For people travelling to Australia to visit family. Applicants for this visa must be sponsored by an eligible relative who lives in Australia.
Applicant Requirements
As the visa applicant, you must:
- be sponsored by an eligible relative in Australia (see below)
- genuinely intend to visit family in Australia
- have access to sufficient funds to cover your costs whilst you are in Australia
- meet the relevant health and character criteria (this could include a requirement to obtain health insurance for the period of your stay in Australia)
Sponsor Requirements
The person sponsoring your visit to Australia must:
- be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- be at least 18 years old
- have been settled in Australia for a reasonable length of time (usually at least 2 years)
- be a close family member i.e. a spouse/de facto partner, or a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew (or any of the ‘step’ or adopted equivalents of those relations)
NOTE: In certain cases, an application for this visa MAY instead be sponsored by a Member of Parliament, or an authorised person representing a government department or instrumentality, or a local government mayor.
- NOT be the sponsor of another visitor whose visa is still valid (unless that person is a member of your family, and you have the same reason for travelling to Australia), and NOT have within the last 5 years sponsored a visitor who breached his/her visa conditions
| SECURITY BOND IF REQUIRED, your sponsor must also pay a security bond (usually between A$5000 and A$15,000). This will be refunded to your sponsor provided you comply with your visa conditions and leave Australia before your visa expires |
APPLICATION PROCESS
Once you have provided the required information and supporting documents, we will prepare and lodge your visa application with the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA). The main criterion is that you meet the requirements referred to above. You must be outside Australia both when your application is lodged, and when your visa is granted.
APPLICATION FEE
AUD 195. The department might ask your sponsor to pay a security bond.（Update date：2024.07）
PROCESSING TIME
- 50% of applications: 17 Days
- 90% of applications: 28 Days
（Update date：2024.07）
CHECKLIST
The Department of Home Affairs has a ‘step by step’ guide, which refers to the documents you need for your application. You can find this checklist under Gather Your Documents on their webpage.
Visa Validity Period
Should your application be approved, you will be granted a temporary visa, allowing you to travel to Australia on a short-term basis. Depending upon your particular circumstances, you will be granted either a single entry visa (allowing you to enter Australia once, for a specified length of time) or multiple entry visa (allowing you to enter Australia multiple times for short periods whilst your visa is valid e.g. stays of up to 3 months at a time over a 12-month period).
Visa Conditions
There are several conditions that apply to Visitor visas. In particular, visa holders MUST NOT:
- work or provide services to any business/organisation in Australia, or sell goods or services to the public whilst in Australia (unpaid genuine volunteer work MAY be permitted)
- study for more than three months in Australia
Other conditions may also be imposed by the DOHA in certain cases, including the requirement that the visa holder not apply for any further visas whilst in Australia.
PLEASE NOTE: The actual time taken by the DOHA to approve an application and grant a visa varies from case to case depending upon your particular circumstances. Each application is unique and the processing time may differ based on your country of origin and even the DOHA case officer assigned to your application.
