Sponsor a family member to live in Australia. Registered migration agents in Brisbane explain every family visa option, from partner and parent to carer and child. Call us.
A family visa lets an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen sponsor a relative to live in Australia. It’s the part of the migration program built around family reunion, and it covers a lot of ground: partners, children, parents, and a handful of other relatives in specific situations. The right visa depends entirely on who you’re sponsoring and their circumstances. Our registered migration agents in Brisbane help families find the correct pathway and avoid the costly wrong turns.
This page is your starting point. It explains the main family visa options and links to the detailed page for each, so you can go straight to the one that fits.
Most family visas share the same basic shape. There’s an applicant, the relative who wants to live in Australia, and a sponsor, the Australian family member supporting them. The sponsor usually has to be a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. Depending on the visa, the sponsor may also need to meet income tests or give an assurance of support, which is a commitment that the applicant won’t rely on certain government payments for a period after arrival.
The applicant generally needs to meet the specific eligibility for their visa, plus health and character requirements. Some family visas are quick. Others sit in long, capped queues for years. Knowing which is which before you lodge is half the value of good advice.
If you’re sponsoring a husband, wife, or de facto partner, the partner visa is the main pathway. It’s a two-stage visa, temporary first and permanent later, and it turns on proving your relationship is genuine.
If you’re engaged rather than married or de facto, the prospective marriage visa (subclass 300) lets your fiance or fiancee come to Australia to marry, then apply for the partner visa onshore.
Bringing your mum or dad to Australia is done through the parent visa options. There are faster contributory versions that cost more, cheaper non-contributory versions with very long queues, and a temporary sponsored option for families who want time together without committing to the permanent-visa price or wait. The balance-of-family test decides who can apply, and it’s the first thing to check.
If you’re sponsoring a dependent or adopted child, the child visa covers biological, adopted and some step-children, with onshore and offshore versions. For a child adopted overseas through an intercountry process, the adoption visa is usually the right pathway, and it works alongside the state and territory adoption authorities.
Beyond partners, parents and children, there are a few narrower visas for particular family situations:
The carer visa, for someone coming to care for an Australian relative with a long-term medical condition. It turns on an independent medical assessment.
The aged dependent relative visa, for a single, older relative who has been financially dependent on an Australian family member.
The remaining relative visa, for a person whose close family all live in Australia and who has almost no near relatives left overseas.
These three are genuine reunion pathways, but they have strict eligibility and, in some cases, long waits. We’ll tell you honestly whether one fits before you commit years to a queue.
If you’re a permanent resident doing the sponsoring, it’s worth keeping your own status secure too. Permanent residency comes with a travel facility that expires, and a resident return visa renews it so you can travel and re-enter Australia. It’s easy to overlook while you’re focused on a relative’s application.
The honest answer is that it depends on the relationship and the person’s circumstances, and the wrong choice can cost a lot of money and time. A parent might be better served by a contributory parent visa than a long non-contributory queue. A fiancee might need the prospective marriage visa rather than a partner visa. Working that out with you is exactly what we do first.
We match the relative and their situation to the right family visa, not just the obvious one.
We check the tests that quietly rule people out, like the balance-of-family test or the carer care-availability rules.
We explain sponsorship duties, income tests and assurance of support before you commit.
We prepare the applicant’s and sponsor’s sides of the application, and manage bridging visas where needed.
We give you an honest view of costs and queues, so you plan around reality, not hope.
We keep your own permanent residency travel facility in mind if you’re the sponsor.
It’s a visa that lets an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen sponsor a relative to live in Australia. It covers partners, children, parents, and certain other relatives, each with its own rules.
Commonly a partner or fiance, a dependent or adopted child, or a parent. In specific situations you may also sponsor a carer, an aged dependent relative, or a remaining relative. Cousins, aunts, uncles and friends generally can’t be sponsored under these visas.
It varies. Partner and child visas often move faster than parent, carer, aged dependent relative and remaining relative visas, some of which have long capped queues. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe for the specific visa you need.
Some family visas have income requirements or an assurance of support, others don’t. It depends on the visa. We’ll tell you what applies to your situation before you plan around it.
It’s a commitment, often from the sponsor, that the applicant won’t rely on certain government payments for a set period after arrival. It can involve a financial bond. It applies to some family visas and not others.
Possibly, if you’re an eligible New Zealand citizen. This depends on your specific status, so let us confirm it before you make plans.
Yes. Most family visas have offshore versions, and we work with families remotely from start to finish, then through any onshore stage once your relative arrives.
