Family-Sponsored Visas: Who in Your Family Can Sponsor You to Australia

It depends on the relationship, and on the sponsor

There is no single "family visa". Australia has a set of visas, and each one is built around a particular relationship: partner, parent, child, other relative, carer, or visitor. Each visa has its own rules about who can be the sponsor. Start with the relationship, then check the visa.

Your relationship and your visa options

Each linked page sets out that visa's own criteria. This table is a starting point, not an eligibility test.

Who can be a sponsor

Each visa sets its own sponsor rule. Two examples from the Migration Regulations 1994:

• Child visa (101): the sponsor must be at least 18 and an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen. It must be the parent, or that parent's cohabiting spouse or de facto partner (Sch 2 cl 101.212).
• Visitor visa, Sponsored Family stream (600): the usual sponsor is a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, who is a relative of the visitor (Sch 2 cl 600.232(2)).

Some terms have legal meanings (reg 1.03):

So "family" in the law is wider than parents and children for some visas and narrower for others. A cousin, for example, is not a "relative" under this general definition.

Capped and queued family visas

The Minister can set the maximum number of visas of a class that may be granted in a financial year (Migration Act s85). Once that number is reached, no more visas of that class can be granted that year (s86). This is why some family visas have long queues while others do not. The owner page for each visa explains its own queue position.

Sponsor obligations

Sponsoring is not just a signature. The sponsorship usually has to be approved and still in force when the visa is decided (for example, Sch 2 cl 101.222 and 600.234). For some visas the Department can ask for an assurance of support; if it does, the assurance must be accepted before the visa is granted (for example, Sch 2 cl 101.225). For a sponsored family visitor, the Department may ask for a security bond (cl 600.235).

How we help

We look at your family, the sponsor's status and your goals, and tell you which visa fits, what the sponsor must show, and where the delays are. We are registered migration agents, not lawyers.

Book a family visa assessment.

Frequently asked questions

Can my brother or sister sponsor me?

A brother or sister is a "close relative" (reg 1.03). Whether they can sponsor you depends on the visa: for example, they can sponsor a visit in the Sponsored Family visitor stream if they are settled in Australia, and the Remaining Relative and Carer visas involve relatives too. Check the criteria on each visa page.

Can a permanent resident sponsor parents?

Each parent visa has its own sponsor rules, so the answer depends on the visa. See parent visas for each one.

Which family visas have long queues?

Visas that are capped under s85 of the Migration Act can build up long queues. The Department publishes queue and processing information for each visa. Ask us which applies to yours.

Can a family member sponsor me for work?

Not through a family visa. A relative who runs a business may be able to sponsor you as an employer under the employer-sponsored visas, which have their own rules. A relative in a regional area may be relevant to the 491 family-sponsored option.

Figures current as at 29 October 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Migration Regulations 1994 (compilation No. 289, 2 October 2026) reg 1.03 and Sch 2 Parts 101 and 600, and the Migration Act 1958 (compilation No. 172, 8 October 2026) ss 85–86. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.