For Applicant

Basic requirement you need for Visitor Visa(Subclass 600) Sponsored Family Stream

• You must be outside of Australia when applying for this visa
• Visitor visa (subclass 600) Sponsored family stream visa is strictly for visit purpose only and not for any other purpose like study, business, work or medical treatment
• You must have enough funds to for the duration of your temporary stay in Australia
• You shouldn’t have remaining debts with Australian government, you must have cleared it or have some kind of arrangement proof to pay it back

*Note: If you are on cruise that is round trip then Australian Immigration considers the time spent in cruise as time spent in Australia, and you haven’t left Australia. So, taking a round-trip cruise will not extend or reset the duration of your stay under your visa.

Everything you need to know about Sponsored family stream 
1. Genuine Visitor/Temporary Stay Intent:
As the name suggest you must consider your intention of coming to Australia. If you are looking temporarily visit Australia, this is for you. If you looking do any other activities like study or work, this might not be for you.
Evidence you can provide: documents showing ties to home country, or travel history and your specific travels plans or itenary.

2. Financial Capacity:
You need to prove to the Department of Home Affairs that you can financially support your stay in Australia. Having adequate funds is key to ensuring your application is considered. We recommend showing funds in the higher range of the department’s required amount, depending on the number of travelers.
Evidence you can provide: Bank statements, payslips, credit card limits, evidence of support from inviter if applicable.

3. Health requirements:
This is a must before entring Australia. You must meet the minimum health standard before your entry to Australia. Another mandatory factor is the health insurance where each traveller listed in your application must have proper health insurance.
Evidence you can provide:
— Confirmation of a medical examination from an institution approved to conduct health checks to Australian standards
— proof of purchase of an appropriate health insurance policy from an insurer registered in Australia

4.  Character requirements:
The purpose of this is to provide evidence of your good character and to confirm you have no outstanding legal issues or pending court proceedings in your country of residence, or you have no criminal record back home.
Evidence you can provide: Police report form your home showing you have no criminal record.

5. Family member:
While you can travel with your family, each family member must submit their own separate application, complete with all their specific documents requirements.

For Sponsor:

Being a sponsor for Visitor visa (subclass 600) Sponsored family stream means you need to be actively involved with the applicant to provide accurate information to the Department of Home Affairs. But, before that you need to check if you can qualify as sponsor for the applicant.

Eligibility requirements to be sponsor(You must qualify for everything mentioned below)

1. You must be related to applicant in some capacity, as given below. Any one condition can statisfy

– You are a relative of the visa applicant. And to be a relative you must be
partner, parent or child
brother or sister
grandparent or grandchild
aunt or uncle
niece or nephew

–  You are a member of the family unit of the visa applicant. You’re considered part of the main applicant’s ‘family unit’ if you are their:
Spouse or de facto partner.
Child or step-child, provided they are not engaged, married, or in a de facto relationship, AND fall into one of these categories:
Under 18 years old; OR
Aged 18 to 23 years and are dependent on the main applicant (or their partner); OR
Aged 23 years or older and are dependent on the main applicant (or their partner) due to a partial or total physical or mental disability.
Dependent child of a child/step-child who meets the conditions above.

– If your are an Australian parliament, a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory, a mayor, or a government agency or instrumentality of the Commonwealth or a State or a Territory, then you qualify to be a sponsor.

2. You must not be realted as to the applicant as a fiancé or fiancée, an in-law, a cousin, a friend, or a New Zealand citizen.

3.  Being an settled Australian citizen or permanent residence is a must if you want to sponsor someone for Visitor visa (subclass 600) Sponsored family stream. And, you must be over 18 years old.

4. You should be able and ready to pay a security bond if Deparment of Home Affairs require you to. If they do, bonds are usually between AUD 5000 to AUD 15,000 per person. This should be paid in full before any final decision on visa is made by Department of Home Affairs.
(*Note: The bond amount will be refunded to you once the applicant compiles with their visa decision and leaves Australia before their visa expires. Or, if the application gets refused you will be refunded full amount.)

5.  If you previously have sponsored someone other than current applicant and the previous applicant visa is still active then, unless new applicant is an immediate family member of the first visa holder and is travelling for excat same purpose, then you don’t qualify to be a sponsor
(* Imporant Note: a five-year sponsorship restriction applies to potential sponsor if a previously sponsored individual, whose visa was granted less than five years ago and has since expired, failed to comply with their visa conditions. Sill, this five-year restriction may be waived for you if and only if non-compliance was overstaying their visa (breaching condition 8531) due to circumstances genuinely beyond their control that arose after they entered Australia.)

6. As a sponsor, you must willingly uphold your obligations, which include ensuring the visitor complies with all their visa conditions and repaying any debts the applicant or visitor owes to the Australian Government.

Document Checklist for Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) Tourist Stream in Australia

The documents you need to prepare for this visa are quite straightforward. Listed below are a few documents you need to prepare to have a solid application:

A. Identity Documents:

• Passport bio-data page (certified copy)
• Recent passport-sized photographs (specifications)
• Birth certificate
• National ID card (if applicable)
• Evidence of name change (if applicable)

B. Genuine Visitor & Financial Capacity Documents:

• Detailed travel itinerary / plans
• Invitation letter from sponsor and declaration letter from applicant
• Evidence of employment / income / financial standing (payslips, bank statements for X months, tax records, credit card statements) (applicable if you decide to finance your stay independently; if your sponsor fully funds your stay, please check the information on sponsor)
• Evidence of assets in home country
• Letter from employer confirming leave (if employed)
• Business registration documents (if self-employed)

C. Health & Character Documents (as applicable or requested):

• Details of health insurance (strongly recommended/sometimes mandatory)
• Police certificates (if required/requested)
• Proof of biometric data collection compliant with Australian standards done at an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre (ABCC)
• Form 80 – Personal particulars for character assessment (if requested after lodging visa)
• Form 1563 – Statement of Character (if requested after lodging visa)
• Provide a military certificate and a Form 1399 – Declaration of Service (if you have participated in military service)

D. For Applicants Under 18:

• Parental consent forms (e.g., Form 1229)
• Form 1257 (Undertaking Declaration)
• Copies of parents’ ID

1. Before You Fly to Australia

Get Your Docs in Order: First things first! Make sure you have a valid visa to enter Australia and that your passport (or other travel document) is current and won’t expire during your trip.

2. Arriving Down Under

Welcome Card: When you land, you’ll need to fill out an Incoming Passenger Card. Everyone does this, so have a pen handy!
SmartGate for a Speedier Entry? If you have an ePassport, you might be able to use the SmartGate. It uses facial recognition and can often get you through airport procedures a bit quicker.

3. Your Australian Adventure: Making the Most of Your Visa

Once you’re settled in, here’s how to enjoy your stay and keep things smooth:

Know Your Visa Rules: It’s super important to stick to all your visa conditions and, of course, obey Australian laws. You can always find your specific conditions in VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) or in the visa grant letter you received. Want to understand visa conditions better? It’s a good idea to learn more about how they work.

Life Changes? Let Immigration Know! If things change while you’re here, you need to update the immigration department. This includes changes to your:
Phone number, email, or address
Passport details
Relationship status (like getting married or divorced)

And, make sure you don’t overstay your visa period.  Overstaying is a serious immigration offense and can lead to severe consequences, including difficulties with future travel or visa applications to Australia