Beyond partner and parent visas, Australia has a set of family visas for bringing children and certain other relatives to live here permanently. Some are relatively straightforward; others are narrow and subject to long waits. Here's an honest overview of the main options.
Child visas: bringing your children to Australia
If you're an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, you can sponsor your dependent child for a permanent visa. There are two main pathways depending on where the child is: the Subclass 101 (Child visa) for children applying from outside Australia, and the Subclass 802 (Child visa) for children applying from within Australia. Both let the child live in Australia permanently with their parent. The child generally must be your biological, adopted, or step-child, and must be either under 18, or a full-time student under 25 who is financially dependent on you, or unable to work due to disability.
Adopted children and dependent children
There are specific pathways and rules for adopted children, including the Subclass 102 (Adoption visa), which has its own requirements depending on how and where the adoption took place. For dependent children who are older, the dependency requirement (study and financial dependence) becomes important — so the exact circumstances determine which pathway applies and whether the child qualifies.
Remaining Relative visa
The Remaining Relative visa is for people whose only close family lives in Australia — specifically, where your only near relatives (such as parents and siblings) are Australian citizens, permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens, and you have no close relatives in your home country. It's a genuine pathway for people in that specific situation, but it's important to be realistic: this category has very limited places and extremely long waiting periods, often measured in many years.
Carer visa
The Carer visa is for someone who will provide substantial and continuing care to an Australian relative (or a member of their family) who has a long-term medical condition and needs help with daily activities — where that care can't reasonably be provided by other relatives or obtained from services in Australia. It requires medical assessment of the person needing care and has specific evidentiary requirements.
Aged Dependent Relative visa
The Aged Dependent Relative visa is for an older person who is dependent on an Australian relative for financial support. Like the remaining relative and parent categories, it's a narrow pathway with limited places and long waits, so realistic expectations matter.
The honest picture on family visas
The child visa pathways are genuine and widely used for bringing dependent children to Australia. The other relative categories — remaining relative, carer, aged dependent relative — are real but narrow, with strict eligibility and often very long queues. A good agent will tell you honestly whether you fit one of these categories and what the realistic timeframe looks like, rather than starting an application that has little prospect of a timely outcome.
This article is general information only and does not constitute migration advice. Family visa eligibility is highly specific to your circumstances — book a consultation with Sirat to find the right pathway for your family.