The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) offers a variety of visa subclasses subject to different criteria, which are made available to family members of permanent residents, Australian citizens and eligible New Zealand citizens.

If you have family members (child, partner, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, grandchild, uncle, niece, nephew or step relative) in Australia and you want to immigrate there, you can apply for one of the few Australian Family visas, but your Australian relative (Australian citizen, eligible New Zealand citizen or permanent resident) must be your sponsor in all cases.

Apart from being sponsored by a family member in Australia, the general requirement for most family visas are that you must meet the health and character criteria.

You are released from the usual required skills test for the Business and General skilled migrants and excessive knowledge of the English language.

Depending on the relation with your relative in Australia and the type of visa you wish to apply for you must lodge the appropriate supporting documents. Most Family visa applications can be lodged in or out of Australia.

Based on your current circumstances there are various types of permanent visas that you can apply for, including:

Parent Visa

For parents who have a child that is either an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who wishes to sponsor them.

Aged Parent Visa

For parents who are older than 65 years, and who have a child that is either an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who wishes to sponsor them.

Remaining Relative Visa

For remaining near relatives (family members) of Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who wishes to sponsor them.