Subclass 838 – Aged Dependent Relative Visa

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Subclass 838: Aged Dependent Relative visa

The Aged Dependent Relative Visa (Subclass 838) allows older applicants who are financially reliant on the sponsor (dependent relative) to be sponsored by their dependent relative, an Australian Citizen, a permanent resident or an eligible NZ citizen. 

Applicant must be in Australia to apply for this visa. Applicants for the Aged Dependent Relative 838 visa will be granted a bridging visa to stay in Australia until the decision, which could be as long as 30 years. 

With this visa, you can:

  •  Stay in Australia permanently
  •  Sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
  • Apply for Medicare
  • Apply for citizenship, if eligible

Subclass 838 - Aged Dependent Relative visa Eligibility

To be eligible for a Subclass 838- Aged Dependent Relative visa, you must: 

You must be sponsored by an eligible relative for this visa. To sponsor your relative for this visa, you or your partner must be settled in Australia, 18 years of age or older, usually resident and either:

 

You must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia.

You must be old enough to avail the age pension in Australia to be eligible for this visa.

The pension age will be gradually increased from 65 to 67 years as set out in the table below.

Period within which a person was bornPension ageDate pension age changes
From 1 July 1952 to 31 December 195365 years and 6 months1 July 2017
From 1 January 1954 to 30 June 195566 years1 July 2019
From 1 July 1955 to 31 December 195666 years and 6 months1 July 2021
From 1 January 1957 onwards67 years1 July 2023

You must have been dependent on your relative in Australia for basic needs like food, shelter and clothing for at least 3 years before you apply for the visa.

You could be dependent on your relative due to disability that prevents you from working.

 

You must not have a partner in order to be eligible for this visa.

You must not have a Condition 8503 – no further stay condition on the visa they currently hold.

You can check your condition in VEVO.

You must be able to obtain an assurance of support in order to apply for this visa.

An assurance of support assures that you will not have to rely on government assistance after you enter Australia on the parent visa.

You (and family members aged 16 years or over who apply for the visa with you) must meet the health and character requirements.

Character Checks

You will be required to provide police checks from all countries that all applicants have lived for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.

Health Examination (Medicals)

You and any family members applying for the visa with you must have health examinations.

In some circumstances, family members who are not coming to Australia with you might also need to have health examinations.

Steps to apply for a Aged Dependent Relative visa

Processing Times for Aged Dependent Relative visa

Aged Dependent Relative visa applications that meet the criteria to be queued is approximately 50 years.

Something else ?

    FAQ

    We are happy to answer
    any queries you may have

    What is the difference between Subclass 838 and Subclass 114?

    You must be inside Australia to be eligible for Subclass 838 visa while you should be offshore in order to apply for Subclass 114 visa.

    Can a community organise sponsor an applicant?

    Your community organisation can sponsor an applicant where:

    • there is a relationship between the organisation and the applicant’s child
    • a senior representative of the organisation agrees to sponsor the applicant
    • the organisation is lawfully established in Australia
    • the organisation has been actively operating in Australia for at least one year
    • the organisation can meet its financial commitments

    The Department must approve the sponsorship.

    What is assurance of support?

    An assurance of support assures that you will not have to rely on government assistance after you enter Australia on this visa.

    From where can you apply for this visa?

    You and all the applicants involved must be inside Australia and not in the immigration clearance when applying for this visa.

    For how long is the travel component of this visa valid?

    You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date the visa is granted.

    If you want to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility:

    • you will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV) so that you can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident
    Can other family members be added to this visa?

    You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply. You can also add them to your application at any time before the decision is made.

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