Child Visa (Onshore) Subclass 802

Be dependent on their parent who is an Australian citizen, eligible New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent visa holder

The child must be dependent on a parent who is an:

Australian citizen
Eligible New Zealand citizen
Australian permanent visa holder

They can be their parent’s:

biological child
adopted child
stepchild

Adopted children

To be eligible for this visa, the adoption must have been finalised before the child turned 18.

The adoption can have happened either before or after the parent became an Australian citizen, Australian permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen.

If the child was adopted after their parent became an Australian citizen, Australian permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen, they must have been adopted:

through an intercountry adoption with the involvement of an Australian state or territory central authority, or
through an intercountry adoption by arrangement between two countries (other than Australia) that are parties to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Hague Adoption Convention), or
if no Australian state or territory central authority was involved, through an expatriate adoption by an Australian citizen, an eligible New Zealand citizen or the holder of an Australian permanent visa who has been living outside Australia for more than 12 months before the adoption was finalised

Learn more about adopting a child overseas from Intercountry Adoptions Australia.

It is recommended that you obtain independent legal advice both in Australia and in the child’s country of usual residence before proceeding with an expatriate adoption as there are risks for both the child and the adoptive parents in this process.

Stepchildren

To be eligible for this visa, a stepchild must:

be the child of their step-parent’s former partner
be aged under 18

The step-parent must also have either:

an Australian parenting order in force that says the child is to live with them and be looked after by them, or
guardianship or custody of the child under an Australian law or the law of another country

Have a sponsor

The child must be sponsored by an eligible parent or their parent’s spouse or de facto partner.

We must approve the sponsorship. We might not approve sponsorship if the sponsor or their partner has been charged or convicted of offences involving children. Learn more about measures for the protection of children.

Be this age

The child must be either:

under 18 years old, or
over 18 and under 25 years and studying full time, or
over 18 years with a disability

If the child is over 18 and under 25 years and studying full time

If the child is over 18 and under 25 years old they:

must be a full-time student when they apply and when the visa application is decided
can’t work full time
must be financially dependent on their parent more than any other person

The child is a full-time student if they are:

enrolled in a full-time course that leads to a professional, trade or vocational qualification
attending classes

The child should have started study since turning 18 years of age or within 6 months (or a reasonable time) of finishing school. Any gaps of more than 6 months between their final year of school and the start of their further studies must be explained.

If the child is over 18 years with a disability

If the child is 18 years or older with a disability, they:

must have totally or partially lost their bodily or mental functions
can’t work full time
must be financially dependent on their parent

Have no partner

The child:

can’t be married or in a de facto relationship
can’t be engaged to be married

If the child is over 18, they must never have been married or had a de facto partner.

Meet the health requirement

The child and any of their dependent children who apply for the visa with them must meet our health requirement.

Dependent children who are not applying for the visa might also need to meet our health requirement.

Meet the character requirement

If the child is aged 16 years and over they must meet our character requirement.

We might also ask that their dependent children who apply for the visa with them meet the requirement.

Have paid back your debt to the Australian Government

If you or any member of your family owe the Australian Government money you or they must have paid it back or have a formal arrangement to pay it back.

Sign the Australian values statement

If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:

have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia book
sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws

Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused

The child might not be eligible for this visa if, since they last arrived in Australia, we have:

refused a visa application, or
cancelled a visa

Check if visa cancellation or refusal affects your eligibility..

If the child does not have a substantive visa when they apply for this visa, and we have cancelled a visa or refused a visa application since they last arrived in Australia, they must show us they have become the dependent child of an Australian citizen, eligible New Zealand citizen or holder of an Australian permanent visa. They must also show us that they have not been refused a visa or had their visa cancelled on character grounds.

Have consent to migrate to Australia

We will only grant this visa to a child younger than 18 years if either:

the child has the written consent of everyone who can legally decide where they live, or
the laws of the child’s home country allow them to leave their home country, or
it is consistent with any Australian child order about the child

Best interests of the child

We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

The child must be in Australia when we make our decision.

We will let you know our decision in writing.

If we grant the visa, we will advise:

the visa grant number
the date your visa starts
any visa conditions

Keep a copy of the grant letter with you when in Australia.

If we refuse the child’s visa, we will advise:

why we refused the visa
any rights of review

We will not refund the application charge if we refuse the application.

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COST

COST

WITH THIS VISA

Be dependent on their parent who is an Australian citizen, eligible New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent visa holder

Adopted children

Stepchildren

Have a sponsor

Be this age

If the child is over 18 and under 25 years and studying full time

If the child is over 18 years with a disability

Have no partner

Meet the health requirement

Meet the character requirement

Have paid back your debt to the Australian Government

Sign the Australian values statement

Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused

Have consent to migrate to Australia

Best interests of the child

Get help with your application

Provide accurate documents

Identity documents

Travel documents

Photographs

Child’s relationship to the parent

Financial documents

Applicant circumstances documents

Applicants aged 18 to 25 years studying full time

Applicants aged 18 or older with disability

Dependants under 18 documents

Parental responsibility documents

Character documents

Tell us you are getting help

Prepare your documents

Translate

Certify

Keep

Send

Provide accurate information

Apply on paper

If you have an existing Parent visa application

Status updates

Travel

Health exams

Biometrics

Send more information

Stay lawful

Add family members

Newborn children

Mistakes on your application

Help with your application

Tell us if things change

Start your migration journey today

Sponsor

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Old Can The Child Be?

2. Can I Sponsor Adopted Children?

3. Can I Include Other Children In One Application?

Do You Have Any Further Questions?

We understand that you may have specific questions about your own unique situation, so if there is anything you need to know that is not addressed on this website, do not hesitate to contact us.

Why choose us?

At Carevisa Australia, we make sure that our clients are looked after. We will manage your visa case with the highest level of care, and guide you throughout every step of the process. We are here to help you in any way, and assist you with any Australian migration related queries you may have.