A year on and the COVID-19 pandemic still shows no signs of diminishing in many parts of the world. Australia’s strong border restrictions look like they will remain in place until well into 2022. Many Australian citizens and permanent residents are still stuck overseas with their partners and families, and would like to bring them back to Australia. If you’re one of them, there are several ways for you to ensure your family is able to return home with you.

Visitor visa, travel exemption and onshore family visa

One cost effective way and sometimes a quicker way to have your family return home to Australia with you is if they apply for a visitor visa to enter Australia. There are a number of different types of visitor visas and the most appropriate visa for your family members will depend on which country of passport they hold.

Citizens of a select group of countries including those who hold US, Canadian, Japanese or Singaporean passports can apply for the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). This is a very straightforward and quick visa to apply for and can be applied for through the AustralianETA app.

For citizens of the UK and many other European countries, the subclass 651 e-visitor visa would be the most suitable visa to apply for. There is also the standard subclass 600 visitor visa that anyone can apply for no matter which passport they hold.

Once your family member has their visitor visa granted, they will have to apply for a travel exemption to enter Australia on the basis of being your spouse, de facto partner or dependent child. As long as your family members provide extensive proof of their relationship with you as the Australian citizen or permanent resident, they should have no issues in being granted an exemption to enter Australia.

After your family member arrives in Australia, if you all decide that you want to remain in Australia permanently, you could then look at having them apply for either an onshore partner visa (Subclass 820) or child visa (Subclass 802). This would allow them to stay here beyond the expiry of their visitor visa and eventually obtain permanent residency. Your spouse or de facto partner may even be able to lodge their partner visa application before the major partner visa changes are introduced this year.

Offshore partner visa

Some couples may be in no rush to return to Australia but it is something they might be planning to do in the next year or more. If this is what you had in mind, then your spouse or partner could apply for an offshore partner visa (Subclass 309).

This application involves demonstrating that you and your partner are either married, or in a de facto relationship for over 12 months. Your relationship must be genuine and continuing, and you have a commitment to be together for the long-term. The offshore partner visa may take 12 months or more to be processed, however this will depend on the processing team assessing the visa application. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some embassies and consulates have been processing offshore partner visa applications at a much faster rate than what is officially published on the Department of Home Affairs website.

When this visa is granted, it will allow your spouse or partner to enter Australia without the need to apply for a travel exemption. The visa allows multiple entries, provides full work rights in Australia and is valid until the decision is made on the second stage permanent partner visa (Subclass 100).

Thinking of applying for a partner visa?

See if you’re eligible and fill in our Partner Visa Pre-assessment form.

Partner Visa Pre-Assessment

Offshore child visa

If you are a permanent resident and have a child who was born outside of Australia, one way they could return home with you is if you apply for a child visa for them. An offshore child visa (Subclass 101) is a permanent resident visa which allows dependent children of Australian citizens and permanent residents to travel to Australia without the need to apply for a visitor visa and obtain a travel exemption.

Australian citizenship for your child

Are you an Australian citizen who has a child who was born overseas? If you were an Aussie citizen at the time of the child’s birth, you could apply for your child to become an Australian citizen just like you. Your child would be eligible to apply for citizenship by descent and once this is approved, they are able to obtain an Australian passport and fly back home with you without having to apply for a visa to return home to Australia.

Australian citizens also have the added benefit of seeking Australian consular assistance wherever they are in the world and this has become even more important during the current pandemic.

Who to call when you need help with bringing your family home with you

When it comes to family visas such as the partner visa and child visa, we are your experts. If you need advice, assistance or simply have some questions about bringing your family back home to Australia, we recommend booking a consultation to speak to our Registered Migration Agent.