The Subclass 600 Family Stream is a really important visa option to bring family members out to visit you in Australia for a longer period of time. This is the visa you should use if you wish to sponsor visitor visa for parents. On this visa, your family member can stay up to 12 months. The family sponsored visitor visa (Subclass 600 Sponsored Family Stream) can be granted with one entry or multiple entries.
The application fee for the family sponsored visa is only $150, but remember that the Department of Home Affairs can request a security bond.
With COVID, processing time has blown out considerably and, at time of writing (August 2021) it is taking 4 – 10 months to process.
Visitor Visa 600 Family Sponsored Stream
Unfortunately there is no option to extend this visa as it will have Condition 8503 (no further stay). In very limited situations, you may be able to request a waiver to Condition 8503. You can read about that here.
A separate application must be made for each family member, however they can be processed together.
You must be outside of Australia when you apply for this visa and you must also have a family member that can sponsor you. If you do not have an appropriate family member to sponsor you, you can apply for the family sponsored Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream.
Suitable Family Sponsors
Sponsorship is required to ensure the visa holder will abide by their visa conditions and leave Australia at the end of their visit.
You must be a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident (this usually means they must have lived in Australia for the last 2 years, unless there are compelling compassionate circumstances) in order to sponsor a family member. Sponsors can only sponsor one family member / visa applicant at a time and must be over 18 years old.
To be a relative, you must be an applicant’s:
- partner, parent or child
- brother or sister
- grandparent or grandchild
- aunt or uncle
- niece or nephew
- the step equivalent of the above
To be a sponsor, you can’t be a:
- fiance
- in-law
- cousin
- friend
- New Zealand citizen
You cannot sponsor a family member if you are currently sponsoring a visitor on a subclass 600 visa, and the new applicant is not part of the members of the family unit of the visitor you are already sponsoring or is travelling to Australia for a different purpose.
Security Bond
You must be able to pay a security bond, if requested by the Department. They can request any amount but usually it’s between AUD 5,000 and AUD 15,000 per person. As the sponsor, you must pay the bond in full prior to the Department making a final decision on the visa application. You will get this money back if the person you sponsor complies with their visa conditions and leaves Australia before their visa expires
Penalties will apply to the sponsor if the visitor breaches visa conditions.
Lodgment requirements for tourist visa in Australia with sponsor
Sponsored family visitor visa 600 checklist
You can find more information on checklists here.
Information on sponsorship form 1149 can be found here.
Invitation Letter for Visitor Visa Template
Sponsoring a family member for the subclass 600 visitor visa sponsored family stream to Australia? It’s important to get the invitation letter right.
If you need a bit of a hand, we have available a sample invitation letter available for purchase for just A$8.99:
It’s also important to note that an invitation letter is just one part of the visa application process. You’ll also need to gather other documents, such as your passport and proof of financial stability, and submit them with your application form to the Department.