Sponsored family stream

• Visit family or friends
• be here as a tourist, for a cruise or for any purpose except business or medical treatment.

You can study or train for up to 3 months on this visa. But if your main reason for travelling to Australia is study, a student visa might be more appropriate.

You cannot work.

You should check if a Visitor (subclass 600) visa in the Tourist stream might better suit you. The Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream also lets you holiday in Australia to visit family and friends and does not require a sponsor.

Cruise

You will need a visa if you enter Australia during a cruise.

If your cruise is a round trip cruise, the time you spend on the cruise counts as time spent in Australia - that is, we do not consider you have left Australia. A round trip cruise will not reset your stay period on your visa.

Ask your cruise operator or travel agent if we consider your cruise to be a round trip cruise.

This is a temporary visa.

The standard length of stay for this visa is 3 months. We may grant a stay of up to 12 months in limited circumstances. We determine the length of your visa on a case-by-case basis. Things we might consider when determining your stay period include:

• how long you want to stay
• why you want to stay in Australia.

You might not be granted the length of stay you want.

Generally we grant this visa with only a single entry permitted and with a 6 month validity period. This means that you have up to 6 months after the grant date to enter Australia. If you leave Australia, you need to apply for another visa before you can return.

You cannot stay longer in Australia by extending this visa. You must apply for another visa.

You cannot apply for a new visa in Australia because your visa will have condition 8503, 'No Further Stay'. We can waive a no further stay condition in limited circumstances. You must not breach condition 8531. That is, you must not remain in Australia beyond your visa period.

You can explore your visa options.

You cannot include family members in your application. Each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application.

If other family members are applying for this visa, you can tell us you are travelling as a group in your application form. See the information about group applications in the Apply for the visa section on the Step by step tab.

We assess each application based on the individual circumstances of the applicant.

Newborn child

Find out what to do if your child is born after you apply.

This visa costs AUD250.00 for each applicant (concessions apply in limited circumstances).

You might also have to pay other costs for:

• health checks
• police certificates
• biometrics.

Use the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out what your visa will cost. The estimator does not take into account the other costs.

Cost concession for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste Visitor visa applicants

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application.

We will charge eligible applicants the lower visa application cost during the application process in ImmiAccount. We will recognise eligible applicants by the valid passport from the specified countries used in the application when they apply.

The applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu.

To be eligible for this visa, you must be outside Australia when you apply and when we decide on your application.

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

You must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

Learn more about visa conditions.

You are liable for all your healthcare costs while you are in Australia. Insurance can help limit your financial liability. To cover any unexpected medical treatment you might need in Australia, we strongly recommend you take out adequate health insurance.

Learn more about health insurance for overseas visitors.

Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Find out more from Services Australia about reciprocal healthcare agreements.

Generally, we grant this visa with a single entry. A single-entry visa allows you to enter Australia once. You cannot re-enter on the visa. You must apply for another visa to come back.

You should check if a Visitor (subclass 600) visa in the Tourist stream is more suitable for you.

If we grant you a multiple-entry visa, you can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid. Check if you have multiple or single entry in Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) or your visa grant letter.

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

You and any family members who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement.

You must meet our character requirement.

We might expect other family members to meet the requirement.

If you or any family members (including those who don't apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.

You must have, or have access to, enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia.

You must intend to:

• stay temporarily in Australia
• obey any condition and stay period attached to your visa.

You must have a sponsor.

To learn about who can sponsor you, see the Sponsor Eligibility tab.

You must provide evidence to prove your relationship with your sponsor. See information about 'Sponsorship documents' in the Gather your documents section of the Step by step tab.

If a family member wants to support you without becoming a sponsor, you can apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the Tourist stream. Provide a letter of invitation from your family member with your application.

We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

Before you travel

Check your travel documents

You must have:

• a valid visa to enter Australia
• a valid passport or other travel document

At the border

Complete an Incoming Passenger Card

Everyone who arrives in Australia must complete an Incoming Passenger Card.

Using the SmartGate

A SmartGate is an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use the SmartGate.

What you must do on your visa

You must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws. See your conditions in VEVO or your visa grant letter.

Learn more about visa conditions and how they work.

Tell us about a change in your situation

Things you need to let us know about include:

• changes to your phone number, email, address or passport
• changes to your relationship status
• the birth of a child

See how to let us know if there is a change in your situation.

