Remaining Relative Visa (Subclass 835)

Visa Eligibility

• You must be sponsored by an eligible parent or step-parent, sibling or step-sibling, or an eligible partner of your relative. DOHA must approve the sponsorship.
• You or your partner must not have a near relative who usually lives outside Australia.
• You or your partner must not have a near relative who lives in Australia on a temporary visa (and are not an Eligible New Zealand citizen) or unlawfully. Temporary visas include bridging visas.
• 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.
• You must meet all the health and character requirements.
• You must not have any debt to pay to the Australian government.
• With under 18 applicants, it must be in the best interest of them.

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

Visa Benefits

• stay in Australia indefinitely
• work and study in Australia
• enrol in Australia’s public healthcare scheme, Medicare.
• sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
• if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship

Notes for Sponsors

• The applicant must be the remaining relative of you or your Partner.
• You or your partner must be settled in Australia, be 18 years of age or older and either an Australian citizen, or a Permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
• If you are the Partner of the remaining relative, you must live with the remaining relative.
• You and your Partner must never have held or sponsored someone else who was granted a Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835 or subclass 115) or Preferential Family visa (subclass 104) or Family visa (subclass 806).
• There is no cost to apply to sponsor a visa applicant, but you must agree to financially support the main visa applicant and their dependants for their first two years in Australia.
• Your sponsorship covers the main visa applicant and any family members who apply for the visa with them.
• You might be asked to provide an assurance of support for the visa applicant. An assurance of support is a legal commitment to repay the Australian Government any welfare payments made to a visa holder or their family members who come to Australia with them.

General Notes

• You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply. You can also add them to your application at any time before DOHA makes a decision.
• DOHA assess applications for this visa in 2 stages:
  • Check eligibility and either add the application to the queue or refuse it.
  • Continue assessing the application when a place becomes available and make a decision.

Visa Processing Time

The processing time for the visa subclass 835 can be up to at least 24 years.

To avoid unnecessary delays in your application, make sure to fill out your application form thoroughly and accurately. Submit all the necessary documentation and respond promptly to DOHA’s information requests.