Applicant Eligibility

This page provides information on the eligibility requirements for this visa.

Sponsorship

The child must be the child or step child of their sponsor, who must be an Australian citizen, the holder of an Australian permanent visa, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Stepchildren

A stepchild can only be included in the Child visa category if the stepchild is under 18 years of age and the sponsoring step-parent is no longer the partner of the child’s parent but has a legal responsibility to care for the child.

Adopted children

Adopted children applying outside Australia must have been adopted before their parent became an Australian citizen, the holder of a Australian permanent visa, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

If the child was adopted after the sponsoring parent became an Australian citizen, the holder of an Australian permanent visa, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, they should apply in the 'Adoption' visa category.
See: Adoption Visa (Subclass 102)

Dependency

The child must be dependent on their sponsor. A child under 18 years of age is considered to be dependent. However for a child 18 years of age or older to be considered dependent, they must rely more on their sponsor than on any other person or source of financial support in either one of the circumstances below:

• to meet their basic needs of food, shelter and clothing, and they must have relied on this support for a substantial period (usually 12 months)
• because of a disability that prevents them working to support themselves.
  Note: Disability means that the child has total or partial loss of his or her bodily or mental functions, and they are unable to work because of it.

Age

The child must be under 25 years of age when the visa application is lodged. If the child is 18 years of age or older, they must also be a full-time student and financially dependent on their sponsoring parent.

To be considered a full-time student, the child must:

• be validly enrolled, and actively participating, in a full-time post-secondary course of study leading to a professional, trade or vocational qualification
• have been undertaking that course since turning 18 years of age, or have commenced studies within six (6) months or a reasonable period of completing secondary education
• not be in full-time employment.

Note: The only exception to this age limit and full time student requirement is where the child has a disability that stops them from working.

Relationship status

The child must be single. They must not be married, in a de-facto relationship or engaged to be married.
Note: If the child is 18 years of age or over, the child must not only be single, but they must never have been married or had a de facto partner.

Health requirements

The applicant must meet health requirements.
See: Health requirements

Character requirements

Applicants who are 16 years of age or over must be of good character to enter or remain in Australia.
See: Character and penal clearance requirements

Best interests of the child

Where an applicant is under 18 years of age, they will need to satisfy the requirement that there is no compelling reason to believe that the grant of the visa would not be in the best interests of the applicant. In order to assess this requirement, sponsors of children under 18 years of age are required to submit either an Australian National Police Check or foreign police certificate/s, depending on the sponsor’s circumstances. If the sponsor has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia since turning sixteen years of age, the sponsor must provide an Australian National Police Check. If the sponsor has not spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia since turning sixteen years of age, the sponsor must provide police certificates from each country in which they have spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning sixteen years of age.
See:
Stronger Measures for the Protection of Children
National Police Checks
Note: Sponsors required to submit a National Police Check must complete the National Police Check application form which is available from the Australian Federal Police website. Sponsors should use Code 33 at Question 1 on the form and include details of all names they have been known by. If an AFP Certificate is provided based on incorrect information, the department may request another certificate. Fingerprints are not required for National Police Checks.
See: Character Requirements Penal Clearance Certificates (233KB PDF file)

Reliance on social security

If the applicant, or their sponsor, is likely to become a high user of Australia's social security system, an Assurance of Support (AoS) from an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident may be required. If required, the department will advise how an Assurance of Support can be obtained.
See: Assurance of Support

Australian Values Statement

All visa applicants aged 18 years or over, are required to sign an Australian values statement. The statement is included in the visa application form and all applicants aged 18 years and over will need to sign it. Before signing the statement, applicants for this visa are required to have read, or had explained to them, material made available by the government on life in Australia which is contained in the Life in Australia book.

The Life in Australia book provides more information on the values that Australians share and their way of life.
See:
Australian Values - Overview
Life in Australia Book

 

Before lodging an application, please read all related eligibility requirements.
See: Other eligibility