The Child Visa category is for the natural child, adopted child or stepchild of a sponsor who must be a citizen of Australia, holder of a permanent visa or eligible New Zealand citizen. Where a child is overseas and was adopted after the sponsor became a permanent resident, they should apply under the Adopted Child category.

Note that a child can only be granted a permanent Child Visa on the basis of a step relationship in circumstances where:

• The child's natural or adopted parent is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen; or
• The parent is no longer a spouse of the step parent and that step parent has been granted legal responsibility for the child by a court.

Orphan Relative Category

The Orphan Relative Visa category is for a child under 18 years of age who has no parent to care for them.

The sponsor must be a relative who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Adoption Category

The Adoption category is for a child under 18 years of age who has been adopted or is in the process of being adopted by their sponsor who must be an Australian citizen, holder of a permanent visa or eligible New Zealand citizen.

The adoption must be supported by a State/Territory adoption authority, unless the adoptive parent has been resident overseas for a period of at least 12 months at the time of the migration application, and they can demonstrate their residence overseas was not contrived to deliberately bypass the requirements concerning entry of adopted children.

Dependent Child (Temporary) Category

The Dependent Child (Temporary) Visa is a provisional visa which enables a dependent child (natural child, adopted child or step child) of a holder of a Provisional Partner Visa to travel to or remain in Australia for the same period as their parent.

Once this visa has been granted, the child can apply to be added to their parent's Permanent Partner Visa application.

Qualifying for a Child Visa

There are a range of criteria you must be able to fulfil for your child to qualify for a visa to Australia. Fill out an Online Assessment to see if your child will qualify for an Australian Child Visa, or if you are able to sponsor a child to Australia.

If you are married to, in a committed relationship with or the fiancee of an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you may be able to obtain an Australian Partner Visa.

All applicants for a Partner Visa must have an Australian sponsor. Your sponsor must provide a written statement pledging to support you for your first 2 years in Australia, including accommodation and financial assistance to meet reasonable living needs.

Your relationship with your partner will be assessed as part of the application process. Additionally, applications are assessed against Australian health and character requirements.

Married Spouses

To apply for a Spouse Visa on the basis of your marriage, you must be legally married to your partner. If you were married in a country other than Australia, your marriage will generally be recognised as valid under Australian law.

De Facto or 'Common Law' Spouses

If you are applying for a Spouse Visa as a de facto spouse, you and your partner generally must have been in a de facto relationship for the 12 months immediately prior to lodging your application.

Same Sex Couples

The Interdependency Visa allows same sex partner migration to Australia.

Fiancee Visa

A Prospective Marriage Visa is a temporary visa that is valid for 9 months. You must enter Australia as a fiancee and marry your sponsor within the period the visa is valid.

Children, parents and other family members may apply for migration to join their Australian citizen or permanent resident family members in Australia. This section sets out a number of options for people wanting to emigrate to Australia to join their family permanently.