CHILD VISA AUSTRALIA
WHEN DOES A CHILD NEED AN AUSTRALIAN VISA?
The information on this page is about child visa or adoption visa options for people who want to bring a child to live permanently in Australia.
CHILD VISA OPTIONS
A child might be eligible for a child visa if they are:
- Under 18 years of age, and
- Single (not married, engaged to be married, or in a de facto relationship)
In certain circumstances, a person over 18 years of age might be considered as a child. These circumstances are described in the child visa options below.
CHILD (PERMANENT) (SUBCLASS 802)
Visa options for a child inside Australia
Scenario 1: A child’s parent or their parent’s partner sponsors them to live in Australia as a permanent resident.
Visa option: Child (Permanent) (Subclass 802)
To apply for a Child (Permanent) (Subclass 802), a child must be:
- inside Australia when applying for the visa
- sponsored by their parent or their parent’s partner.
If a child is 18 years or older, they must be single and either:
- a full-time student between 18 and 25 years of age and financially dependent on the sponsoring parent, or
- unable to work due to disability.
A child might also be able to apply for this visa if they were adopted after their parent became an Australian citizen, holder of a permanent visa or eligible New Zealand citizen. There are additional requirements that must be met for adopted children.
ORPHAN RELATIVE (PERMANENT) (SUBCLASS 837)
Scenario 2: A relative sponsors an orphaned child to live in Australia as a permanent resident.
Visa option: Orphan Relative (Permanent) (Subclass 837)
To apply for an Orphan Relative (Permanent) (Subclass 837) a child must be:
- inside Australia when applying for the visa
- sponsored by a relative (a brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or step-equivalent) who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- unable to be cared for by their parents because they are both either missing, dead or permanently incapacitated
- under 18 years of age when applying for the visa.
CHILD (PERMANENT) (SUBCLASS 101)
Visa options for a child outside Australia
Scenario 3: A child’s parent or their parent’s partner sponsors them to live in Australia as a permanent resident.
Visa option: Child (Permanent) (Subclass 101)
To apply for a Child (Permanent) (Subclass 101) visa, the child must be:
- outside Australia when applying for the visa
- sponsored by their parent or their parent’s partner.
If a child is 18 years or older, they must be single and either:
- a full-time student between 18 and 25 years of age and financially dependent on the sponsoring parent; or
- unable to work due to disability.
ORPHAN RELATIVE (PERMANENT) (SUBCLASS 117)
Scenario 4: A relative sponsors an orphaned child to live in Australia as a permanent resident.
Visa option: Orphan Relative (Permanent) (Subclass 117)
To apply for an Orphan Relative (Permanent) (Subclass 117) visa, the child must be:
- outside Australia when applying for the visa
- the relative of a person who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- sponsored by a relative (a brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or step-equivalent) who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- unable to be cared for by their parents because they are both either missing, dead or permanently incapacitated
- under 18 years of age when applying for the visa.
DEPENDENT CHILD VISA (SUBCLASS 445)
Visa options for a child inside or outside Australia
Scenario 6: A child’s parent holds a temporary partner visa, and the child was not included in the temporary partner visa application.
Visa option: Dependent Child Visa (Subclass 445)
To apply for a Dependent Child Visa (Subclass 445), a child must be:
- either inside or outside Australia when applying for the visa
- a dependent child of a parent who holds a Partner Provisional visa (subclass 309), Interdependency visa (subclass 310), Dependent Child visa (subclass 445), Partner visa (subclass 820) or Interdependency visa (subclass 826)
- sponsored by the same person sponsoring their parent (with limited exceptions).
If a child is 18 years or older, they must be:
- financially dependent on the parent holding the temporary partner visa, or
- unable to work due to disability.
WHO CAN BE A SPONSOR?
A sponsor must be:
- older than 18 years of age.
And one of the following:
- an Australian citizen, or
- an Australian permanent resident or the holder of a permanent visa, or
- an eligible New Zealand citizen.
