Remaining Relative Visa Australia (Subclass 835): What It Actually Involves

The Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) is a permanent visa for someone whose only close family left in the world already lives in Australia. It’s a genuine pathway, but it sits in one of the most capped, slowest-moving categories in the entire migration program — and that detail changes how anyone should plan around it.

In This Guide

What Is the Remaining Relative Visa (Subclass 835)?

Subclass 835 is a permanent visa granted to someone already in Australia whose only near relatives — parents, siblings, or their equivalent step-relations — are Australian citizens, permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens.

In plain terms, it exists for people who have effectively run out of family anywhere else. If every close relative you have has already settled in Australia, this is the visa built for your situation.

Once granted, it carries full permanent residency rights: living in Australia indefinitely, working and studying without restriction, enrolling in Medicare, and eventually applying for citizenship if eligible.

Who Counts as a Near Relative Under the Remaining Relative Visa

This is the part that trips people up, because “near relative” has a specific legal meaning, not an everyday one.

A near relative is:

• A parent or step-parent
• A partner’s parent or step-parent
• A sibling or step-sibling
• A child or stepchild aged 18 or over who is not dependent on you
• A child or stepchild under 18 who is not in your or your partner’s daily care and control

Notice what’s missing: aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents don’t count as near relatives for this test. Someone could have a large extended family scattered across several countries and still qualify, provided none of them fall into the near relative categories above.

Remaining Relative Visa Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the Remaining Relative visa, an applicant (and their partner, if they have one) must have no near relative who usually lives outside Australia, other than the sponsor.

They also can’t have a near relative living inside Australia on a temporary visa, including a bridging visa, or living in Australia unlawfully. If a near relative is here temporarily rather than as a citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, the “remaining relative” test isn’t met.

How much contact an applicant actually has with these relatives doesn’t factor into the decision. The test is about where near relatives live and their visa status, not the closeness of the relationship.

Who Can Sponsor a Remaining Relative Visa Applicant

A sponsor for this visa must be the applicant’s (or their partner’s) parent, sibling, step-parent, or step-sibling, and must be at least 18 years old.

The sponsor also needs to be settled in Australia as a citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. By agreeing to sponsor, they’re committing to provide support, accommodation, and financial assistance for the applicant’s first two years of residency, covering anyone included in the same application.

A person or couple who has already sponsored someone for a Remaining Relative visa, or a related Other Family visa, generally can’t sponsor a second applicant under this category.

Subclass 835 vs Subclass 115: Onshore or Offshore

Subclass 835 and subclass 115 share identical eligibility rules. The only real difference is location.

Subclass 835 is for people already in Australia, who must remain in Australia while the application is decided. Subclass 115 is the mirror version for people applying from outside the country.

Both sit in the same capped queue, so choosing between them comes down to where the applicant currently is, not which one processes faster.

Remaining Relative Visa Cost

Pricing for subclass 835 is paid in two instalments: one at lodgement, and a second later in the process before a decision is made.

Reported figures for the primary applicant currently sit somewhere in the $6,400 to $8,700 range depending on the source and when it was last updated, plus an additional charge for each family member included. Because visa application charges are indexed on 1 July every year, and this fee changes more often than most people expect, the only reliable figure is whatever the official Visa Pricing Estimator shows on the day of lodgement.

Additional costs — health examinations, police certificates, biometrics, and any Assurance of Support bond — sit outside this base charge.

Why the Remaining Relative Visa Queue Runs So Long

Applications are assessed strictly in the order they were lodged. Recent Department processing estimates for this category have been published in the order of decades, not months, and that figure is reviewed and can shift with each program year’s allocation.

This matters enormously for planning. Lodging a subclass 835 application can still make sense — it secures a place in the queue and preserves a pathway — but it shouldn’t be treated as a near-term solution for reuniting with family. Anyone considering this visa should weigh it against faster options first.

Assurance of Support for the Remaining Relative Visa

Most applicants will need an Assurance of Support before the visa is granted. This is a formal commitment — made by the sponsor, or sometimes another eligible assurer — that the applicant won’t need to rely on government welfare payments after arriving in Australia.

The assurer’s income is assessed to confirm they can genuinely support the applicant, and a bond may be required, held by Services Australia and refunded once the support period ends without a claim being made against it. Home Affairs will advise when this step is needed, generally later in the process rather than at lodgement.

Health and Character Requirements

Every applicant, along with any family members included in the same application, must meet standard health and character requirements.

Health examination results are typically valid for twelve months, which matters given how long this visa can sit in the queue — a result obtained too early may need to be repeated closer to a decision. Character requirements call for police certificates covering every country an applicant has lived in for twelve months or more since turning sixteen, within the past ten years.

Alternatives to the Remaining Relative Visa

Given the queue length, it’s worth checking whether a different visa fits the same family situation better.

• Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143 or 173): a faster, more expensive option specifically for parents
• Aged Dependent Relative visa: for a relative who is aged and financially dependent, though it sits in the same capped queue
• Carer visa (subclass 116): for a relative needed to provide long-term care due to a medical condition
• Orphan Relative visa (subclass 117): for an unmarried relative under 18 with no living parents

None of these substitute for the Remaining Relative visa in every case, but for some families, one of them reaches the same outcome considerably sooner.

Weighing up the Remaining Relative visa against a faster family pathway? A MARA-registered migration agent Australia applicants can verify on the OMARA register can map out which option actually fits your family’s timeline, rather than defaulting to the slowest one.

FAQs

How long does the Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) actually take?

Home Affairs treats Remaining Relative visas as a capped and queued category, and current published processing estimates run into decades rather than months or years. Always check the Department’s current processing time tool, since the estimate is reviewed and can change each program year.

What is the difference between the subclass 835 and subclass 115 Remaining Relative visa?

They share the same eligibility criteria. Subclass 835 is for applicants who are already in Australia when they apply and when the decision is made. Subclass 115 is the equivalent visa for applicants applying from outside Australia.

Who counts as a near relative for the Remaining Relative visa?

A near relative includes a parent or step-parent, a partner’s parent or step-parent, a sibling or step-sibling, a child or stepchild aged 18 or over who isn’t dependent, and a child or stepchild under 18 who isn’t in the applicant’s or their partner’s daily care.

Does the sponsor need to pay anything for the Remaining Relative visa?

There’s no fee to become a sponsor, but the sponsor commits to supporting the applicant for their first two years in Australia and may be asked to provide a formal Assurance of Support, which can involve a financial bond assessed against the sponsor’s income.