Sponsor a family member to Australia: who can sponsor which relative

Whether you can sponsor a family member to Australia depends on the visa: parent, child, relative and visitor routes have different relationship and sponsor requirements.

For broader routing, see Australian family visas. Sponsoring a visitor is different from supporting a Tourist stream application with an invitation letter.

The Sponsored Family stream excludes cousins, in-laws and friends as sponsors, but has a narrow exception involving a sponsor who is a relative of another applicant in the applicant’s family unit. That exception means cousin and in-law exclusions should not be treated as absolute.

Who can you sponsor?

Compare parent visas for Australia separately from temporary options for parents visiting Australia. Child 101 is permanent and requires dependency on a qualifying parent; the subclass 802 child visa page provides child-route information.

For partners, use the Home Affairs family visa finder.

Can you sponsor your brother or sister?

A brother or sister may qualify through Remaining Relative sponsorship, but sibling status alone is insufficient. The applicant must be the remaining relative of the sponsor or the sponsor’s partner.

Home Affairs does not grant subclass 115 if the applicant or their partner has a near relative usually living outside Australia, or living in Australia unlawfully or on a temporary visa without being an eligible New Zealand citizen. The Remaining Relative 115 requirements also restrict previous visa and sponsorship history.

See sibling visa Australia, the broader visa for relatives options and who counts as family for a visa. Subclass 115 requires the applicant to be outside Australia at application and decision; subclass 835 requires them to be inside Australia.

Can you sponsor a cousin, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew?

For Sponsored Family visitors, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and their step-equivalents are listed relationships. Cousins are excluded, subject to the narrow family-unit exception described above.

An eligible aunt or uncle can sponsor an Orphan Relative 117 applicant. The child must be under 18 when applying and have no parent able to care for them because their parents are deceased, permanently incapable or cannot be found; unwillingness alone does not qualify.

The family-sponsored 491 visa is a separate topic; the Visitor 600 relationship list should not be used to assign eligibility for it.

Who can be a sponsor: settled citizen, permanent resident, eligible NZ citizen, age 18 or over

Sponsor qualifications are visa-specific, not a universal formula.

• Remaining Relative 115 and Aged Dependent Relative 114: the sponsor or their partner must be settled in Australia, aged at least 18, and an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
• Sponsored Family visitor: the sponsor must be a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident, aged at least 18, and usually have lived in Australia for the last 2 years.
• Sponsored Parent 870: a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen sponsor must have been usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years.

For Remaining Relative sponsorship, neither the sponsor nor their partner can previously have held, or sponsored someone granted, subclass 115, 835, 104 or 806.

What a sponsor promises: support and accommodation for the first 2 years

The support period and accommodation duties depend on the visa; accommodation is not a universal two-year obligation.

Remaining Relative applicants must obtain an assurance of support for a family visa.

Sponsoring a visitor versus inviting one

The Home Affairs visitor sponsorship guidance explains both options. See the sponsored family visitor visa page for stream-specific detail.

When sponsorship is refused: registrable offences and the protection of children

For Child 101, Home Affairs refuses the sponsorship and visa application if the sponsor or their spouse or de facto partner has a pending registrable offence charge. A registrable offence conviction allows approval only in very limited circumstances under the Child 101 sponsorship requirements.

For a child under 18, written consent from everyone legally entitled to decide where the child lives is also required.

Before you lodge

For legal assistance, see parent visa lawyer.

An application prepared by an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed because relationship definitions, applicant location requirements and sponsorship history can determine eligibility. An Australian migration lawyer can check these criteria before lodging; enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers.