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Pathway

Australia Aged Dependent Relative Visa

Australia Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

This permanent visa is for a single older person who has depended on an eligible Australian relative for food, housing, and clothing for at least three years. You must meet the Age Pension age rule and have no partner. The published estimate for new applications is about 22 years, so this is a long-term option.

Age
Old enough under the Australian Age Pension rules
Financial dependence
At least three years of support for basic food, housing, and clothing
Sponsor
An eligible adult relative, or their partner, settled in Australia

Summary

The Aged Dependent Relative visas are permanent family visas for a single older person who has relied on an eligible relative in Australia for basic financial support for at least 3 years. Subclass 114 is for an applicant outside Australia; Subclass 838 is for an applicant in Australia.

This is a very narrow category. It requires much more than being an older parent, sibling or relative who would prefer to live near family. The applicant must be old enough for the Australian Age Pension rules, have no spouse or qualifying unmarried partner, and prove sustained dependency for basic needs.

These visas have annual limits and waiting lists. As of Home Affairs' 31 May 2026 update, it estimated about 22 years for a newly submitted Aged Dependent Relative application. That is an estimate, not a promised decision date, and it can change.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The applicant generally must:

The sponsor must be at least 18, settled in Australia, and an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. "Settled" and the exact qualifying relationship are immigration-law tests, so documents must prove both the family connection and the sponsor's status.

Dependency evidence should show who paid for the applicant's basic living needs and for how long. Bank transfers, bank statements, rent receipts, household bills, tax records and an explanation of the applicant's own income and assets are more useful than a general statement that family members help each other.

Subclass 114 requires the applicant to be outside Australia at application and decision. Subclass 838 is applied for from inside Australia, but the applicant’s current status must allow that application; a current visa's "No Further Stay" condition or another bar can prevent a valid application.

Checking the Aged Dependent Relative route
  1. Confirm age, no-partner status, and dependence Document at least three years of support for basic living needs.
  2. Check the relative and application-location rules Confirm the family link, sponsor’s status, and any No Further Stay restriction.
  3. Apply with a realistic plan for the long wait Arrange final support and police checks when Home Affairs requests them.

Being an older relative or needing emotional support alone does not meet the financial-dependence rules.

What This Route Allows

If granted, the visa gives permanent residence. The holder can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, access Medicare subject to enrollment rules, and later apply for citizenship if eligible.

The visa normally lets you leave and return as a permanent resident for 5 years. After that return-travel permission expires, a permanent resident who travels needs an appropriate Resident Return visa to re-enter unless they have become an Australian citizen.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a retirement visa, a general visa for an elderly relative, or a route based only on emotional dependence. The person must meet the formal age, no-partner and at-least-3-years financial-dependency tests.

It is not a fast route. There are limited places each year in the visa group called Other Family. Home Affairs' published queue information is essential to realistic planning, especially for healthcare, temporary status and whether an applicant already in Australia can lawfully remain for the whole wait.

An Assurance of Support is not the same as sponsorship. It is a separate legal commitment to repay certain government benefits if the applicant receives them. Home Affairs will say when it is needed.

Next Steps

  1. Check the applicant's age against the current Australian Age Pension age rules.
  2. Confirm the applicant genuinely has no spouse or qualifying unmarried partner.
  3. Build a month-by-month record of at least 3 years of support for food, housing and clothing.
  4. Confirm the sponsor's qualifying relationship, settled status and willingness to complete Form 40.
  5. Compare Subclass 114 and 838 application-location rules, including any No Further Stay condition.
  6. Review the current Other Family queue before making plans based on a grant.
  7. Do not arrange an Assurance of Support or police checks prematurely; follow Home Affairs' request and current instructions.

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Other routes in Australia.

Sources