Carer Visa Subclass 836 (Onshore) | Permanent Residence for Providing Ongoing Care to an Australian Relative
The Carer visa (Subclass 836) is for people who are already in Australia and are willing and able to provide long-term, substantial and continuing daily care to a relative who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen with a long-term medical condition or disability. Once granted, it confers permanent residence.
The central threshold for this visa is that the care recipient’s medical condition must be assessed as meeting the required standard by Bupa Medical Visa Services, and that the required care can neither be reasonably obtained from welfare or community services in Australia, nor reasonably provided by other relatives or friends in Australia.
There is one key point to understand from the outset: like other visas in the Other Family category, the Carer visa is subject to an annual cap and a queueing mechanism, so it calls for long-term planning. Section 4 below explains what the queue period means for your strategic choices (in all cases, the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures prevail).
Carer Visa Eligibility Assessment | MARA-registered Migration Agent →What You Gain Once Granted
Once granted, the Subclass 836 Carer visa is a permanent resident visa carrying the standard rights of permanent residence:
permanent residence
You obtain Australian permanent resident status in one step, with the right to live in Australia indefinitely and to travel in and out freely. The visa initially carries a 5-year travel facility, renewable afterwards through a Resident Return Visa (RRV).
Work and Study
No restriction on employer or course — the same rights to work and study as local residents. As a permanent resident, you are protected by Australian workplace law.
Medicare and Social Support
You can enrol in Medicare public health cover; onshore (836) applicants can apply for Medicare as soon as the application is lodged; once residence requirements are met, you become entitled to the corresponding social support.
Pathway to Citizenship
Once the residence requirements are met (typically around 4 years of lawful residence in total, including 12 months as a permanent resident), you can apply for Australian citizenship.
The end-state rights are identical to those of any other PR visa; what differs is the eligibility logic (the care relationship and the medical assessment), the sponsorship and Assurance of Support arrangements, and — most importantly — the queue period.
Five Conditions That Must All Be Met
The Carer visa sets very specific requirements for the care relationship and the care recipient’s medical condition. The following five conditions must all be satisfied at the same time:
1. Onshore Lodgement and Decision (836)
The applicant must be in Australia and hold a compliant visa both when lodging and when the visa is granted; before grant, the Department generally issues a Bridging Visa A (BVA), allowing the applicant to remain lawfully in Australia during the queue period.
2. Eligibility of the Care Recipient
The person receiving care must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and must have a long-term medical condition that causes physical, intellectual or sensory impairment (affecting daily living and expected to last at least 2 years).
3. Meeting the Bupa Medical Assessment
The care recipient’s medical condition must be assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services against the Department’s Impairment Tables, producing an impairment rating that meets the standard (assessing the ability to manage daily living and the assistance required).This is the decisive precondition — if the impairment rating does not meet the standard, the visa cannot be granted.
4. The Care Cannot Be Provided by Others
You must demonstrate that the care required can neither be reasonably obtained from welfare, hospital, nursing or community services in Australia, nor be reasonably provided by other relatives or friends of the care recipient in Australia.
5. Sponsorship and Assurance of Support
The sponsor (the care recipient or their spouse/relative) must provide accommodation and, as required, sign a 10-year Assurance of Support (AoS) (lodging a refundable bond with Services Australia of around AUD 10,000 for the first adult and AUD 4,000 for each additional adult, subject to the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures); all applicants must meet the health and character requirements.
The Queue Period: Plan Over a Horizon of Several Years
Before deciding to lodge a Carer visa, this is the first thing you need to be clear about:
Caps and Queueing — in the Department of Home Affairs’ own terms
This visa is subject to annual capping and queueing. For each Migration Program Year, the Department of Home Affairs sets a maximum number of visas that can be granted; once that limit is reached, no further visas are granted in that year, and all remaining applications enter the “queue” to wait for places released in later years.
Estimated wait for a new application — around 8 years
The Carer visa sits within the capped Other Family category, so a new application must join the queue. The current estimated wait is around 8 years (some applications enter the queue within about 18 months, while the overall period to grant can run to several years). This estimate is adjusted each Migration Program Year and is subject to the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures.
Relative to other Other Family visas
The Carer visa is usually faster than the 20+ year queues for Remaining Relative (835/115) and Aged Dependent Relative (838/114) visas, because the genuine, continuing care need in the application is taken into account. We do not promise a specific grant date; this is subject to the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures.
What this means in practice: the Carer visa suits long-term planning. Onshore (836) applicants can usually wait lawfully in Australia on a bridging visa or another visa; in parallel, we assess faster family or skilled pathways to create a dual track. Whether to lodge depends on whether it fits your overall strategy.
Faster or Parallel Pathways
In most cases, the Carer visa is not the only pathway. We typically assess the following options side by side:
Subclass 116 | Offshore Carer
If the applicant is outside Australia, the corresponding option is Subclass 116 (the offshore Carer visa). The core eligibility is the same as the 836; the differences lie in where the application is lodged, the bridging visa, and the timing of Medicare access.
Remaining Relative 835 / Aged Dependent Relative 838
Other permanent residence pathways within the Other Family category, likewise subject to caps and queueing, each with its own evidentiary logic. See the Other Australian Migration Categories overview page for details.
