Join Your Only Family in Australia with the Subclass 115 Visa

What Is the Remaining Relative Visa Subclass 115?

Quick answer: The remaining relative visa subclass 115 is an offshore permanent visa for a person whose only near relatives usually live in Australia as Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens. The applicant must be sponsored, apply from outside Australia, meet health and character requirements and provide an Assurance of Support. Applications are capped and queued, and Home Affairs currently estimates about 26 years to process a new application.

The visa sits in Australia’s “Other Family” stream along with the Carer visa and the Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114). Its purpose is simple: if every close family member you have has already settled in Australia, the remaining relative visa Australia pathway lets you join them permanently instead of staying behind alone.

Who Is a “Remaining Relative”?

You are a remaining relative if you have a parent, brother, sister, step-parent, step-brother or step-sister who is usually resident in Australia, and you (and your partner, if you have one) have no near relatives other than those living in Australia as citizens, permanent residents or eligible NZ citizens.

Who counts as a near relative?

• Parents and step-parents
• Brothers, sisters, step-brothers and step-sisters
• Non-dependent children and step-children

The test applies to your partner’s family too. If your partner has a sibling living in the UK, India or anywhere else outside Australia, you will usually not meet the last remaining relative visa rules – even if all of your own family is in Australia.

Common examples

• “My brother lives in Australia and my parents have passed away.” If you have no other siblings or non-dependent children outside Australia, you may qualify.
• “My sister is in Australia but my brother lives in the UK.” Your brother in the UK is a near relative outside Australia, so you would not be a remaining relative.
• “My sibling in Australia is on a temporary visa.” Relatives in Australia on temporary or bridging visas do not count as “Australian relatives” for this visa.

Subclass 115 Visa Australia Eligibility Requirements

• Be outside Australia when you apply and when Home Affairs decides your application.
• Be a remaining relative of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
• Have an eligible sponsor (see below).
• Have someone who will give an Assurance of Support when your application is released for final processing.
• Meet health and character requirements – including police certificates from every country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years since turning 16.
• Have no outstanding debts to the Australian Government, or have arranged to repay them.
• Sign the Australian Values Statement.

Sponsor Requirements

Your sponsor is usually your Australian relative or their partner. They must:

• be 18 years of age or older;
• be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen;
• be settled and usually resident in Australia; and
• never have held, or sponsored someone else for, a Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115 or 835), Preferential Family visa (subclass 104) or Family visa (subclass 806).

Sponsorship is given on Form 40 and lodged with your application. If circumstances change, the sponsor can be changed before a final decision is made.

Assurance of Support

An Assurance of Support (AoS) is a legal commitment by an assurer – often your sponsor – to support you financially so you do not rely on certain government payments for a set period after you arrive. The assurer must meet an income test and lodge a bond. You do not provide the AoS at lodgement: Home Affairs will tell you how and when to arrange it once your application is released from the queue.

Remaining Relative Visa 115 Processing Time and Queue

The remaining relative visa 115 processing time is one of the longest in Australia’s migration programme because only a small number of places are available each year. Home Affairs assesses applications in lodgement order, gives eligible applications a queue date, and releases them for final processing as places become available.

The remaining relative visa Australia waiting time can move up or down with migration planning levels, withdrawals and refusals. Home Affairs does not answer individual status enquiries, so it is important that your application is complete and decision-ready from day one – errors discovered after decades in the queue can still lead to refusal.

Subclass 115 Visa Cost

Home Affairs lists the visa application charge for the main applicant from AUD 6,600 (2026–27). It is paid in two instalments – the first when you lodge and the second when Home Affairs asks for it before grant. Each family member included in the application adds a further charge. Budget separately for health examinations, police certificates, translations and the Assurance of Support bond. Visa charges usually change every 1 July, so always confirm the figure with the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge.

How to Apply for the 115 Visa Australia

1. Test your eligibility – list every near relative of you and your partner, where they live and their visa status.
2. Confirm your sponsor – check their status, residence and sponsorship history.
3. Collect evidence – identity, relationship, sponsor and near-relative documents, with certified translations.
4. Lodge on paper – send Form 47OF, Form 40 and the first instalment to the Home Affairs Other Family processing centre while you are outside Australia.
5. Get your queue date – Home Affairs checks the core criteria and either queues or refuses the application.
6. Keep details updated – report any change of address, family or circumstances (Form 1022) while you wait.
7. Final processing – complete health checks, police certificates and the Assurance of Support, then pay the second instalment.
8. Grant – be outside Australia at grant, then move to Australia as a permanent resident.

Subclass 115 vs Other Australian Family Visas

People often confuse the remaining relative test with the balance of family test used for parent visas. They are different: the balance of family test compares where a parent’s children live, while the remaining relative test asks whether you have any near relatives outside Australia at all. Parents should start with our Australian parent visa guide.

What You Can Do After Your 115 Visa Is Granted

• Live in Australia permanently and work for any employer.
• Study, with children able to attend school as permanent residents.
• Enrol in Medicare, Australia’s public health scheme.
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence.
• Travel to and from Australia for 5 years from grant.
• Apply for Australian citizenship once you meet the residence requirements.

Read more about these rights in our guide to Australian permanent residency.

Is the 115 Visa the Right Route for You?

With a wait measured in decades, the subclass 115 visa is a long-term safety net rather than a quick move. Before you lodge, it is worth checking whether a faster pathway fits your profile:

• Skilled migration – if you have a skilled occupation, the 189 visa, 190 visa or 491 visa may be far quicker. Test your score with our Australia PR points calculator.
• Partner visas – if your partner is Australian, see our partner visa Australia guide.
• Visiting family while you wait – you can apply for a visitor visa to see your relatives. UK passport holders can usually use the eVisitor visa (651); others can look at the Australia visitor visa. Remember you must be outside Australia when your 115 visa is decided.

How GIEC Global’s Immigration Consultants Help

As an Australia immigration consultant supporting clients in the UK and worldwide, GIEC Global focuses on getting your remaining relative visa application right before it enters the queue. Our immigration consultants:

• map every near relative of you and your partner to confirm you genuinely meet the remaining relative test;
• check your sponsor’s status, residence and sponsorship history;
• prepare a complete paper application with Form 47OF, Form 40 and supporting evidence;
• explain the Assurance of Support so your family can plan ahead; and
• compare the 115 visa with skilled, partner and parent options so you choose the fastest realistic route.

Explore all options on our Migrate to Australia page or read our Australia immigration FAQs.

Reviewed by the GIEC Global Australia immigration team. Processing data reflects Home Affairs figures as at 31 August 2026; last reviewed October 2026. Visa rules and charges change regularly – always confirm details on the official Department of Home Affairs website before applying.