Remaining Relative Visa
The Remaining Relative Visa is a permanent visa for an applicant whose only close family ties are in Australia. The Subclass 115 is the offshore application; the Subclass 835 is the onshore application. The pathway is built on a strict near relatives test that applies to both the applicant and any partner: where any near relative resides outside Australia, the visa cannot be granted, regardless of the strength of the family relationship in Australia.
Key facts
Visa Type
Permanent
Subclasses
115 offshore / 835 onshore
Near Relatives Test
Applicant and partner combined
Queue Release
Up to 30 June 2013 (as at 28 Feb 2026)
The near relatives test
The applicant and any partner, taken together, must have no near relatives outside Australia other than the sponsoring relative or the sponsor's partner. Near relatives are defined as parents, brothers, sisters, non-dependent children, and the step-equivalents of each.
The test is unforgiving. A single brother in another country, a step-parent in another country, or a non-dependent adult child living abroad will defeat the application. The applicant's partner is treated symmetrically: relatives of the partner outside Australia count against the applicant.
Sponsorship
The sponsoring Australian relative must be a parent, sibling (including step-sibling), or step-parent of the applicant or of the applicant's partner. The sponsor or the sponsor's partner must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and must agree to provide an Assurance of Support.
The Assurance of Support runs for the period and at the bond level applicable to non-contributory family visas. Services Australia administers the Assurance of Support. The bond is held as a 10-year cash deposit or bank guarantee, refundable at the end of the assurance period less any recoverable Services Australia payments.
Evidence
Family composition
A complete account of all near relatives of both the applicant and any partner, with documentary evidence of identity and current location. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and where applicable death certificates establish the family map.
Status of relatives
Evidence that any near relative not in Australia falls outside the near relatives definition (for example, a dependent child rather than a non-dependent child) or has died. Where status turns on dependency, contemporaneous documentary evidence is required.
Sponsorship
Evidence of the sponsoring relative's identity, citizenship or residence status, and continued settlement in Australia. The Assurance of Support paperwork is administered separately through Services Australia.
Capping and queueing
The Remaining Relative Visa sits within the Other Family category, which is subject to numerical capping and queueing. The wait is currently very long, with applications with a queue date up to 30 June 2013 being released for final processing as at 28 February 2026.
The onshore Subclass 835 confers a Bridging Visa A on lodgement, keeping the applicant lawful through the queue. The offshore Subclass 115 provides no equivalent interim status. Choice of subclass should account for the applicant's location, immigration status, and the realistic length of the wait.
Related pathways
Strategic preparation of the Remaining Relative Visa
Remaining Relative cases are decided on the family-mapping evidence. Visa Plan Lawyers prepares applications with a complete and documented account of near relatives, sponsor settlement, and the long-horizon Bridging Visa A for onshore Subclass 835 applicants.