Australia Family Visas

Australia provides several family immigration services and family visas though which the immediate relatives of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or qualifying New Zealand citizen may immigrate to Australia. Clients who opt to relocate to Australia based upon family connections may live and work in Australia upon arrival in most cases and may apply for permanent residency once they have met the minimum residency requirements.

You can take the first step toward a new life in Australia now by contacting Global Visas. The quickest way to set your application in motion is to visit the online assessment area and complete one of our enquiry forms.

Australian Immigration – Spouse and Partner Visas

Australian Spouse Visa

The spouse of a sponsoring citizen or permanent resident may immigrate to Australia via the Australian spouse visa, sometimes referred to as an Australian marriage visa. The spouse visa is based upon the duration of the marriage and the important aspect of cohabitation. The parties must be living together and must intend to continue to do so once in Australia. A grant of permanent residency may be sought if, after the two year initial grant, the marriage continues to be in place.

Australian De Facto Visa

The De Facto visa or unmarried partner visa follows the same principles as the marriage visa and is issued for the same initial period of two years. Where a marriage visa requires proof of the union, a De Facto visa requires candidates to show that they are in a "genuine, continuing de facto relationship" which must be at least 12 months old at the time of the application.

Australian Prospective Marriage Visa

This visa class, often referred to as the Australian fiancé visa is issued for the sole purpose of marrying once in Australia. The prospective marriage visa is issued for a nine month duration and the applicant and sponsor must marry within this period. Once the marriage has taken place a spouse visa will be granted.

Australian Family Visas

In addition to the visas which cater for the spouse or partner of a qualifying sponsor, other family relatives may also be sponsored to live and work in Australia on a permanent basis.

Contributory Parent Visa

The Contributory Parent Visa, based on the ‘balance of family test’ allows an overseas relative, with a sponsor in place to immigrate to Australia. The applicant must have an equal or greater number of children residing in Australia than anywhere else. The ‘balance of family test’ applies to both the applicant and their spouse and in addition a contributory sum must be paid to the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA). At present this sum stands as AUS $31,555 for each adult and AUS $1,365 for each dependant under 18 years old. The main applicant will also need to submit a 10 year refundable bond of AUS $10,000 and AUS $ 4,000 for their partner.

Last Remaining Relative Visa

Applicants with no close living relatives outside Australia whose spouse also has no relatives in any other country may apply for the last remaining relative visa. The Australian immigration service applies to applicants who are related to their sponsor as a sibling, child or stepchild and by its nature, a sponsor may only participate in this visa once, although a family unit may be classed as a last remaining relative.

Australian Child Visa

Children in full time education and under the age of 25 may relocate to Australia through a child visa if they are sponsored by a parent with citizenship or permanent residency. Under this visa for Australia, candidates may not be married nor may they be in a common law relationship.

Australian Designated Area Sponsored Visa

The Australian Designated Area Sponsored Visa allows a client to relocate to Australia based on both their skills and experience and family sponsorship. A candidate must be sponsored by a relative in a designated area of Australia and will initially be issued with a three year grant to live and work in Australia. Many of the requirements of this visa class are similar to those of Australian business visas and work visas focussing upon tertiary education, experience, and crucially an occupation which appears on the Skilled Occupations List.

Health and Character

All candidates applying to live and work in Australia on a long term or permanent basis must undergo the strict health and character requirements of Australian immigration law. Candidates’ health must be assessed by an accredited and approved Australian doctor which will include a chest x-ray. It will also be necessary to submit police checks for all countries in which the applicant has lived for more than one year during the decade before applying.

As specialists in Australian immigration and visa services Global visas can obtain the full range of Australian immigration services from short term tourist visas through to work permits, business visas and applications for Australian citizenship. Visit the online assessment area today to begin your Australian visa application.