Sponsored Family Visa

Visa Conditions

As the visa applicant, you must,

• have a sponsor
• intend to come to Australia as a visitor only
• not work in Australia

Visa Eligibility

• You must be outside Australia when you apply and when a decision is made on your application.
• You must be a genuine visitor.
  • You must intend to:
    • stay only temporarily in Australia
    • do only the things the visa allows you to do
• You must have, or have access to, enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia.
• You must have a sponsor. Your sponsor can be either:
  • a family member in Australia
  • an Australian government official
  • If a family member wants to support you without becoming a sponsor, you can apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream. Provide a letter of invitation from your family member with your application.
• It is recommended you take out health insurance to cover any unforeseen medical treatment you might need in Australia. You are personally liable for all your healthcare costs while you are in Australia.
• You must meet all the health and character requirements
• You must not have any debt to pay to the Australian government. If you or any family members (including those who do not apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.
• If you are 18 years of age or older, you must: have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia AND confirm you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws when you sign an Australian Values Statement
• It must be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

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

Visa Benefits

• visit family or friends
• be here as a tourist, for a cruise or any purpose except business or medical treatment

You can study or train for up to 3 months in total on this visa. But if your main reason for travelling to Australia is studying, a student visa might be more appropriate. Consult with our certified education agents to explore your visa options.

Notes to Sponsors

• You can only sponsor one visa applicant at a time.
• Your sponsorship covers the applicant for the subclass 600 visa. Your sponsorship lasts as long as the visitor visa.
• There is no application fee to become a sponsor. You might be asked for a security bond.
• As a sponsor, you are responsible for ensuring:
  • the visitor complies with their visa conditions
  • the visitor complies with Australian employment laws and awards
  • you repay any money your visitor owes the Australian government

Eligibility requirements to become a Sponsor:

• You must be suitable to sponsor the visa applicant.
  • To become a sponsor, you must be a relative of:
    • the visa applicant or
    • another applicant, where the other applicant is a member of the family unit of the visa applicant. For example, you could be the uncle of the main visa applicant’s spouse
    • another applicant, where the visa applicant is a member of that other applicant’s family unit
• To be a relative, you must be an applicant’s partner, parent or child; brother or sister; grandparent or grandchild; aunt or uncle; niece or nephew; the step equivalent of the above.
• A sponsor can’t be a fiancé, in-law, cousin, friend, New Zealand citizen.
• You can also sponsor a visa applicant if you are:
  • a member of an Australian parliament
  • a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory
  • a mayor
  • a government agency or instrumentality of the Commonwealth or a State or a Territory
• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must be a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident. Usually, you must have lived in Australia for the last 2 years.
• You must be able to pay a security bond if we ask for one.
  • Bonds:
    • are usually between AUD 5,000 and AUD 15,000 per person (but we can ask for any amount)
    • must be paid in full before we make a final decision on the visa application
    • will be refunded if your visitor complies with their visa conditions and leaves Australia before their visa expires
• You won’t be able to sponsor someone for this visa if:
  • you currently sponsor a visitor who was granted a subclass 600 visa, and the new applicant is not part of the members of the family unit of the visitor you are already sponsoring or is travelling to Australia for a different purpose
  • In the last 5 years, you sponsored someone who was granted a subclass 600 visa or a Sponsored (Visitor) (Class UL) visa which has now ceased and who did not abide by the conditions of their visa. However, an exception can be made if the previous visitor breached condition 8531 after they entered Australia due to circumstances beyond their control

General Notes

• This is a temporary visa. You can stay for the period or dates specified on the visa grant letter. Generally, DOHA grants this visa with only one entry permitted. This means that after you leave Australia you need to apply for another visa before you can return.
  • However, be sure to check the entry conditions in your visa grant letter. If you are granted the visa with multiple entries, you can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
• You can’t apply for a new visa because your visa will have condition 8503, no further stay. In limited circumstances, you might be able to request a waiver of the no further stay condition. You must not breach condition 8531, must not remain in Australia beyond the entries period, if it is applied to your visa.
• You can’t include family members in your application. A separate application must be made for each member of your family, including those listed on your passport.