Carer Visa for Applicants
Stay
Permanently
Cost
From AUD2,055.00
Processing times
For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.
For more information, see Other Family Visa Queue
With this visa you can
- move to or stay in Australia as a permanent resident
- work and study in Australia
- travel to and from Australia for 5 years
See all conditions
Check your eligibility
You must
- be outside Australia when you apply and when we decide your application
- be sponsored by your relative or their partner for your first 2 years in Australia
- provide care for a relative, or a member of their family who lives with them, who has no reasonable access to care options in Australia.
Help with your visa
If you are getting help with your visa, before you pay someone, read information on who can help with your visa application.
With this visa you can
- stay in Australia indefinitely
- work and study in Australia
- enrol in Australia's public health care scheme, Medicare
- sponsor your relatives to come to Australia
- travel to and from Australia for 5 years
- apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible
This visa lets you come to or stay in Australia to provide care to someone with a long-term medical condition who does not have reasonable access to care options in Australia. The person you care for must be your Australian relative who needs care, or your relative's family member who needs care and lives with them.
Travel to and from Australia for 5 years
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date we grant this visa. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.
If you want to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility:
- you will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV) so that you can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident
- you might also want to consider Australian citizenship. If you become an Australian citizen, you don't require a visa to enter Australia. You will need to apply for an Australian passport and use it to leave and re-enter Australia. See more about eligibility requirements and current processing times for Australian citizenship
To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.
How long you can stay
This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.
For citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on the day you enter Australia on the visa.
Include family
You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply.
Family members who apply for the visa must meet our health and character requirements.
Cost
This visa costs from AUD2,055.00 for the main applicant. There is also a charge for each family member who applies with you.
You pay for this visa in 2 parts called instalments.
Pay the first instalment when you apply. Pay the second instalment when we ask you to.
You might also have to pay other costs for each applicant for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
Use the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out what your visa will cost. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs.
We might consider reducing your second instalment to nil if you can show us that paying the second instalment is likely to cause you or the person you are caring for severe financial hardship.
We will not reduce the second instalment for anyone applying for the visa with you.
Send your request to us in writing.
Apply from
You must be outside Australia when you apply and when we decide your application.
Processing times
The demand for Other Family visas is greater than the number of places available each year. As a result, processing times for these applications can be lengthy.
For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.
Your application might take longer to process if:
- you do not fill it in correctly
- you do not include all the documents we need or we need more information from you and/or
- your information takes longer than usual to verify.
We can't process your application if you don't pay the correct visa application charge. We will notify you if this is the case and if necessary return your application.
Applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing.
Learn more about the Other Family Visa queues and processing priorities.
The Reports on Migration Programs have further information on Migration Program outcomes against planning for each migration program year.
Your obligations
You must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter. The first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant.
You and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.
See what conditions might be attached to this visa on our visa conditions page.
Travel
You can travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date we grant the visa. After 5 years you will need a Resident Return (RRV) visa (subclass 155 or subclass 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Visa label
We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
Be a carer
Among other things, you must be willing and able to provide ongoing substantial care and support for your sponsoring relative or the family member who lives with them.
To show this, you should fully understand your sponsor's medical condition and what their care needs are.
Have a sponsor
You must be sponsored by an eligible sponsor.
We must approve the sponsorship.
Meet the health requirement
You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement.
Family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet our health requirement.
Meet the character requirement
You, and family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa with you, must meet our character requirement.
We might also ask that other family members meet the requirement.
Have paid back your debt to the Australian Government
If you or any family members (including those who don't 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. .
Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
We will consider your immigration history when we make a decision on your application, which means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.
In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused, see Limitations on applications in Australia (129KB PDF).
If applying for a visa from outside Australia, see Can I go to Australia.
If you want immigration assistance, see Who can help with your visa application.
Sign the Australian values statement
If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
- have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia
- sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
Best interests of the child
We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Step 1
Before you apply
Check your passport. If you need help with your application, get someone to act on your behalf.
Get help with your application
Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be:
- a registered migration agent
- a legal practitioner, or
- an exempt person.
You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter.
Organise a Bupa medical certificate
Your relative or their family member must be assessed by and get a medical certificate from Bupa Medical Visa Services. The certificate must include a statement that the person has a medical condition and requires a certain amount of care for this.
We won't accept the visa application unless we have evidence this process has at least begun.
Step 2
Gather your documents
Provide evidence to support your application.
Provide accurate documents
Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide true information.
