Fact Sheet 54 - Sponsored Family Visitor Visas

The Sponsored Family Visitor visa (also known as the subclass 679 visa) is intended to be used by people seeking to come to Australia to visit family. The Sponsored Family Visitor Visa requires formal sponsorship of a visa applicant by an Australian citizen or permanent resident. In some cases a security bond may be requested.

The formal sponsorship is a sponsor's undertaking to ensure that the visa holder will abide by their visa conditions and leave Australia at the end of their visit.

The imposition of a security bond is decided on a case by case basis. It is an added assurance that the visa holder will depart and is normally applied in those cases where residual concerns remain about an applicant's intention to comply with their visa conditions.

Sponsored Family Visitor visa

The Sponsored Family Visitor visa will usually allow a stay of three months but may allow a stay of up to twelve months in certain circumstances. The Sponsored Family Visitor visa will only allow a single entry into Australia.

The aim of the Sponsored Family Visitor visa is to:

• accommodate the many requests from relatives in Australia who wish to guarantee that their nominated guest will leave Australia before the expiry of their visa
• reduce the high non-return rates for applicants from some countries.

The four key features of the visa are:

• lodged in Australia by the sponsor
• a mandatory sponsorship
• a discretionary security bond
• penalties that will apply to the sponsor if the visitor breaches visa conditions.

Eligibility

To be eligible to sponsor an applicant for the Sponsored Family Visitor visa subclass, the sponsor must be:

• an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• aged 18 years or over
• settled in Australia for a reasonable period, usually 2 years

The sponsor must also be one of the following:

• a relative (partner, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or the 'step' or adopted equivalent of any of these)
• a member of an Australian parliament (Commonwealth, State or Territory)
• an authorised person representing a Commonwealth, State or Territory department or instrumentality
• a local government mayor.

There are no provisions for fiancés, in-laws, cousins, or friends to provide a sponsorship. Special Category (Subclass 444) visa holders, eligible New Zealand citizens, New Zealand citizens and New Zealand permanent residents are also not able to sponsor an applicant under this visa subclass.

Sponsors must complete a sponsorship form (form 1149) listing all members of the family unit they are sponsoring. The sponsorship form must be lodged by the sponsor in Australia together with a visa application (form 48S) for each visa applicant. The correct visa application charge must be paid for each applicant.
See:
Form 1149 - Application for sponsorship for sponsored family visitors (211KB PDF file)
Form 48S - Application to visit Australia as a sponsored family visitor (368KB PDF file)

Security bond

The Sponsored Family Visitor visa also enables departmental officers to request a security bond, which may be forfeited if the visitor breaches visa conditions.

The amount of the security bond is determined on a case by case basis and usually ranges from AUD $5 000 - AUD $15 000 per person. However, any amount may be requested.

If a security bond is required, a letter outlining the process for lodging the bond will be sent to the sponsor. It must be paid in full in Australia before a final decision can be made on the application.

Refunds are arranged once the visitor has left Australia having complied with all visa conditions. Information on refunds is provided at the time the bond is requested.

The security bond may not be refunded if the visitor stays longer than the period authorised on their Sponsored Family Visitor visa even if the Sponsored Family Visitor is granted another temporary or permanent visa.

Visa conditions and penalties

Conditions attached to the visas are:

• 8101 - no work
• 8201 - While in Australia the holder must not engage in any studies or training, for more than three months
• 8503 - no further stay
• 8531 - must not remain beyond the visa period.

Note: Subclass 679 visa holders are no longer required to pass a chest x-ray examination even if they intend to study in a classroom environment for a period greater than 4 weeks.

If for any reason the Sponsored Family Visitor does not depart before their Sponsored Family Visitor visa expires, or if they breach any of their visa conditions, penalties will be imposed upon the sponsor. The sponsor will not be eligible to provide further sponsorships under this visa class for five years. If a security bond has been lodged, it may be forfeited.

If a request for waiver of the 8503 (no further stay) condition is made, which results in the Sponsored Family Visitor remaining in Australia after their Sponsored Family Visitor visa expires, it will be taken that the 8531 (must not remain beyond the visa period) condition has been breached. Penalties will then be imposed upon the sponsor, even if the 8503 condition is waived and a further visa is granted. If a security bond has been lodged it may be forfeited.

If a security bond has been lodged it may be forfeited.

Other visitor visas

As has always been the case, people wanting to support a visitor without lodging a formal and legal sponsorship, can do so by providing letters of support with visa applications.

Further information is available on the department's web site.
See: www.immi.gov.au

The department also operates a national telephone service inquiry line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm (recorded information available outside these hours) for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.

Fact Sheet 54. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Revised 1 July 2009.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2009.