Australian Visa: Children under 18 years of age

Children under the age of 18 are eligible to file their own Australian visa application. However, being minors, there are certain requirements that must be completed for these applicants. An example of Australia visa that allows this is the student visa.

If a child is traveling along or only with one parent or legal guardian, he or she may be asked to provide a consent form signed by non-accompanying parent. Evidence to confirm family relationship or guardianship must be provided along with the consent form. An example would be the child's full birth certificate stating the names of both parents.

Furthermore, declaration of acceptable support and accommodation arrangements in Australia must be provided. The child may live in Australia with a parent or a legal custodian or a relative who is at least 21 years old and is nominated by the parents or legal custodian.

For nominated relatives, the person must be able to provide the child with accommodation, support and general welfare needs. The nominated person must also remain in Australia while the child is in the country. The relative must be one of the following: brother or sister, step-brother or step-sister, step-father or step-mother, grandparent, step-grandparent, aunt, uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle, niece, nephew, step-niece or step-nephew or spouse. Additionally, the nominated relative may be asked to provide character and penal clearance as part of the child's Australian visa application.

The child may also temporarily reside in Australia under a welfare arrangement that has been approved the declared education provider. For this, a signed statement from the provider must be attached with the visa application. This document is called the Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation / Welfare Arrangements (CAAW). This should confirm the start and end dates of the welfare arrangements. The Australian visa end date usually corresponds the welfare dates provided in this document.

If no carer is available for the child, some visas for Australia also allow the inclusion of a relative to bring to Australia as a guardian. An example of this is a student guardian visa.

Consistent welfare arrangements are crucial to maintaining a valid Australian visa for a child under 18 years of age. If inadequate welfare arrangements happen anytime during the visa's validity period, the visa for Australia may be cancelled. Changes to welfare arrangements are acceptable, but the visa holder must secure a written approval for any changes. The approval may come from either the parents or legal custodian or the education provider.

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Dylan Lautner
http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/