If you are the fiance, partner, child, parent or other family member of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, you might be eligible to apply for a permanent Australian visa.
PARTNER CATEGORY
Partners and fiancés of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens may apply to enter and/or remain permanently in Australia. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship considers the following classes of people eligible to apply under the partner category:
- People eligible to apply for Australian partner visas:
- people intending to get married (fiancés)
- married (de jure) partners
- de facto partners (including those in a same sex relationship).
Under Australia’s Humanitarian Program – Split Family Provisions, the partners of people granted any permanent humanitarian visa ( in the last five years and declared at the time of application may also be eligible for entry to Australia.
PARENT CATEGORY
Parents of Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens who pass the balance of family test may be eligible for an Australian visa under the parent category.
There are six types of parent visa, which fall into two main categories:
- Parent
- Contributory Parent
Contributory parents are far more expensive than parent visas, but are processed much faster – approximately two years, as opposed to almost twenty years.
Under Australia’s Humanitarian Program – Split Family Provisions, children in Australia who are under the age of 18 and have been granted any permanent visa in the last five years may be eligible to propose their parents for entry.
CHILDREN
Child visas are for natural, adopted and under certain circumstances, stepchildren of Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens.
Unless they are incapacitated for work, due to total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions, children must generally be under the age of 25 to be eligible to apply for a child visa.
If the child is aged 18 years or over, evidence of financial dependence on the sponsoring parent must be provided to support their application; and they must be enrolled – and actively participate – in full time study.
OTHER FAMILY VISAS
There are a range of other family-related visas that can be applied for onshore or offshore.
They include:
- remaining relative visas, for people to join their brothers, sisters or parents who are their only near relatives and usually resident in Australia
- aged dependent visas
- career visas
- New Zealand citizen family relationship
Further information on all of these visas can be found here, on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s website.
It’s important to understand that there is no automatic right of visa grant for any applicant; and your eligibility to apply for any of the visas above is based upon compliance with the complex and frequently amended criteria set by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.