Family visas

Family stream migration is one of the main components of Australia’s Migration Programme. Family stream migrants are selected based on their family relationship with their Australian sponsor. There is no English language ability test or skills assessment as required for skilled stream migrants. Family stream migration has four main categories:

Partner category

There are two visa types in the partner category:

• a partner visa — for a spouse or de facto partner, including a same-sex partner of an Australian sponsor;
• a prospective marriage visa — for a fiancé who is overseas and plans to marry their Australian sponsor after traveling to Australia.

Parent category

There are two visa types in the parent category:

• a contributory parent visa — for parents of an Australian sponsor where the applicant pays a high visa application charge in return for a faster processing time of approximately 2-4 years;
• a parent visa — for retirement and not retirement age parents of an Australian sponsor. The processing time for these visas is approximately 30 years.

Child category

There are three visa types in the child category:

• a child visa — for a dependent child of an Australian sponsor;
• an adoption visa — for a child adopted outside Australia by an Australian sponsor;
• an orphan relative visa — for a child who is under 18 years of age at the time of application and who cannot be cared for by either parent. The child will be cared for by the Australian sponsor.

There is also a temporary dependent child visa for dependent children of temporary partner visa holders. This visa enables these children to be added to their parent’s permanent partner visa application.

Another Family category

There are three visa types in the child category:

• a carer visa — for applicants willing and able to give substantial, continuing assistance to an Australian relative or member of their family who has a medical condition that impairs their ability to attend to the practical aspects of daily life. The need for assistance must be likely to continue for at least two years;
• an aged dependent relative visa — for single, widowed, divorced or formally separated applicants who are dependent on an Australian relative;
• a remaining relative visa — for applicants who have no near relatives outside Australia and are the brother, sister, child or step equivalent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

My professional immigration services fees for Family stream migration

All fees are in Australian dollars and are for my professional immigration services only. Any disbursements or miscellaneous expenses incurred that are associated with the migration process (e.g. visa application charges, translation costs, etc.) are not included. For those who are interested, the range of average fees for professional services, charged by registered migration agents is available on the MARA web site. Please note these fees do not include visa application charges payable to the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) and cover only visa application-related services. In the case of selecting a Licensed Australian Migration Agent, you are primarily guided by the question of the cost of services, I will match or better any genuine offer made to you in writing by another migration agent, provided that it does not contradict the legislation of Australia. Professional immigration services fees for Family stream migration visas are varied depending on the readiness of the documents and number of the applicants. On average: AU$1,500- AU$4,200.

Immigration Services for the Family stream migration visas include:

• Planning and full support of your entire immigration process from start to finish, taking into account all your circumstances;
• Comprehensive ongoing and personalized advice, provision of information and documentation on all aspects of the immigration case;
• Assistance with preparation of all necessary documents;
• Certification of copies of documents, subject to the inspection of the originals by the Registered Migration Agent;
• Preparation and submission of a sponsorship application to the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) on behalf of the client and ongoing representation of interests of the client there;
• Preparation and submission of a visa application to the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) on behalf of the client and ongoing representation of interests of the client there;
• Payment of all visa application fees and charges on behalf of the client;
• Comprehensive submissions writing for extremely complex cases (for an extra charge).

• Post-immigration advice to the client regarding moving to Australia, employment, housing search, opening bank accounts, obtaining medical insurance, registration with Medicare and Centrelink, obtaining Tax Identification Number, placement of children to schools or Daycare & Kindergarten.

If you require any further information regarding Australian Family visas, need help in obtaining them, or need assistance with any other matters related to immigration to Australia, please book an interview.