What can you do on a Subclass 114 visa in 2026: work, study, Medicare

What a Subclass 114 visa allows in 2026: work, study, Medicare, five-year travel, sponsoring relatives and the path to citizenship.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

An Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114) is a permanent visa, and the rights that come with it are broad: you can stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in Australia's public healthcare scheme Medicare, sponsor your relatives to come to Australia, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if you are eligible, and apply for Australian citizenship if you are eligible. The detail below follows the Department of Home Affairs' Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114) page, current as at August 2026. It is general information about how the visa works rather than advice on your own case, so anything that turns on your personal history should be checked against the official page or with a registered migration professional.

Can you work in Australia on a Subclass 114 visa?

Yes. The Department lists working and studying in Australia among the things you can do on this visa; check VEVO for the specific conditions and work and study entitlements recorded against your grant. Because the grant makes you a permanent resident, you are covered by Australian workplace law, which means the same minimum pay, leave and safety entitlements that apply to other workers in your industry and state.

Your work and study entitlements, and any conditions attached to your grant, are recorded so you can show them to an employer or education provider. The Department's VEVO service is where you check those details and print or share the record.

Can you study, and are English classes free?

Study is covered by the same entitlement, so you do not need a separate student visa to enrol in a course, a TAFE programme or a university degree. Fees are a matter for the education provider, and permanent residents are generally assessed under the same domestic fee arrangements as other permanent residents rather than as overseas students.

If English is not your first language, you may be able to attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, subject to its own eligibility rules. Eligibility is assessed for that programme rather than by the visa itself, so it is worth confirming directly with the programme once you arrive.

Do you get Medicare, and what about other government payments?

You can enrol in Medicare, Australia's public healthcare scheme. That covers the scheme-access side of settling in: GP and specialist visits, public hospital treatment and the pharmaceutical arrangements that run through Medicare.

Other government support is treated differently. As a newly arrived resident you may have to wait before you can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits, and Services Australia publishes the rules on that waiting period. Medicare enrolment and the waiting period for income-support style payments are two separate questions, so it is worth checking both before you budget around them.

How long can you stay, and when does permanent residency start?

This is a permanent visa: it lets you stay in Australia indefinitely, and there is no expiry date on your right to live here. What does expire is your travel facility, which runs for five years from the date the visa is granted.

For citizenship purposes, the start of your permanent residency is worked out separately from the grant itself. Because a Subclass 114 application must be made and decided while you are outside Australia, the Department counts your permanent residency from the day you enter Australia on this visa. The exception is where you were previously in Australia and held a permanent visa immediately before you last left — in that case, residency starts on the day the visa is granted.

Can you travel in and out of Australia?

You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for five years from the date of grant. After that travel validity ends, you need to be granted a Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. VEVO shows the exact date your travel validity ends.

The alternative is Australian citizenship. Once you become a citizen you no longer need a visa to enter Australia, and you travel on an Australian passport instead.

Who can you sponsor once you have this visa?

As an Australian permanent resident, you may be able to sponsor eligible family members to come to Australia. Which visa fits a particular relative depends on their relationship to you and their circumstances, and the Department's visa finder is the tool it provides for narrowing that down.

Two limits are worth keeping in mind. First, the family unit recognised for a Subclass 114 application itself is narrow — a dependent child or stepchild, who must meet health and character requirements and can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made. Other relatives are not "secondary applicants" on this visa; they need their own visa and your sponsorship. Second, family visa places are capped and queued, so a sponsorship lodged for another relative can take a long time to reach a decision.

What do you have to do to keep the visa in good standing?

You must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter, which the Department generally sets at 12 months from the date of grant. If you miss that date, you can still travel if your visa remains valid, but the visa may be cancelled before you arrive or at the border.

Beyond that, the obligations are the standing ones that apply to every permanent visa: you and any family members who hold the visa must comply with all visa conditions and obey Australian laws, and you should tell the Department if your situation changes. Your visa is linked digitally to your passport rather than issued as a label, so VEVO is also how you prove your status to anyone who asks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Subclass 114 visa the same as permanent residency?

The visa is permanent and lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. The Department separately fixes the day your permanent residency starts for citizenship purposes: usually the day you enter Australia on the visa, or the grant date if you were previously in Australia and held a permanent visa immediately before last leaving.

Can I work full-time, or change employers, on this visa?

Work and study are listed as things you can do on this visa, and VEVO shows your specific work and study entitlements together with any conditions attached to your grant.

When can my family join me in Australia?

A dependent child or stepchild can be included in a Subclass 114 application before a decision is made, provided they meet health and character requirements. Relatives outside that group need their own visa, which you may be able to sponsor as a permanent resident.

Do I keep Medicare if I travel for five years?

Your travel facility runs for five years from the date of grant, after which you need a Resident Return visa to re-enter as a permanent resident. Medicare eligibility is a separate matter from travel validity and is administered by Services Australia, so check your enrolment directly if you plan a long absence.

When can I apply for Australian citizenship?

You may become eligible after a certain period as a permanent resident, and the Department's citizenship page sets out the requirements and current processing times. Your residency clock for this purpose starts on the day you enter Australia on the Subclass 114 visa.

Do I need to arrive by a specific date?

Yes. Your grant letter specifies a first entry date, generally set at 12 months from the date of grant. Travelling after that date is possible only while the visa is still valid, and the visa may be cancelled before you arrive or at the border.