Subclass 116 · Permanent
Carer Visa (Subclass 116) Australia
A permanent visa for a person who will care for a relative in Australia, or a member of their family, who has a long-term medical condition and no reasonable access to care in Australia. Outside Australia application. From AUD2,720.
About the Carer Visa (Subclass 116)
The Carer visa (subclass 116) is a permanent visa for a person who will care for a relative in Australia, or a member of their family, who has a long-term medical condition and no reasonable access to care in Australia. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is decided. These visas are capped each year, so processing can take a long time.
With this visa you can
- Stay in Australia indefinitely
- Work and study in Australia
- Enrol in Medicare, Australia's public health scheme
- Sponsor eligible relatives to come to Australia
- Travel to and from Australia for 5 years
You must
- Provide care for a relative, or a member of their family who lives with them, with a long-term medical condition and no reasonable access to care
- Be sponsored by your eligible relative or their partner
- Be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is decided
- Meet health and character requirements
Based on Department of Home Affairs information (October 2026). Costs shown are the starting visa application charge for the main applicant; other costs and concessions may apply. Always confirm current details on the Department of Home Affairs website or ask our team. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.
More Other Family Visas
Carer Visa (Subclass 116): Full Details
Everything about this visa, from eligibility to what happens after grant.
About the Carer visa (subclass 116)
Key facts from Home Affairs, in plain English.
- Stay in Australia indefinitely
- Work and study in Australia
- Enrol in Medicare
- Sponsor eligible relatives
- Travel in and out of Australia for 5 years
- Apply for citizenship when eligible
From AUD2,720 for the main applicant, plus a charge for each family member. A lower cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens from 1 July 2026.
You can include members of your family unit when you apply.
You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is decided.
If you are outside Australia when the visa is granted, enter Australia before the date on your grant letter.
Eligibility
What you need.
You must be willing and able to provide ongoing, substantial care and support to your sponsoring relative, or a member of their family who lives with them.
Home Affairs must approve your sponsor.
You and family members applying with you must meet the health and character requirements. Permanent and provisional visa applicants, and family members applying with them, must have health examinations with an approved panel physician. Temporary visa applicants might need them, depending on the visa and their circumstances. For the character requirement, Home Affairs may ask for police certificates and Form 80.
Previous refusals or cancellations are considered, government debts must be repaid or arranged, and applicants aged 18 or over read the Life in Australia booklet and sign the Australian Values Statement.
The visa may be refused if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Step by step
How the application works.
Before you apply
Check your eligibility and that your relative can sponsor you.
Not sure this is the right visa for you? Contact Outlook Immigration and our registered migration agent will confirm the best pathway.
Gather your documents
Prepare identity, relationship and dependency or care evidence, plus your sponsor's documents.
Apply
Lodge your application with the sponsorship and pay the visa cost.
After you apply
These visas are capped, so there can be a long wait. You may be asked for health checks, police certificates and an Assurance of Support.
Visa outcome
Home Affairs tells you the decision in writing.
When you have this visa
You are a permanent resident.
You can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, and you are protected by Australian workplace law.
Travel in and out of Australia for 5 years. After that, you need a Resident Return visa.
As a newly arrived resident, you may need to wait before you can access some Australian Government payments.
After meeting the residence requirements you may apply for citizenship, and as a permanent resident you may sponsor eligible family members.
About sponsoring your relative
Your role and obligations.
The main applicant and family members who apply with them.
There is no fee to sponsor, but you agree to support the applicant financially.
For the first 2 years the visa holder is in Australia, you must provide them and their family with accommodation and financial help as needed.
You can withdraw your sponsorship in writing at any time before the visa is decided.
Sponsor eligibility
Who can sponsor.
You must be the applicant's relative, or the relative's spouse or de facto partner living with them, and be settled in Australia.
You, or a family member living with you, must be assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services as having a medical condition that causes physical, intellectual or sensory impairment and needing direct assistance with daily living for at least 2 years.
The care must not be reasonably available from another relative in Australia or through welfare, hospital, nursing or community services.
Step by step for sponsors
How to sponsor your relative.
Before you apply
Make sure your relative is eligible for the visa and that you can meet your sponsor obligations.
Not sure this is the right visa for you? Contact Outlook Immigration and our registered migration agent will confirm the best pathway.
Gather your documents
Provide accurate information and prove your identity, ideally with your application or as soon as possible after.
Apply to sponsor
Lodge your sponsorship online in ImmiAccount, linked to your relative's visa application.
After you apply
Home Affairs confirms receipt in ImmiAccount and may ask for more information. Home Affairs may also ask for health examinations, police certificates or biometrics (fingerprints and a facial image).
Outcome
Home Affairs tells the visa applicant about the decision in writing.
After the visa is granted
Your support continues.
Provide accommodation and financial help as needed for the visa holder's first 2 years in Australia.
Carer Visa (Subclass 116) FAQs
Straight answers to the questions we hear most.
Still have questions?
Book an appointment with a registered migration agent and get clear answers about your visa options.
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A person who will care for a relative in Australia, or a member of their family, who has a long-term medical condition and no reasonable access to care in Australia.
From AUD2,720, with concessions in limited circumstances.
Outside Australia, both when you apply and when the visa is decided.
Yes. You can stay in Australia indefinitely, work, study and enrol in Medicare.
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