Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115 offshore / subclass 835 onshore)
Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115 offshore / subclass 835 onshore)
Visa Cost
AUD 5,125
2025-26 financial year primary applicant first-instalment Visa Application Charge about AUD 5,125; a second instalment of about AUD 2,065 is also payable before grant (totalling about AUD 7,190). Accompanying family members add a surcharge. It falls in the 'Other Family' category, subject to an annual cap (about 500 places for the whole category). Offshore it is 115, onshore 835, at the same cost. In addition, the Assurance of Support (AoS) requires a refundable bond.
Processing Time
Extremely long: limited by the cap and queue, new applications are expected to wait decades (in early 2026 the Department has only released applications lodged around 2013), with no expediting. After an onshore 835 is lodged, a bridging visa can be obtained to wait in Australia.
Eligibility
- The applicant is the child, sibling, or corresponding step-relative of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen (the sponsor).
- The applicant (and their spouse/de facto partner, if any) have no other near relatives (parents, siblings, adult non-dependent children) outside Australia, nor any such near relatives living in Australia who are not PR/citizens.
- The spouse's/partner's parents, siblings and adult children also count as 'near relatives', so both partners must meet the 'no near relatives overseas' condition.
- Must be sponsored by an eligible relative settled in Australia (parent/stepparent, sibling/stepsibling, or their spouse).
- 835 (onshore) applicants must be in Australia at application and grant, holding a valid temporary visa with no 'No Further Stay' condition.
- Meet health and character requirements.
- Meet the Assurance of Support requirement, with the sponsor/assurer paying a refundable bond.
Key Information
Validity / Stay / Residence
Permanent residence, allowing indefinite residence, work and study and Medicare; the travel facility is usually 5 years, with travel rights renewed via 155/157 on expiry.
Eligible Dependants
You can add the spouse/de facto partner and dependent children to the application; onshore 835 applicants can obtain a bridging visa while waiting.
PR / Permanent Residence Pathway
This visa is permanent residence (PR). Once the last remaining relative visa is granted you are a permanent resident, and can apply for citizenship once eligible.
View provisional-to-permanent transition overview →Application Steps
Verify the 'remaining relative' definition
Verify the 'remaining relative' definition
Confirm that you (and your spouse) genuinely have no near relatives such as parents, siblings or adult non-dependent children outside Australia, and that the sponsoring relative in Australia is in an eligible relationship.
- Map out the distribution of near relatives for both yourself and your spouse
- Note that the spouse's near relatives also count
- Confirm the sponsoring relative is an Australian citizen/PR/eligible New Zealand citizen settled in Australia
Prepare Form 47OF and sponsor's Form 40
Prepare Form 47OF and sponsor's Form 40
Apply on paper forms: the applicant completes Form 47OF and the sponsoring relative completes Form 40.
- The primary applicant completes Form 47OF
- Family members aged 18 and over complete Form 47A
- The sponsor completes Form 40
Pay first VAC instalment and lodge
Pay first VAC instalment and lodge
Post the forms, near-relative evidence and first-instalment visa fee receipt together to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre.
- Pay the first instalment of about AUD 5,125
- After 835 is lodged a Bridging Visa A (BVA) is usually granted, allowing lawful waiting in Australia
- From 23 July 2025, some paper applications can be imported into ImmiAccount for management
Enter the capped queue
Enter the capped queue
Applications queue by lodgement date, waiting for the annual places to be released, with waits measured in years/decades.
- Watch the official 'Other Family visa queue release dates' page
- 835 holders on a BVA can apply for work rights and Medicare in Australia
Final processing: health, character, AoS
Final processing: health, character, AoS
After the queue is released, complete the health examination and police clearance, and arrange the Assurance of Support and pay the bond through Services Australia as required.
- Complete the health examination using the HAP ID
- Submit police clearances from each country
- An AoS is mandatory for this visa, with a refundable bond payable
Pay second VAC instalment and grant
Pay second VAC instalment and grant
After receiving the notice, pay the second instalment of about AUD 2,065; permanent residence is obtained on grant.
