Remaining Relative Visa

The remaining relative visa is a visa which allows for members of the family outside Australia to rejoin their family in Australia. The Department’s objective for the visa provides that “[t]his visa reflects immigration principles relating to reunion of relatives in recognition of kinship ties and the bonds of mutual dependency and support within families. It enables consideration of remaining relatives of Australian residents.”

The visa is designed for overseas brothers, sisters and children of Australian permanent residents or citizens. It is a requirement that neither the applicant nor their spouse have any brothers, sisters, children or parents other than those in Australia. It is also a mandatory requirement of the visa that an Assurance of Support bond be lodged with the Department of Immigration

While the visa seems quite straightforward it can be a tricky one in practice. There are intricacies in determining when the applicant is a remaining relative such as;

The allowance for family overseas which haven’t been in contact for many years;
Ensuring the best person is chosen to sponsor the applicant;
Establishing the familial relationships; and
Establishing the residences of all the necessary family members.

Under correct circumstances, the remaining relative visa provides for the unification of families in Australia and promotes the importance of family in Australian society.