Do you live in Australia and would like to bring a member of your family from their home country down to Australia temporarily? The Department of Home Affairs has a Sponsored Family Stream visa, which is available as part of the 600 visas. While the 600 visa is usually used by those looking to travel for leisure and business purposes, the Sponsored Family Stream is also available for individuals already living in Australia and wants to bring out their family members from abroad to live in Australia for a particular period. Here is everything you need to need about bringing your family members to Australia on a 600 visitor visa.
Visitor Visa Subclass 600
The Visitor Visa allows your family to visit Australia for a maximum of 12 months. The Sponsored Family Stream is one of the five subclasses of the 600 visa. And the significant difference between the Sponsored Family Stream and the other stream of 600 visas is that someone living in the country can provide an invitation letter for a family aboard to come to visit. The sponsor can be a family member or an Australian government official.
However, any family member that wants to travel to Australia will be required to apply for a separate visa though they can process the applications together. You can lodge applications online or offline. But offline applications must be sent through a courier or post to Sydney, and if the visa is approved, the sponsors might also be required to pay a security.
Who is Eligible?
If you want to bring out your family member to Australia through the Sponsored Family Stream, you must already be living in Australia, and your family member must enter the country as a visitor only. Although the visa application requirements do vary from country to country, a prospective family member will need to meet character requirements, health requirements, have proof that they’ll go back to their home country after their visa expires, and have enough money to support themselves throughout their stay in Australia.
All applicants of this type of visa are required to complete a Visitor Visa Application form and meet certain criteria. Unlike other visas, you cannot include more than one family member in one application. Moreover, before you can be eligible to sponsor a family member, you must be:
● Aged 18 years or over
● A permanent resident or an Australian citizen
● Live in Australia for a reasonable period, at least for two years.
The sponsor must also be:
● A relative (sister, brother, parent, partner, grandchild, uncle, grandparent, aunt, nephew, and niece)
● A relative of the person
● A member of an Australian Parliament
● A relative of the individual who is a member of the family of the applicant that is also applying for this type of visa.
● An authorized individual that is representing the Australian Government, territory department, instrumentality, or state.
It is important to note that there are no provisions for cousins, in-laws, friends, or fiancés to provide sponsorship. According to this visa subclass (subclass 444), New Zealand permanent residents, New Zealand citizens, and eligible New Zealand citizens are also not eligible to sponsor anyone.
It is also a must for sponsors to fill the sponsorship Form 1149 and list the unit of their family members they are sponsoring. As a sponsor, you must lodge this form in Australia with the visa application, or attach it to an online application for the applicant.
How to Apply for the Sponsored Family Stream
To make the Sponsored Family Stream application as simple as possible, your family member should follow the steps recommended below by the Department of Home Affairs.
● Before applying for a visa, ensure to organize health examinations.
● Fill out the form. Although a Melbourne Migration AIA is not compulsory but can be used for a better chance of approval.
● Make preparation for all the necessary documents for the visa application. The documents will need to be certified, like marriage certificates. You also need to get original police certificates, and other documents should include the letter of invitation and bank statements. Also, if you are the sponsor, you need to provide documents that state your family member intends to go back home, such as proof of assets in their home country and employer letters. And if you are from a non-English speaking country, you need to ensure your documents are translated into English.
● When applying for the Sponsored Family Stream visa, you need to ensure all the information supplied is accurate, and you pay all the necessary visa application charges. To make sure the application has been completed, your family member should check the visa application checklists.
Remember that your prospective family member must be outside the country through the process of the application. Moreover, if this type of visa is not applicable to your family member, they can also visit the country through other types of visas.
