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Visitor - Subclass 600 Visa - Sponsored Family Stream

The purpose of this visa is to allow people to travel to Australia for tourism or business purposes, or to visit family, on a temporary basis.

SPONSORED FAMILY STREAM

For people travelling to Australia to visit family. Applicants for this visa must be sponsored by an eligible relative who lives in Australia.

Applicant Requirements

As the visa applicant, you must:

  • be sponsored by an eligible relative in Australia (see below)

  • genuinely intend to visit family in Australia

  • have access to sufficient funds to cover your costs whilst you are in Australia

  • meet the relevant health and character criteria (this could include a requirement to obtain health insurance for the period of your stay in Australia)

Sponsor Requirements

The person sponsoring your visit to Australia must:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident

  • be at least 18 years old

  • have been settled in Australia for a reasonable length of time (usually at least 2 years)

  • be a close family member i.e. a spouse/de facto partner, or a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew (or any of the ‘step’ or adopted equivalents of those relations)

NOTE: In certain cases, an application for this visa MAY instead be sponsored by a Member of Parliament, or an authorised person representing a government department or instrumentality, or a local government mayor.

  • NOT be the sponsor of another visitor whose visa is still valid (unless that person is a member of your family, and you have the same reason for travelling to Australia), and NOT have within the last 5 years sponsored a visitor who breached his/her visa conditions

SECURITY BOND

IF REQUIRED, your sponsor must also pay a security bond (usually between A$5000 and A$15,000). This will be refunded to your sponsor provided you comply with your visa conditions and leave Australia before your visa expires.

APPLICATION PROCESS >

Once you have provided the required information and supporting documents, we will prepare and lodge your visa application with the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA). The main criterion is that you meet the requirements referred to above. You must be outside Australia both when your application is lodged, and when your visa is granted.

Visa Validity Period

Should your application be approved, you will be granted a temporary visa, allowing you to travel to Australia on a short-term basis. Depending upon your particular circumstances, you will be granted either a single entry visa (allowing you to enter Australia once, for a specified length of time) or multiple entry visa (allowing you to enter Australia multiple times for short periods whilst your visa is valid e.g. stays of up to 3 months at a time over a 12-month period).

Visa Conditions

There are several conditions that apply to Visitor visas. In particular, visa holders MUST NOT:

  • work or provide services to any business/organisation in Australia, or sell goods or services to the public whilst in Australia (unpaid genuine volunteer work MAY be permitted)

  • study for more than three months in Australia

Other conditions may also be imposed by the DOHA in certain cases, including the requirement that the visa holder not apply for any further visas whilst in Australia.

PLEASE NOTE: We estimate that it may take several weeks to prepare and lodge your application, with the time taken largely dependent on how promptly you (and your sponsor, if applicable) provide us with the necessary supporting information and documents.

The time that it takes the DOHA to process your application is dependent upon its processing time service standards, and may also vary due to a number of other factors, including the complexity of your case, perceived risk factors and processing priorities. Please contact us for current information regarding likely processing timeframes for this type of application.

This Fact Sheet contains general information only. We strongly recommend that you seek specific guidance from us that is relevant to your circumstances before taking any further action.

Do you have additional questions regarding the subclass 600 - Visitor visa? Please feel free to contact us by email at admin@dojolegal.com.au, or by phone on ++61 02 9138 0688 to arrange a paid consultation.

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