What Can You Do on the Remaining Relative Visa (Subclass 835) in 2026?

Here is what the Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) lets you do as a permanent resident: work, study, Medicare, sponsorship, travel and citizenship.

Published: 15 October 2026

Yes — subclass 835 is a permanent visa, and the entitlements attach from the day it is granted. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) page (as at October 2026), holders can stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Australia's public healthcare scheme Medicare, sponsor relatives to come to Australia, attend free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.

One qualification sits behind every item on that list: some Australian Government payments and benefits are subject to newly arrived residents' waiting periods administered by Services Australia, so permanent status and immediate access to every payment are not the same thing. This article sets out the published rules in general terms; it is not personalised migration or legal advice, and where waiting periods, concessions or eligibility turn on individual circumstances, the official sources and the professional advice you obtain for your own situation should govern.

What does "permanent" actually give you?

Entitlement	What the official page records
Stay	Stay in Australia indefinitely; it is a permanent visa
Travel	Unlimited travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the date of grant
Work and study	Work and study in Australia as a permanent resident
Health cover	Enrol in Medicare, Australia's public healthcare scheme
Family	Sponsor relatives to come to Australia
English classes	Free classes through the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible
Citizenship	Apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

Nothing on this list is conditional on holding the visa for a period first, apart from citizenship eligibility and the waiting periods that apply to certain government payments. For citizenship purposes, the Department treats your permanent residence as starting on the day the visa is granted.

Can you work and study straight away?

Yes, without a separate work permission or student visa. The visa itself carries work and study rights, which is what distinguishes it from the bridging visas that often precede it while the application is being decided.

Those rights also come with protection. As a visa holder working in Australia you are covered by Australian workplace law, and the Fair Work Ombudsman publishes guidance on the rights and entitlements of visa holders and migrant workers covering minimum pay, conditions and protections against exploitation.

To confirm your own record rather than relying on recollection, VEVO holds current visa conditions and entitlements, including work and study rights and your Resident Return visa expiry.

Do you get Medicare, and do all benefits start at once?

You can enrol in Medicare, which gives access to Australia's public healthcare scheme. Enrolment is available to permanent visa holders, and the Department's page for subclass 835 lists Medicare as one of the visa's entitlements.

The distinction that trips people up is between health cover and income support. Services Australia administers waiting periods for newly arrived residents before some Australian Government payments and benefits become accessible, so the timing depends on the particular payment rather than on your visa grant alone.

Can you sponsor relatives, and can family join your application?

The visa permits you to sponsor your relatives to come to Australia. This is the mirror of how the visa was obtained in the first place: subclass 835 sits within the family stream, where a relative sponsors you, and once permanent you can occupy the sponsoring side.

Family can also be included in your own application rather than sponsored later. Members of the family unit can be added when you apply, or added at any time before a decision is made. Family members applying with you must meet the health and character requirements, and the Department notes that even family members who are not coming to Australia might have to meet those same requirements.

How long can you travel in and out of Australia?

Travel is unlimited for five years from the date the visa is granted, as long as the travel facility remains valid. That five-year period is a travel facility, not the visa expiry: the visa itself is permanent and your right to remain does not lapse when the facility ends.

If you want to travel after the initial five years, two options appear in the official guidance:

Apply for and be granted a Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157) so you can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Consider Australian citizenship, because Australian citizens do not require a visa to enter Australia and instead travel on an Australian passport.

The expiry date of the travel facility is recorded in VEVO, and your international movement records — proof of your travel in and out of Australia — can be requested from the Department. At the airport, departures SmartGate uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport to speed up exit processing.

When does the clock start for citizenship?

Your permanent residence starts on the day the visa is granted, so that date is the reference point for citizenship purposes. The Department's position is explicit: after a certain time you might become eligible, and eligibility requirements and processing times are set out separately under the citizenship pathway.

Two practical points follow from the published rules. You must be in Australia when you apply for the subclass 835 visa and when the Department decides that application, so prolonged absence during processing is not compatible with it; citizenship eligibility and processing times are set out separately under the citizenship pathway. And citizenship removes the travel problem entirely — once you become a citizen you no longer need a Resident Return visa to return.

Is anything holding these entitlements back before grant?

All the entitlements above begin at grant, and grant can be a long way off. Applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing, and the Department states that demand for Other Family visas exceeds the number of places available each year, so processing times can be lengthy. The Department publishes queue release dates and processing priorities for the Other Family visa stream, and its visa processing time guide tool reports the times for recently decided applications as a guide only, not as a prediction for an individual application.

Delays are also self-inflicted in some cases. Applications take longer where they are filled in incorrectly, where documents are missing or more information is needed, or where information takes longer than usual to verify. Applications cannot be processed at all if the correct visa application charge has not been paid.

What are you required to do once you hold it?

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws. You must also tell the Department about a change in your situation, which is handled through the Department's change-in-situation process.

There is no visa label to lose or present: the Department digitally links the visa to your passport instead of issuing a label. To prove your visa and its conditions to someone — an employer, an education provider, a border officer — VEVO is the record the Department points to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) a permanent visa?

Yes. The Department describes it as a permanent visa that lets you stay in Australia indefinitely. Your permanent residence starts on the day the visa is granted, including for citizenship purposes.

Can I work and study on subclass 835 without any extra permission?

Yes. The visa itself lets you work and study in Australia as a permanent resident, with no separate permit. You are also protected by Australian workplace law, including the minimum entitlements that apply to visa holders and migrant workers.

Do I automatically get everything the government offers once I hold this visa?

No. You can enrol in Medicare, but waiting periods administered by Services Australia may apply before you can access certain Australian Government payments and benefits as a newly arrived resident. Waiting periods are set per payment, so check the specific benefit rather than assuming permanent status covers all of them.

What happens after my five-year travel facility ends?

Your permanent status continues, but you need a Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157) to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. The alternative is Australian citizenship, which removes the need for a visa on return and requires you to travel on an Australian passport.

Can I still add family members after I have lodged my application?

Yes. Members of the family unit can be included when you apply and can also be added at any time before the Department makes a decision. Family members applying with you must meet the health and character requirements.

When can I apply for Australian citizenship on this visa?

The Department records your permanent residence as starting on the grant date, and citizenship becomes possible after a certain time. Eligibility requirements and current processing times sit under the citizenship pathway rather than under this visa.

Does the Department issue a visa label in my passport?

No. The Department digitally links the visa to your passport and you will not receive a label. VEVO holds the record of your visa, its conditions, work and study entitlements, and your travel facility expiry.