Identity documents
We need proof of your identity. If you cannot prove your identity:
- we will refuse your visa application
- we might not grant you another visa for 10 years
- we might not grant any family members you listed on your application a visa for 10 years
Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.
Also provide:
- a national identity card, if you have one
- proof of change of name
Documents that prove a change of name include:
- a marriage or divorce certificate
- change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
- documents that show other names you have been known by
Bupa medical certificate
Provide a medical certificate from Bupa Medical Visa Services that includes a statement that your relative or their family member has a medical condition that requires care.
If you have begun the assessment process but have not yet been assessed, give us a letter from Bupa Medical Visa Services confirming this. Send us the medical certificate as soon as you receive it.
You must also give us written evidence that your Australian relative or their family member does not have reasonable access to care options in Australia.
Character documents
Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to. Learn more about police certificates.
Tell us you are getting help
To nominate someone to:
- receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
- provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).
Send written notification or your forms with your paper application.
Dependants under 18 documents
For every dependent under 18 years old who is applying with you, provide:
- identity documents
- proof of your relationship with them, like a birth or marriage certificate
- character documents, if applicable
Parental responsibility documents
You must get consent for any applicant under 18 years of age to migrate to Australia from anyone who:
- has a legal right to decide where the child lives and
- is not coming to Australia with the child.
They must complete either:
- Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (276KB PDF)
- a statutory declaration giving their consent for the child to migrate to Australia on this visa
Include an identity document that shows the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or drivers licence.
Alternatively, you can show us:
- an Australian court order that allows your child to migrate to Australia, or
- that the laws of the child's home country allow them to leave their home country
Dependants over 18 documents
include your child who is over 18 in your visa application, they must be
- over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner, or
- over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner
If your child is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you will need to provide evidence they are dependent on you due to disability.
Provide:
- identity documents
- documents about their other relationships, if applicable
- character documents
You must also provide proof the child is dependent on you.
- proof of your relationship with the dependent such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
- a completed a completed Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over (307KB PDF)
- Proof of financial dependency such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts
- If the child is aged 23 or is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you must also provide a report from a qualified medical practitioner that states they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions
Partner documents
Provide:
- identity documents
- character documents
- documents about former relationships, if applicable
Provide either:
- your current marriage certificate, or
- proof you have been in a de facto relationship with your partner for at least 12 months before you apply, except in limited circumstances
Documents that prove your de facto relationship could include:
- joint bank account statements
- billing accounts in joint names
- joint leases or mortgages
- documents that show your partner lives or has lived at the same address as you
Photographs
Provide 4 recent passport-size photos (45mm x 35mm) of anyone included in the application.
Photographs must be:
- passport-size (45mm x 35mm)
- less than 6 months old
- good quality colour. We don't accept laser copies
- a full-face view of your head and shoulders
- taken against a plain light-coloured background
You can wear untinted prescription glasses. If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, you can show only your face.
Prepare your documents
Translate
Have all non-English documents translated into English.
Provide original copies and translated documents in your application.
Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.
Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. But on each translation, they must include their:
- full name
- address and telephone number
- qualifications and experience in the language they are translating
These details must be in English.
Certify
Do not certify police certificates. You need to send us the originals.
Have all other documents certified copy. This includes:
- non-English documents
- English translations
Keep
Keep a copy of your completed application.
Send
Send us:
- original police certificates
- certified copies of all other documents
- as much information as possible to help us decide on your application
- each document only once, even if you are using it to show more than one thing
- all documents with your application, if you can
Step 3
Apply for the visa
You must apply for the visa on paper. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when we make a decision.
Provide accurate information
Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide true information.
Apply on paper
Submit:
- completed Form 47OF Application for migration to Australia by other family members (615KB PDF)
- your documents
- your sponsor's form with other documents
The forms must be completed in English.
Pay the application before it is submitted using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount. Include evidence the application is paid for with your application. For other payment options see how to pay.
Send the application by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address on the form. Include all required documents and forms with your application.
If any of the above steps are incomplete, your application may be invalid. We do not process invalid applications. We will notify you if this is the case, and if requested, return your application.
Do not send original documents with your application, only send certified copies. Keep a copy of your completed application for your own records, including any supporting documents.
Step 4
After you apply
We will let you know when we have received your application. There are other things you need to know and might have to do.
If you did not give us the Bupa medical certificate when you applied, you should give it to us within 3 months of applying. If we don't have the medical certificate by the time we decide on your application, we will not grant you the visa.
