temporary Visa (820):

75 per cent of applications processed in 20 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 25 months

Permanent Visa (820):

75 per cent of applications processed in 15 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 21 months

Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) & Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100)

Features:

The Partner visas (subclasses 309 and 100) allow the partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia.

The temporary Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) is granted first and lets you stay in Australia while the permanent Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) is processed.

Visa allows you to:

The temporary Partner visa (subclass 309) lets you:

come to Australia to live until a decision is made on your permanent Partner visa (subclass 100)
work in Australia
study in Australia at your own expense
travel outside Australia as many times as you want
access up to 510 hours of free English language tuition provided by the Adult Migrant English Program
enrol in Medicare, Australia’s national health scheme.

The permanent Partner visa (subclass 100) lets you:

stay in Australia indefinitely
work and study in Australia
enrol in Medicare, Australia’s health care scheme
receive some social security payments. More information is available on the Department of Human Services website.
sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
travel outside Australia as many times as you want for five years from the date the visa is granted – you will then need a Resident Return visa to re-enter Australia
apply for Australian citizenship, when eligible.

Eligibility:

You must be married or in a de facto relationship with:

an Australian citizen
an Australian permanent resident
an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Your marriage must be valid under Australian law. This means you must have parental permission if you are 16 or 17 years of age.

You must have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months.

You must be outside Australia when you lodge your application and when a decision is made on the temporary Partner visa (subclass 309). You can be in or outside Australia when a decision is made on the permanent Partner visa (subclass 100).

Processing times:

Provisional visa (309):

75 per cent of applications processed in 11 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 15 months

Permanent Visa (100):

75 per cent of applications processed in 20 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 28 months

Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300)

Features:

This visa allows people to come to Australia to marry their prospective spouse.

If you are granted this visa, you should marry your prospective spouse and apply for a Partner (subclasses 820 and 801) visa before your Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) expires.

Visa allows you to:

This visa lets you:

travel to and stay in Australia for up to nine months
work in Australia
study in Australia at your own expense
travel outside Australia as many times as you want. There is important information for New Zealand citizens.

Eligibility:

You must:

intend to marry your prospective spouse
have met and know your prospective spouse
be at least 18 years of age.
be outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when the visa is decided.

Processing times:

75 per cent of applications processed in 12 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 14 months

Child visa (subclass 101)

Features:

This visa allows a child who is outside Australia to come to Australia to live with their parents.

Visa allows you to:

It allows the child to:

travel to and stay in Australia indefinitely
work and study in Australia
enrol in Medicare, Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
apply for Australian citizenship (if they are eligible)
sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted – after that time they will need another visa to enter Australia.

Eligibility:

To get this visa, the child must be:

sponsored by their parent or their parent's partner
single
younger than 18 years of age, or:
- a full-time student between 18 and 25 years of age, or
- 18 or older and unable to work due to a disability and dependent on the sponsoring parents

The child can include their own dependent children in this application.

The child must be:

the biological child or adopted child of the sponsoring parent
a step child who has not turned 18 of a step-parent who is no longer the partner of the child's parent but has a legal responsibility to care for the child.

An adopted child must have been adopted before their parent became an Australian citizen or the holder of an Australian permanent resident visa or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Processing times:

75 per cent of applications processed in 7 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 12 months

Remaining relative visa (subclass 115)

Features:

This visa allows someone outside Australia whose only near relatives are living in Australia to live in Australia as a permanent resident.

Visa allows you to:

This is a permanent visa. It allows you and your family to:

stay in Australia indefinitely as an Australian permanent resident
apply for Australian citizenship (if you are eligible)
travel to and from Australia as a permanent resident for five years from the date the visa is granted - after that time you will need to apply for another visa if you want to return to Australia.

Eligibility:

You might be eligible for this visa if:

your (and your partner's) only near relatives live in Australia
an eligible near relative or their partner will sponsor you and all family members included as applicants in your application
you have someone who will provide an assurance of support
you and your family members meet health and character requirements.

Processing times:

75 per cent of applications processed in 7 months
90 per cent of applications processed in 12 months