Remaining Relative Visa (Subclass 115/835)

What is the Remaining Relative visa?

The Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115 offshore, 835 onshore) is a permanent visa for someone whose only near relatives are in Australia — sponsored by a parent, sibling or step-relative who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen. It is real, it is permanent — and it is capped and queued, with the Department of Home Affairs currently estimating about 22 years for new applications. Anyone considering it deserves that number in the first paragraph, not the fine print.

At a glance (updated 18 August 2026)

Figures change — confirm on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodgement.

The "remaining relative" test is stricter than it sounds

You (and your partner, if you have one) must have no near relatives outside Australia — and "near relative" means parents, siblings and step-equivalents, and their partners. The application fails if:

• you or your partner have a near relative usually resident outside Australia, or

• a near relative in Australia who holds only a temporary visa (including a bridging visa) or is here unlawfully

One overseas sibling — even estranged, even not spoken to in decades — generally ends eligibility. This is the test that disqualifies most enquiries, and it is better discovered in a consultation than 15 years into a queue.

What the queue actually means

The Remaining Relative visa is capped: only a small number are granted each program year, and applications are processed in queue order. As at the Department's last update it was releasing applications lodged by 30 June 2013 — thirteen years ago — and its published estimate for new applications is around 22 years. (An older "50 years" figure still circulates on migration forums; it is out of date — but 22 years is still a generation.)

Practical consequences:

• A new application is best understood as a queue position for the future, often lodged for younger applicants where a 22-year horizon can still make sense

• 115 applicants wait outside Australia — lodging does not bring you here; visitor visas remain the way to spend time with family meanwhile

• Circumstances are reassessed at the front of the queue — the remaining-relative test must still be true then

Costs, in the right order

The first instalment (6, 600)buysthequeueposition.Thesecondinstalment(2,065 per person) and the Assurance of Support (a refundable 5, 000/7,000 bond, with an assurer income test) arrive at the far end, near grant. Budgeting is a two-generation exercise.

Alternatives worth pricing before you queue

For most families the honest comparison is between a Remaining Relative queue position and the pathways that move now: a skilled visa on the applicant's own credentials (189, 190, 491 — the 491's family-sponsorship stream exists precisely for relatives of regional Australians), a student pathway building toward skilled migration, or long visitor patterns while a queue position matures in the background. Lodging the 115 and pursuing a faster route is often the right double strategy.

Where Remaining Relative applications go wrong

1. The near-relative count is wrong — an overlooked step-sibling or a parent's partner overseas sinks it

2. Family circumstances change mid-queue — a sibling moving overseas can end eligibility years after lodgement

3. It is treated as the only plan — two decades with no parallel strategy

4. AoS planning ignored — the assurer must qualify at grant time, not lodgement time

Advice from Brisbane and Logan

From our office in Slacks Creek, Logan City, Migration Vision runs the remaining-relative test properly, prices the honest alternatives, and — where the 115 is right — lodges it correctly so the queue position holds. We advise in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Remaining Relative visa queue in 2026?

Home Affairs' own published estimate is about 22 years for new applications, and it is currently releasing applications queued up to 30 June 2013. The older "50 years" figure sometimes quoted is out of date.

How much does the 115 visa cost?

6, 600forthemainapplicantatlodgement(3,300 per additional adult, $1,655 per child), plus a second instalment of $2,065 per person near grant, plus a refundable Assurance of Support bond of 5, 000–7,000 at that stage.

Who counts as a near relative?

Parents, brothers and sisters, step-parents and step-siblings — and their partners — of you or your partner. If any of them usually live outside Australia, or are in Australia only on a temporary or bridging visa, the visa is generally refused.

Can I live in Australia while the 115 is processing?

No — subclass 115 applicants wait offshore, and lodging does not carry a bridging visa. Only the onshore subclass 835 (for applicants already lawfully in Australia when they lodge) comes with a bridging visa.

Is there a faster alternative?

Often, yes — a skilled visa on your own points, the 491's family-sponsored stream if your relative lives in a designated regional area, or a student-to-skilled pathway. Many families run a 115 queue position and a faster strategy in parallel.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 18 August 2026 — costs and queue figures verified against the Department of Home Affairs website (queue page updated 9 July 2026; pricing 1 July 2026) and Services Australia. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.