Requirements to be eligible for Carer visa (Subclass 836)

There are two different categories of requirements for the applicant (the carer) and those for the person requiring care beside their sponsor and their main sponsor in order to be eligible fo Carer visa (subclass 836)

Requirements for the Applicant (Carer):

1. Location: You must be located inside Australia when you lodge your application and usually when a decision is made on your application. You must not be in immigration clearance.
2. Valid Visa: You must hold a substantive visa at the time of application. If you hold a visa with a “No Further Stay” condition (such as 8503, 8534, or 8535), you must have this condition waived before you can apply.
3. Provide Care: You must be genuinely willing and able to provide substantial and ongoing care and support to your sponsoring relative or the family member of their household who needs care.
4. No Other Reasonable Care Options: You must demonstrate that the required care cannot be provided by another relative who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen in Australia, and the said care also cannot be obtained from Australian welfare, community, or hospital services too.
5. Sponsorship: You must be sponsored by your relative in Australia who needs the care (or whose family member needs the care), or their cohabiting partner. The sponsorship must be approved by the Department of Home Affairs.
6. Assurance of Support (AoS): The Department will usually inform you when it is necessary for you to provide an AoS. The primary condition of AoS is that one (normally your sponsor or another Australian resident/organisation) makes a legally binding obligation of providing you with the financial resources so that you can continue your living in Australia without the help of social security payments from the Australian government for a specific period after you were given this visa.
7. Health Requirements: You (and any family members applying with you) must meet Australia’s health requirements. So this means you need to undergo medical examinations through Bupa Medical Visa Services in Australia.
8. Character Requirements: You (and any family members 16 years or older applying with you) must meet Australia’s character requirements. This generally means providing police certificates from every country you have lived in for 12 months or more (cumulatively) during the last 10 years since you turned 16, including an Australian police check. The purpose of this is to make sure you can provide evidence of your good character and to confirm you have no outstanding legal issues or pending court proceedings in your current country of residence, or you have no criminal record back home.
9. Debts to the Australian Government: If you or any family members included in your application owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or have an approved arrangement in place to pay it back.
10. Australian Values Statement: If you are 18 years of age or older, you must sign an Australian Values Statement, confirming you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
11. No Previous Visa Cancellation or Refusal: If you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused while in Australia, this might affect your eligibility.

Requirements for the Person Requiring Care and the Sponsor:

1. Relationship to Applicant: The carer applicant in Carer visa (Subclass 836) , must have a some kind of specific family connection to an Australian sponsor, who must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or elgible New Zealand citizen. Since, the Australian sponsor must be the applicant relative, this relationship could either be partner, parent or step-parent, child or step-child, sibling or step-sibling, grandparent or step-grandparent, grandchild or step-grandchild, aunt or step-aunt, uncle or step-uncle, niece or step-niece, or nephew or step-nephew. But, the actual person requiring care due to a medical condition can either be the sponsoring Australian relative directly, or it can be a member of this sponsoring Australian relative’s immediate family unit like partner or dependent child, currently living in the same household as the sponsoring Australian relative.
2. Sponsor’s Status in Australia: The sponsor (your relative or their partner) must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
3. Sponsor Settled in Australia: The sponsor must be “settled” in Australia. This usually means they have been lawfully living in Australia for a reasonable period, typically at least 2 years.
4. Sponsor’s Age: The sponsor must be 18 years of age or older.
5. Medical Condition of Person Requiring Care:
The person who requires care in this visa application must have a permanent or long-term medical condition that has impaired their ability to attent to the practical aspects of their daily life. And, this caree most likely needs for at least 2 years of support from the applicant.
6. Medical Assessment Certificate:
The medical condition and the level of care required must be assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services (or another health service provider approved by the Department for this purpose). The assessment must certify that the person’s medical condition meets a minimum impairment rating specified in the migration regulations (currently a score of at least 30 on the relevant assessment scale). This certificate must be obtained before you lodge the visa application.
7. Sponsorship Obligations: The sponsor must agree to provide you (the carer) and any accompanying family members with adequate accommodation and financial support for the first two years in Australia.
8. Arrange Assurance of Support (AoS): The sponsor will likely be the one to arrange the AoS.

Checklist for Carer Visa (Subclass 836)

(This is a general guide. The specific documents required will vary based on your individual circumstances. Always refer to the document checklist provided by the Department of Home Affairs or our migration agent here when you apply.)

A. Applicant’s (Carer’s) Identity and Civil Documents:

• Certified copy of passport bio-data page (for you and any migrating family members)
• Recent passport-sized photographs (meeting specific requirements)
• Original or certified full birth certificate showing both parents’ names
• National ID card (if applicable)
• Evidence of name change (e.g., marriage certificate, deed poll)
• Evidence of your current Australian visa
• Evidence of “No Further Stay” condition waiver (if applicable)

B. Documents Relating to the Person Requiring Care & Their Medical Condition:

• Certified identity documents (e.g., passport, birth certificate)
• Proof of Australian citizenship, permanent residency, or eligible New Zealand citizen status
• Original medical certificate from Bupa or an approved assessor outlining condition and care needs
• Detailed medical reports from treating doctors or specialists

C. Sponsor’s Documents:

• Evidence of Australian citizenship, permanent residency, or NZ citizen status
• Proof they are “settled” in Australia (e.g., 2+ years of residence documents)
• Proof of current residential address
• Completed Form 40 (Sponsorship for migration)
• Passport-sized photograph
• Proof of relationship to the person requiring care (if different)

D. Relationship Documents (Applicant/Carer and Sponsoring Relative):

• Certified birth certificates, marriage certificates, or official family documents showing relationship

E. Evidence of Inability of Others to Provide Care / Unavailability of Other Care Services:

• Statements and evidence showing why other relatives cannot provide care
• Proof of attempts to get care through government/community services and why these were insufficient
• A statement showing your willingness and ability to provide the required care

F. Health Documents (Applicant and Migrating Family Members):

• Proof of health examination arrangements with Bupa Medical Visa Services (as per guidelines)

G. Character Documents (Applicant and Migrating Family Members 16+, and potentially Sponsor):

• Australian National Police Check (for applicants and migrating family members aged 16+)
• Overseas police certificates (for countries lived in for 12+ months over the past 10 years)
• Military service records or discharge papers (if applicable)
• Form 80 (Personal particulars including character assessment)
• Police certificates for sponsor (if required)

H. Assurance of Support (AoS) Documents:

• These will be requested by the Department later if required, and relate to the assurer’s financial capacity

I. Documents for Accompanying Family Members (of the Carer):

• Identity documents (as listed in Section A)
• Proof of relationship (e.g., marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates)
• Evidence of dependency (for dependent children)
• Form 1229 or a statutory declaration if applicable for minors
• Health and character documents
• Evidence of current Australian visa

J. Other Forms:

• Completed Form 47OF (Application for migration by other family members)
• Form 956A (if appointing an authorised recipient)
• Form 956 (if using a migration agent)
• Signed Australian Values Statement (for applicants 18+)