Status updates
We can't provide you with updates on your application's progress within normal processing times. We will let you know if you need to provide anything further.
Travel
Do not arrange to travel to Australia until we let you know, in writing, that we have granted you the visa.
You must be outside Australia when we decide on your application.
Health exams
We will let you know if you need health examinations.
Biometrics
We might ask for biometrics. We will let you know if your adopted child needs to provide them.
Send more information
If you did not send us all documents when you applied, send them to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address on the form.
Provide the Bupa Medical Visa Services medical certificate as soon as you receive it.
We might also ask you to provide more information.
Pay the second instalment
Pay the second instalment when we tell you to. We will send you an invoice for the instalment after you have met all other requirements for the visa.
You must pay the second instalment or we won't grant the visa.
We might consider reducing your second instalment to nil if you can show us it is likely to cause you or the person you are caring for severe financial hardship.
We will not reduce the second instalment for anyone applying for the visa with you.
Send us a request in writing.
Mistakes on your application
Let us know as soon as you can.
Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF).
Help with your application
Let us know if you no longer want someone to:
- receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
- provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).
Send written notification or your forms to the office your submitted your application.
For more information see Who can help you with your application.
Tell us if things change
Things you need to let us know about after you have applied include:
- changes to your phone number, address or passport
- changes to your marital or de facto status
- the birth of a child
See how to tell us if your situation changes.
Step 5
Visa outcome
You must be outside Australia when we decide on your application. We will let you know our decision in writing.
We will let you know:
- your visa grant number
- the date your visa starts
- the date you must enter Australia by
- your visa conditions
Keep a copy of our decision.
If we refuse your visa we will let you know in writing. We will tell you:
- why we refused the visa
- whether you have a right to a review of the decision
We will not refund the application fee if we refuse your application.
Coming to Australia
Before you travel
Check your travel documents
You must have:
- a valid visa to enter Australia
- a valid passport or other travel document.
Arrive before first entry arrival date
You must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter.
If your visa is still valid and the date specified in your visa grant letter has passed or will pass before you can travel to Australia, you must ensure that:
- you plan to travel to Australia within the next 12 months
- you submit the travel facilitation letter request form.
We may then send you a travel facilitation letter. This will state that we allow you to enter Australia after the first entry arrival date of your visa.
We will not issue a travel facilitation letter unless there is less than 3 months remaining on your first entry arrival date.
At the border
Complete an Incoming Passenger Card
All people arriving into Australia must complete the Incoming Passenger Card.
Using the SmartGate
We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport using the SmartGate.
In Australia
What you must do on your visa
You and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.
You can check visa details and conditions in VEVO.
Tell us if things change
See what to do if your situation changes.
What you can do on your visa
Check your visa conditions and expiry
See your visa expiry, conditions and work and study entitlements in VEVO.
See how long you can stay
This is a permanent visa. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.
You become a permanent resident on the day we grant the visa.
For citizenship purposes, your permanent residency starts on the day you enter Australia on this visa.
Access Australian Government benefits
As a newly arrived resident, you may have to wait before you are able to access certain Australian Government payments and benefits. Learn more about newly arrived residents’ waiting period from Services Australia.
Travel to and from Australia for 5 years
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date we grant this visa. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.
If you want to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility:
- you will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV) so that you can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident
- you might also want to consider Australian citizenship. If you become an Australian citizen, you don't require a visa to enter Australia. You will need to apply for an Australian passport and use it to leave and re-enter Australia. See more about eligibility requirements and current processing times for Australian citizenship
To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.
New Zealand passport holders
If an immigration officer processes your clearance at our border, we recommend you tell them:
- you have a Carer visa (subclass 116)
- you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444)
If you do not tell them, you might be granted the subclass 444 visa. Grant of a subclass 444 visa might affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship.
Proving you have a visa
To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.
Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.
Working
With this visa you become a permanent resident. This means you can work and study. You are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements.
Bringing a family member
As an Australian permanent resident, you might be able to sponsor eligible family members to come to Australia.
To find a visa for your family member, explore visa options.
Becoming an Australian citizen
After a certain time, you might be eligible for Australian citizenship. Find out more about becoming a citizen.
For citizenship purposes, your permanent residency starts on the day you entered Australia on this visa.
Leaving Australia
Before you leave
Check your travel documents
You must have:
- a valid visa to enter Australia
- a valid passport or other travel document
At the border
Leaving the airport faster
We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.
After you leave
Proving you have been to Australia
To prove you have been to Australia, request your international movement records by completing request for international movement records.