- Pay the second instalment after receiving the official letter
- PR on grant, with the right to work, study and use Medicare, and citizenship once eligible
Required Documents
| Document Name | English Name | Required | Description | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form 47OF - Application for migration to Australia by other family | Form 47OF - Application for migration to Australia by other family | The main application form for the last remaining relative visa. | Complete on paper; the details must match the passport. | |
| Form 40 - Sponsorship for migration to Australia | Form 40 - Sponsorship for migration to Australia | Completed by the eligible relative sponsor in Australia. | The sponsor must be in an eligible relationship such as child/sibling/parent and settled in Australia. | |
| Applicant's birth certificate (notarised) | Applicant's birth certificate (notarised) | Prove identity and the family relationship with the sponsor (the child/sibling relationship chain). | For birth in China, obtain a notarial birth certificate and NAATI-translate it. | |
| Evidence of relationship to the Australian sponsor | Evidence of relationship to the Australian sponsor | Prove the applicant and sponsor are in a parent-child or sibling relationship. | Provide both parties' notarial birth certificates, household registers and kinship certificates. | |
| Statement and evidence of no near relatives overseas | Statement and evidence of no near relatives overseas | The core of this visa: proving the applicant (and spouse) have no near relatives such as parents, siblings or adult non-dependent children outside Australia. | Provide a list of family members, parents' death certificates (if deceased), and an explanation of each near relative's place of residence and status; the spouse's near relatives must also be set out. | |
| Applicant's marital status evidence | Applicant's marital status evidence | To determine whether the spouse's near relatives count within the 'near relatives' range. | Marriage certificate/divorce certificate/single declaration, notarised and translated. | |
| Spouse's near-relative details (if married/partnered) | Spouse's near-relative details (if married/partnered) | Because the spouse's parents, siblings and adult children also count as near relatives, their distribution must be set out as well. | If the spouse has near relatives overseas, this may affect eligibility; disclose truthfully and assess. | |
| Police clearance certificates | Police clearance certificates | Meet character requirements; where you have lived in any country for a cumulative 12 months after age 16, that country's clearance is required. | The Chinese police clearance must be notarised and translated; submit it as directed at the final processing stage. | |
| Health examination via HAP ID | Health examination via HAP ID | The applicant and accompanying family members must pass the Australian-standard health examination. | At the final processing stage, have the health examination at a designated clinic using the HAP ID. | |
| Assurance of Support and refundable bond | Assurance of Support and refundable bond | The last remaining relative visa mandatorily requires an AoS, administered by Services Australia, with the assurer paying a refundable bond. | The sponsor need not be the assurer; assurance can be joint; pay the bond as advised by Services Australia, refunded after some years. | |
| Evidence of valid temporary visa (subclass 835 onshore only) | Evidence of valid temporary visa (subclass 835 onshore only) | Onshore 835 applicants must prove they held a valid temporary visa at lodgement with no 'No Further Stay' condition. | Provide the current visa grant notice/VEVO record. | |
| Passport and recent photographs | Passport and recent photographs | Basic identity verification materials. | A colour scan of the passport bio-data page + a white-background passport photo. |
FAQ
How exactly is 'last remaining relative' defined? Can I still apply if I have relatives back home?
Does the wait really take decades?
If the wait is so long, why do people still apply for onshore 835?
What is an Assurance of Support (AoS)? How much does it cost?
Is 115/835 permanent residence once granted? Can I apply for citizenship?
Common Refusal Reasons
- Not meeting the 'last remaining relative' definition: the applicant (and spouse) still have other near relatives outside Australia (parents/siblings/children, etc., beyond the permitted range)
- The sponsoring near relative in Australia must be an Australian citizen/permanent resident/eligible New Zealand citizen who is long-settled; insufficient evidence of eligibility or settlement
- No sponsorship (Form 40) or the required Assurance of Support was provided
- The Other Family category is capped with an extremely long queue (the current backlog can be over a decade); refused due to changed circumstances while queued
- Health or character requirements not met; location mismatch as 115 must always be offshore and 835 always onshore
Can you appeal after a refusal? See the Visa Refusal & Review (ART) Guide.