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:
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 born | Pension age | Date pension age changes |
|---|---|---|
| From 1 July 1952 to 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months | 1 July 2017 |
| From 1 January 1954 to 30 June 1955 | 66 years | 1 July 2019 |
| From 1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months | 1 July 2021 |
| From 1 January 1957 onwards | 67 years | 1 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.
Our Migration Agent will check to ensure that you are eligible for an Aged Dependent Relative Visa.
We will assist you in gathering all the necessary documents to support your visa application including,
Once the documents are ready, we will assist you in applying for the visa.
This visa is applied on paper.
Once your visa application is lodged, we will wait to hear from the Department.
The application will usually go into a queue until a place becomes available. This could take up to 30 years.
Usually, the Department will respond by sending you a “Request for Further Information” – if they require further information/documentation to finalise your application.
The Department will send you an invoice, for the instalment after you have met all other requirements for the visa. They will also request for evidence that you have paid for your assurance of support.
If the visa is granted, you will receive,
If not, you will be informed,
We have summarised a cost estimate for a Subclass 838- Aged Dependent Relative visa application as below.
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to Service Australia.
Paid directly to Service Australia.
Paid directly to the agency (i.e.; BUPA in Australia) that conducts your medical checks
Paid directly to Australian Federal Police that conducts your character checks
Paid directly to Overseas authorities that conducts your character checks
Aged Dependent Relative visa applications that meet the criteria to be queued is approximately 50 years.
Unit 7, 242-244 Caroline Springs Blvd
Caroline Springs VIC 3023