Partner Visas (820/801, 309/100)
If you have an Australian citizen or permanent resident partner, a partner visa is significantly faster (usually 1–3 years to PR). Wherever a genuine, provable partner relationship exists, this should be assessed first.
Parent Visas (143 Contributory / 103 Non-contributory)
For reuniting with parents. These are also subject to caps; the 143 contributory parent visa is usually faster than the non-contributory 103. Exact timeframes are subject to the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures.
Skilled Migration (189 / 190 / 491 → 191, 482 → 186)
If you have an assessable occupation and meet the English requirements, independent or employer-sponsored skilled migration is usually significantly faster and does not depend on a family relationship.
Bridging / Combined Strategies
Our consultants design lawful-stay and transition strategies in Australia — for example, pairing a faster substantive visa with the Carer visa on a dual track, while maintaining lawful status throughout the queue period.
The Lodgement Process (5 Steps)
The Carer visa turns on the medical assessment and the care evidence — what takes time is the queue after lodgement. The steps are as follows:
Step 1 | Eligibility and Bupa Assessment Strategy
A MARA-registered migration agent assesses the care relationship and the care recipient’s condition, plans the Bupa MVS medical assessment strategy, confirms the sponsor, and evaluates whether lodging makes strategic sense (locking in the queue date, running a substantive visa in parallel, and long-term family planning).
Step 2 | Sponsorship and Assurance of Support
Put the sponsor, accommodation and 10-year Assurance of Support (AoS) arrangements in place; the assurer provides evidence of income and lodges the refundable bond with Services Australia.
Step 3 | Assembling the Evidence
Gather medical evidence, the Bupa impairment assessment, a statement of care needs, proof of the family relationship, and comprehensive evidence that the care cannot be provided by others (that it can neither be reasonably obtained from welfare or community services, nor reasonably provided by other relatives or friends in Australia).
Step 4 | Lodgement (836: Onshore + BVA)
The applicant lodges through ImmiAccount from within Australia, with a Bridging Visa A (BVA) usually granted at the same time, allowing the applicant to remain lawfully in Australia during the queue period.
Step 5 | Maintaining Documents During the Queue
Throughout the queue, keep your documents current (health, character, changes of sponsor or address, and updates to the condition) and respond promptly to any requests for further information (RFI), so that the application can move quickly to final decision once the queue date is released.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Carer Visa (836/116)
1. What is the difference between the 836 and the 116?
The core eligibility is the same for both; the difference lies in where you apply. The 836 is an onshore subclass: the applicant must be in Australia both when lodging and when the visa is granted, usually waits on a Bridging Visa A (BVA) before grant, and can apply for Medicare once the application is lodged. The 116 is an offshore subclass: the applicant must be outside Australia both when lodging and when the visa is granted, no bridging visa is issued, and Medicare can be joined only after the visa is granted.
2. Do I have to be a relative of the care recipient?
The carer must be a relative of the care recipient, or have a provable, genuine care relationship with them, be at least 18 years of age, and be willing and able to provide substantial, continuing daily care. The family relationship and the genuineness of the care are central to the assessment.
3. What happens if the Bupa medical assessment is not met?
The care recipient’s medical condition must be assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services, producing an impairment rating that meets the standard set out in the Impairment Tables.This is the decisive precondition — if the impairment rating does not meet the standard, the visa cannot be granted. That is why we plan the assessment strategy before lodging.
4. How long is the wait in the queue?
The Carer visa sits within the capped Other Family category, so it must join the queue. The current estimated wait for a new application is around 8 years, although this is usually faster than the 20+ year queues for Remaining Relative (835/115) and Aged Dependent Relative (838/114) visas. We do not promise a specific grant date; in all cases the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures prevail.
5. Can I work and use Medicare while I wait?
836 (onshore) applicants are usually granted a BVA automatically once they lodge, can apply for work rights on the basis of financial hardship, and can enrol in Medicare. 116 (offshore) applicants wait offshore with no bridging visa and can join Medicare only after the visa is granted. Full permanent resident rights take effect from the day the visa is formally granted.
6. Can my spouse and children apply together with me?
Yes. A spouse (married or de facto) and dependent children under 18 can be included as secondary applicants and are assessed for health and character to the same standard as the primary applicant.
7. How much does the visa cost?
The visa application charge is adjusted each year by the Department of Home Affairs; please use the Visa Pricing Estimator at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au to check the current charges for primary and secondary applicants. You should also budget for the Bupa assessment fee, health examination fees, police clearance fees from each relevant country, translation and notarisation costs, and the AoS bond. In all cases, the Department of Home Affairs’ published figures prevail.
8. Will Newstarsec keep acting for me throughout the long wait?
Yes. Our service covers eligibility and assessment strategy, lodgement, long-term document maintenance (health, character, address and changes of sponsor) and responses to requests for further information (RFI), across the full life of the application. Even when the queue is released after several years, we remain your appointed registered migration agent.
Decide With the Full Picture | Speak With a Newstarsec Consultant
The Carer visa (836/116) is for genuine, continuing care relationships and offers real long-term value — but only when it fits your overall strategy. Book a 30-minute strategy session and, taking account of both your Bupa assessment prospects and the queue period, we will help you decide whether the Carer visa should form part of a long-term family plan — and, if not, what the better option is.
Book a 30-minute strategy session →
