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Child Visa

Child Visa Options | Eligibility

A child will require a visa if they are not the holder of a permanent visa, and are intending to travel to, enter, or remain in Australia indefinitely.

A child visa allows the holder to live in Australia permanently if they are the child of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or are an eligible New Zealand citizen.

There is also a temporary child visa available for children of temporary partner visas (Subclass 820 or 309).

Australian Child Visa Options

Dependent on the circumstances of the applicant and their sponsor, there are a few different types of child visas:

When applying for a child visa (subclass 101) or orphan relative (subclass 117) the applicant must be outside of Australia at the time of application and at the time of grant.

When applying for a child visa (subclass 802) or orphan relative (subclass 837) the applicant must be inside of Australia at the time of application and at the time of grant.

When applying for dependent child visa (subclass 445) the applicant can be in or outside of Australia at the time of application. If the applicant is in Australia at the time of application, they must be in Australia at the time of grant. If the applicant outside of Australia at the time of application, they must be outside of Australia at the time of grant.

Except for the Subclass 445, all of the above visas are a permanent visa that is available to children or step-children of Australian citizens, permanent residents of Australia or eligible New Zealand citizens. The dependent child visa (subclass 445) is a temporary visa that is available to children or step-children of temporary partner visa holders (subclass 309 or 820). A dependent child visa holder then transitions onto a permanent partner visa (subclass 100 or 801) at the same time as their parent.

An orphan relative visa is for children who are unable to be cared for by their parents because they are both either missing, dead or permanently incapacitated.

An adoption visa must be applied for whilst outside of Australia and has to be adopted with the involvement of an Australia state or territory authority and under the laws of a country other than Australia.  The sponsor or sponsor’s partner must have lived outside of Australia for the 12 months before the child applies for the visa.

Eligibility Criteria

Sponsorship

The applicant has to be sponsored by an Australian citizen, a permanent resident of Australia or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

For the Orphan Relative visa the sponsor can be a relative who is an Australian citizen, a permanent Australian resident or eligible New Zealand citizen if they are a brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or step equivalent.

Age

Meet the Health Criteria

The Applicant is required to complete a health assessment as part of the application.

Meet the Character Criteria

If the child is aged 16 years or over they must meet the character requirement.

Would you like to know more about your prospects for a visa?

Eligibility is the most important step in determining whether a person may meet the legal criteria for a visa application and one consultation could save you money.

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