How to Bring a Partner or Child to Australia: Visa Options

As an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you may want to know how to bring a partner and child to Australia to live with you. The visa options introduced here will allow your partner and child to apply for permanent residence.

Learn how to bring a partner or child to Australia: visa options.

These are the visa options for you to sponsor your spouse or child to Australia:

• The partners, children, parents or dependent family members of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizens
• Children living outside Australia who will be adopted by an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Carers who need to move to Australia to provide long-term care for an approved relative

Before planning any sponsoring, though, we recommend that you check if your child is eligible to apply for Australian citizenship by descent.

To be eligible for sponsorship for any partner visa, you must meet the following basic requirements:

• You must be in a genuine relationship with your spouse or de facto partner.
• Your sponsor could be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand Citizen.

Subclass 309 Partner (Provisional) and Subclass 100 Partner (Migrant) Visas

While you must live outside Australia at the time of your Subclass 309 visa application, you must apply for both visas at the same time.

If the Department of Home Affairs approves your application for Subclass 309 Visa, you may live in Australia temporarily until the Australia Department of Home Affairs approves your Subclass 100 visa application or if your sponsor withdraws it.

Subclass 820 Partner (Temporary) and Subclass 801 Partner (Permanent) Visas

You must live in Australia when you apply, and you must apply for both visas at the same time.

If the Department of Home Affairs approves your application for Subclass 820 Visa, you may live in Australia until the Department of Home Affairs decides on your Subclass 801 visa application.

Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa

You must live outside Australia when you apply for the Subclass 300 visa, which is a temporary visa. This visa would allow you to stay in Australia for nine months after the Department of Home Affairs approves your visa application.

After you marry your prospective spouse or fiancé(e), you then apply for a Partner visa.

Subclass 101 Child Visa

Subclass 101 visa is a permanent visa that will allow your child to move to Australia to live with you. Your child must live outside Australia when you lodge the Subclass 101 Child visa application and when the Department of Home Affairs decides on it.

For the department to consider your child as your dependent, you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. Your child must also be single. She or he may be:

• Under 18 years, or
• Financially dependent on either parent if she or he is older than 18 but younger than 25, or
• Your child cannot work because of a disability.

Subclass 445 Dependent Child Visa

This visa will allow your dependent child to live with you in Australia temporarily while the Department of Home Affairs decides on your permanent visa application.

Regardless of the temporary nature of the visa, your child can:

• Travel to and from Australia
• Work and study in Australia

Subclass 802 Child Visa

This visa will allow your dependent child to live with you in Australia permanently. Your child must live in Australia at the time you apply for the visa.

Subclass 102 Adoption Visa

This visa lets children who you adopted outside Australia or whose adoption you are processing live in Australia permanently with you as the adoptive parent.

If your children can no longer be considered your dependent, they may want to study in Australia.