Remaining Relative Visa: Join Your Family

This visa is suitable for people with all or most relatives settled in Australia. To complete your Australian visa application, you would need to be sponsored by an eligible relative. That may be your brother, sister, parent (step-parents are included), or relative's eligible spouse who are already Australian citizens, permanent residents or are eligible New Zealand citizens.

The benefits for this family visa is similar to those of Australian parent visas, you will be able to work and study in Australia. You will also be eligible to receive subsidised healthcare in the form of Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. After the recommended amount of waiting period, you may gain access to social security payments. And when you've reached eligibility criteria for residency, you may become eligible for Australian citizenship or to sponsor for permanent residence.

When lodging your application for this visa for Australia, it is also important that you prepare to have an Assurer of Support, this person or organisation must be able to provide you with an Assurance of Support in writing. You will only be required to provide this document if it is requested after you file your Australian visa application.

This Australia visa may be applied for whether you are onshore or offshore. Offshore visa belongs to Subclass 115. While Subclass 835 covers onshore applicants.

The key concept for this visa is the location and residency of majority of your relatives and near relatives. Your only near relatives should usually be residents in Australia and are Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand residents.