What you can do on your visa

This visa lets you:

• see family or friends
• cruise or have a holiday

To see your specific conditions, work and study entitlements use VEVO.

Volunteer work tourism schemes

You can't work in Australia on a Visitor visa, but you might be able to do volunteer work.

Travel on your visa

If your visa is granted with multiple entries, you can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.

If your visa is granted with single entry and you leave Australia, you can't re-enter on the visa. You have to apply for another visa to come back.

See how long you can stay

See when you must leave in VEVO.

Stay longer

You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa. You must apply for a new visa if you want to stay longer. See your options.

Prove you have a visa

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

Check your travel documents
You must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia.

At the border

Departures SmartGate
We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use the SmartGates.

After you leave

International Movement Record

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.

Your sponsorship covers the applicant for the subclass 600 visa.

There is no application fee to become a sponsor. You might be asked for a security bond.

You will be sponsoring the applicant for as long as their visitor visa is valid.

You can lodge your sponsorship documents from within or outside Australia.

As sponsor, you are responsible for ensuring:

• the visitor complies with their visa conditions
• you repay any money your visitor owes the Australian Government.

To sponsor the applicant as a relative, the applicant must be your:

• spouse or defacto partner
• parent or child
• brother or sister
• grandparent or grandchild
• aunt or uncle
• niece or nephew
• the step equivalent of the above.

You may sponsor more than one applicant if the applicants apply at the same time.

As the sponsor you cannot be a:

• fiancé or fiancée
• in-law*
• cousin*
• friend
• New Zealand citizen.

*You may sponsor a family visitor in the following circumstances:

• You are a relative of another applicant who is a member of the family unit of the applicant.
• You are a relative of another applicant in relation to whom the applicant is a member of the family unit.

For example:

• An application has been made by your brother-in-law and his daughter (your niece). Although you are not considered a relative of your brother-in-law, as you are a relative of your niece and she is classed as members of the family unit of your brother-in-law, you may sponsor your brother-in-law.
• An application has been made by your uncle and his daughter (your cousin). Although you are not considered a relative of your cousin, as you are a relative of your uncle and your cousin is classed as members of the family unit of your uncle, you may sponsor your cousin.

A sponsor may also be a:

• member of the Australian parliament (Commonwealth or State)
• member of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory
• mayor
• government agency or instrumentality of the Commonwealth or a State or a Territory.

For information on what documents prove you are a relative of the applicant refer to Step by Step for sponsors.

You must be a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Usually, you must have lived in Australia for the last 2 years. In compelling compassionate circumstances, we might reduce this time.

You must be at least 18 years old.

You must be able to pay a security bond if we ask for one.

Bonds:

• are usually between AUD 5,000 and AUD 15,000 per person (but we can ask for any amount)
• must be paid in full before we make a final decision on the visa application
• will be refunded if your visitor complies with their visa conditions and leaves Australia before their visa expires

You cannot sponsor a visa applicant if you have sponsored a previous applicant for a subclass 600 visa which was granted and:

• the visa has not expired. You can sponsor that visa applicant if they are:
  • members of the family unit of the previous applicant, and
  • are travelling to Australia for the same purpose as the previous applicant.
• the visa has expired, the previous applicant did not comply with a condition of that visa, and 5 years has not elapsed since it was granted. You can sponsor that visa applicant if the previous applicant did not comply with condition 8531 (must not remain in Australia beyond the visa period) due to circumstances that were beyond their control. This needs to have occurred after they entered Australia.

Sponsorship lasts as long as the visitor visa.

As a sponsor, you are responsible for ensuring:

• the visitor complies with their visa conditions
• you repay any money your visitor owes the Australian government.

If you do not comply with your sponsorship obligations, we may cancel the visa.

If you withdraw your sponsorship, the visa application might be refused.

If you wish to withdraw your sponsorship, write us a letter that includes:

• your full name and date of birth
• the application ID or Transaction reference number (TRN) for the application
• a signed and dated statement that you withdraw your sponsorship.

Attach the letter to the Sponsored Family visa application in ImmiAccount.

If you can’t attach the letter to the visa application in ImmiAccount, please contact us.

You can request to withdraw your sponsorship after we grant the visa. There are limited circumstances in which we will release you from your sponsorship obligations.

If you withdraw as a sponsor, we may cancel the visa.

If you still wish to withdraw your sponsorship for a Subclass 600 visa (Sponsored Family stream) holder, please contact us.