Subclass 835 — Remaining Relative Visa — Australia — immi.wiki

The Subclass 835 Remaining Relative visa is a permanent visa for persons who are already in Australia and who meet the strict remaining relative definition — meaning the applicant's only near relatives anywhere in the world (outside Australia) are the sponsoring Australian citizen or permanent resident and their family unit. The visa reunites persons who have truly no other family to remain abroad with.

The Subclass 835 is the onshore counterpart to the Subclass 115 Remaining Relative visa (which is applied for offshore). The eligibility criteria for both subclasses are identical in substance — the distinction is the applicant's location at the time of application. Because the Subclass 835 applicant is in Australia, they may continue to live in Australia while the application is queued; however, departure from Australia during processing may affect the application.

Remaining Relative visas are subject to capping and queueing — only a limited number are granted each migration year, and applications that cannot be processed immediately are held in a queue until programme places become available. As at 31 March 2026, applications with a queue date of up to 30 June 2013 had been released for final processing. For current processing information, refer to the DHA other family visa queue release page.

Core eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be in Australia at the time of application and at the time of grant
• The applicant must be a remaining relative — meaning their only near relatives (parents, siblings, adult children) in any country are the Australian sponsor (and the sponsor's spouse/partner and children). No near relative of the applicant may reside outside Australia other than the sponsor's family unit
• The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been usually resident in Australia for at least 2 years preceding the application
• The applicant must meet health and character requirements

The remaining relative definition is strictly applied: If the applicant has a sibling, parent, or adult child living outside Australia (anywhere in the world, not just in the applicant's home country), the applicant will not qualify. The definition counts near relatives regardless of their own visa status or citizenship in a third country.

Assurance of support: An assurance of support from the sponsor may be required for the Subclass 835, depending on the applicant's circumstances. The assurance provides a financial backstop to reduce the risk of the applicant accessing certain social welfare payments.

Applications for the Subclass 835 are lodged using Form 40 (Sponsorship for Migration to Australia) by the sponsor and a separate application by the visa applicant. Applications are submitted to the Department of Home Affairs and are allocated a queue date. The queue date determines priority relative to other remaining relative applications when programme places become available.

Because the visa is capped and queued, applicants should expect multi-year processing times. Applicants in Australia during the queue period should ensure they maintain a valid bridging visa. For current queue release information and processing guidance, refer to the DHA Subclass 835 page.

The Subclass 835 is a permanent visa granting permanent residence in Australia on grant. Holders have unlimited work and study rights from the date of grant and are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship after meeting the residence requirements under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.

Holders of the Subclass 835 may sponsor eligible family members for Australian family class visas in the future.