The Carer visa, the Remaining Relative visa and the Aged Dependent Relative visa share one cap and one application form, but a new Carer visa application is estimated to take 12 years and costs A$2,720 to lodge, against 22 years and A$6,600 for either of the other two. The Carer visa rests on an Australian relative's certified medical need for care, the Remaining Relative visa on the applicant having no near relatives outside Australia, and the Aged Dependent Relative visa on an older, single relative's dependence on the Australian family.
What is the difference between the Carer, Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative visas?
The difference between the Carer, Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative visas is the reason for the move: a Carer visa brings a relative to give care, a Remaining Relative visa reunites someone whose near relatives have all settled in Australia, and an Aged Dependent Relative visa brings an older relative who already depends on the Australian family.
| Checked 24 September 2026 | Carer (116 offshore, 836 onshore) | Remaining Relative (115 offshore, 835 onshore) | Aged Dependent Relative (114 offshore, 838 onshore) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who moves | A relative who will give care | A person whose near relatives all live in Australia | An older relative who depends on the Australian family | Migration Regulations 1994 regs 1.15AA, 1.15, 1.03 |
| Key test | Bupa certificate: impairment rating of 30 or more, need for help of at least 2 years, care not reasonably available in Australia | No near relative living outside Australia, or in Australia on a temporary or bridging visa | Age Pension age (67 if born on or after 1 January 1957), no partner, dependent on the relative (the Department asks for at least 3 years) | regs 1.15AA, 1.15, 1.03, 1.05A; immi 835 and 114 pages |
| Assurance of support | Not a criterion | Required, 2 years | Required, 4 years | cl 835.222, 838.222; AoS Determination s 24 |
| Cap | One shared Other Family cap: 500 in 2025–26, 400 planned for 2026–27 | Same cap | Same cap | LIN 26/042 s 7; planning levels page |
| Released for final processing, as at 31 May 2026 | Queue dates up to 31 December 2023 | Up to 30 June 2013 | Up to 30 June 2013 | immi Other Family queue page |
| Estimate for a new application | 12 years | 22 years | 22 years | same page |
| First instalment, main applicant, from 1 July 2026 | A$2,720 | A$6,600 | A$6,600 | immi price list |
| Second instalment, each person | A$2,065 (nil for the carer on severe financial hardship) | A$2,065 | A$2,065 | Sch 1 items 1123A, 1123B |
| Where you must be at application and decision | 116 outside Australia; 836 in Australia | 115 outside; 835 in Australia | 114 outside; 838 in Australia | immi visa pages |
All three are subclasses of the same two visa classes under Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth): Other Family (Migrant) (Class BO) outside Australia and Other Family (Residence) (Class BU) inside it. They are lodged on the same paper Form 47OF, and item 1123B sets the first instalment by whether the applicant "appears to the Minister … to be a carer".
Who is the Remaining Relative visa for?
The Remaining Relative visa is for a person whose parent, brother, sister, step-brother or step-sister is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia, and who, with their partner, has no near relatives living anywhere else.
Regulation 1.15 defines a near relative as a parent, brother, sister, step-brother or step-sister of the applicant or their partner, or an adult child who is not dependent. The Department of Home Affairs' Remaining Relative (subclass 835) page adds that a near relative living in Australia on a temporary visa, including a bridging visa, also defeats the application.
The Carer visa's "relative" is wider. Under regulation 1.03 it includes grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, and the test looks at the relative's medical need, not at where the rest of the family lives.
Who is the Aged Dependent Relative visa for?
The Aged Dependent Relative visa is for a relative who is old enough for the Age Pension, has no spouse or de facto partner, and has depended on an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen relative for a reasonable period.
Pension age is 67 for anyone born on or after 1 January 1957, under section 23 of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth). Regulation 1.05A defines dependence as relying wholly or substantially on the other person's money for food, clothing and shelter, more than on anyone else, or relying on them because a disability prevents work.
The Regulations say "a reasonable period". The Department's Aged Dependent Relative (subclass 114) page asks for dependence on the Australian relative for basic needs "for at least 3 years" before applying. The law governs, and applications are assessed against the Department's 3-year practice.
The two visas point in opposite directions. Under an Aged Dependent Relative visa the Australian family supports the older relative, and under a Carer visa the relative who arrives gives the care.
Which queue is longest: Carer, Remaining Relative or Aged Dependent Relative?
The Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative queues are the longest: the Department estimates 22 years for a new application in either, against 12 years for a new Carer visa application.
As at 31 May 2026, the Department of Home Affairs' Other Family visas queue page showed Carer applications released up to a queue date of 31 December 2023, and Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative applications only up to 30 June 2013. The Department says it generally updates the estimates once a year.
Ministerial Direction 117, in force from 25 July 2026, lists carer applications above remaining relative and aged dependent relative applications in its processing order (section 8(3)(e) and (f)). The same direction says Direction 103 prevails in any conflict, and Direction 103 section 9 releases Other Family applications in queue-date order. The Department does not publish how it reconciles the two, but its release dates show carer applications moving about ten years ahead.
Which costs more: the Carer visa or the other two?
The other two cost more: the first instalment is A$6,600 for a Remaining Relative or Aged Dependent Relative main applicant against A$2,720 for a Carer visa, and all three then charge a second instalment of A$2,065 for each person before grant.
| One adult applicant, standard passport, from 1 July 2026 | Carer | Remaining Relative | Aged Dependent Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| First instalment | A$2,720 | A$6,600 | A$6,600 |
| Second instalment | A$2,065 | A$2,065 | A$2,065 |
| Visa charges in total | A$4,785 | A$8,665 | A$8,665 |
| Assurance of support security, main applicant | None | A$5,000 | A$5,000 |
| Each extra applicant, first instalment (18+ / under 18) | A$1,365 / A$680 | A$3,300 / A$1,655 | A$3,300 / A$1,655 |
The figures come from the Department's current visa pricing and section 19 of the Social Security (Assurances of Support) Determination 2018, which sets a A$5,000 security for the main applicant and A$2,000 for each secondary applicant covered. The severe-hardship waiver applies only to the carer's own second instalment.
Which of the three needs an Assurance of Support?
Two of the three need an Assurance of Support: clauses 835.222 and 838.222 require an accepted assurance before a Remaining Relative or Aged Dependent Relative visa is granted, and the Carer visa has no such criterion.
The assurance lasts 2 years for a Remaining Relative visa and 4 years for an Aged Dependent Relative visa, under section 24 of the Assurances of Support Determination. The assurer, often the sponsor, must repay certain income-support payments made in that period.
For the Carer visa, the Department's Form 40 says an assurance is mandatory for every visa it covers "except for carer" visas, and Schedule 2 Parts 116 and 836 contain no assurance criterion. The Department's Carer visa pages still say an applicant "might be asked" for one. The Regulations govern.
Do all three share one Other Family cap?
All three share one Other Family cap: the 2025–26 instrument, LIN 26/042, allowed a maximum of 500 Other Family visas across all six subclasses, with no separate carer quota.
The 2026–27 planning level for Other Family is 400 places, announced on 12 May 2026 and shown on the Department's Migration Program planning levels page. No 2026–27 cap instrument was on the Federal Register at 24 September 2026, so 400 is a planning level, not yet a legal cap. The Department does not publish how many of the places go to carers.
After grant, the three visas also differ at Centrelink. Services Australia's waiting-period page caps the wait for Remaining Relative holders at 2 years, and Carer visa holders serve no waiting period for Carer Payment or Carer Allowance.
Which one fits your family?
The Carer visa fits a family where an Australian relative needs long-term help because of a medical condition, the Remaining Relative visa fits a family whose near relatives have all settled in Australia, and the Aged Dependent Relative visa fits a single older relative the family already supports.
A Carer visa cannot bring an elderly parent to Australia to be cared for, because it is granted to the person who gives the care. Families starting from the Australian side can read how to bring a relative to care for you under each option, and parents weighing their own route can compare a Carer visa or parent visa side by side.
The Carer visa's full criteria, from the three links to the Australian Values Statement that applicants aged 18 or over sign, are checked in order on the requirements page. For a family asking how long does a Carer visa take once a queue date is known, the processing-time guide works through the release dates. The hardship waiver, which covers only the Carer visa second instalment and only for the carer, is explained with the full charges.
Both Carer visa subclasses, and every stage from application to grant, are introduced on the Carer Visa Australia home page.
A registered professional makes a grant more likely
Choosing between these three visas fixes a family's place in a queue for a decade or more, and the wrong subclass cannot be switched later without a new application and new charges. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner tests the medical-need, near-relative and dependence evidence against the right subclass before lodgement, which makes a grant more likely. No adviser can promise a grant or shorten the queue.
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