Assurance of Support for Visa 114: What Sponsors Must Provide in 2026
An assurance of support is not the same thing as sponsorship, and mixing the two up is the most common reason sponsors misjudge what they are signing up for. For the Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114), the assurance of support is the financial side of the promise: it tells the Australian Government that the applicant will not need to rely on government assistance after they arrive, and it covers the applicant together with any family members who migrate on the same visa. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114) page, applicants must be able to obtain an assurance of support, and the Department will tell them when it needs to be provided.
What is an assurance of support actually for?
The official eligibility criteria describe the assurance of support as a commitment that the visa holder will not have to rely on government assistance after entering Australia on this visa. It is a financial safeguard sitting alongside the relationship-based sponsorship, and it is assessed separately: clause 114.225 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires the Minister to be satisfied that an assurance of support relating to the applicant has been accepted by the Secretary of the Department of Social Services, which is the agency that administers the scheme.
That separation matters in practice. Sponsorship answers the question "who is this person's Australian relative, and is that relative eligible to sponsor them?" The assurance of support answers a different question: "if this person falls on hard times after arriving, who pays?"
Is the sponsor automatically the person giving the assurance?
Not necessarily. The sponsor's job is defined on the Department's step-by-step page: the sponsor must be aged 18 or over, settled in Australia, and an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and must complete Form 40 (Sponsorship for migration to Australia). The sponsorship itself has to be approved, and under clauses 114.222 and 114.322 it must still be in force when the visa is decided.
The assurance of support is a separate requirement that has to be accepted by the Department of Social Services. The regulations are written around the assurance being accepted, not around who personally gives it, so the practical test is whether an assurance covering the applicant has passed that agency's own financial assessment. "Settled" is also a defined term in the Migration Regulations 1994, and its meaning should be checked against current official material rather than assumed.
Who does the assurance of support cover?
The Department's eligibility page is explicit that the assurance is for the applicant and any family members who come to Australia with them on this visa. That coverage rule is repeated in the regulations: clause 114.325 requires each secondary applicant either to be included in the main applicant's assurance of support or to have their own assurance accepted.
The practical consequence is that household size drives the obligation. An older parent arriving alone and an older parent arriving with dependent family members do not create the same exposure for whoever gives the assurance, because the commitment follows everyone who is granted the visa through the same application.
When will the Department ask for it?
Not at lodgement. The official step-by-step guidance states simply that you need to provide an assurance of support when the Department asks you to, and the eligibility page repeats that the Department will let you know when it is required. So the sequence is: lodge the paper application with Form 47OF and the sponsor's Form 40, then wait for a specific request during processing.
The second visa application instalment follows a similar pattern — the Department sends an invoice for it after the applicant has met all other requirements for the visa, and it must be paid or the visa cannot be granted. Treat the assurance of support request as one of the late-stage steps, not as something to assemble before you apply.
What does the sponsor have to provide on the Department's side?
For the sponsorship itself, the Department asks for documents proving the relationship to the applicant — birth, marriage, death or adoption certificates, or officially issued family status certificates or family books — plus proof that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, such as a citizenship certificate, passport or valid visa.
Separately, the applicant has to prove the dependency that makes the visa possible in the first place: reliance on the Australian relative for basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing for at least three years before applying. The Department's suggested evidence includes bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts. Sponsors are usually the source of that paper trail, so it is worth keeping records intact and continuous rather than reconstructing them later.
What happens if the assurance of support is not accepted?
Because clause 114.225 is a criterion that must be satisfied at the time of decision, an assurance that is never accepted leaves the application unable to be granted — the requirement is not optional, and it does not disappear because the relationship or the dependency evidence is strong. The Department also states that the application fee is not refunded if a visa is refused.
Assume, for example, that an applicant is sponsored by an adult child who meets every sponsorship test, but the financial assessment of the assurance of support is never completed to the assessing agency's satisfaction. In that scenario the sponsorship being approved does not rescue the application; the missing acceptance is itself a bar to the grant.
This article is general information about how the requirement works, not personalised migration or legal advice — because acceptance turns on the finances of the person giving the assurance, current requirements and thresholds should be confirmed against the official pages or with qualified professional advice before you rely on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an assurance of support the same as sponsorship for subclass 114?
No. Sponsorship is the relationship-based commitment made by an eligible relative on Form 40, while the assurance of support is a financial commitment assessed and accepted by the Department of Social Services. Both are required, and failing either one can stop the visa from being granted.
Do I lodge the assurance of support with the visa application?
No. The Department's guidance says you provide an assurance of support when it asks you to, and it will let you know when that is. Expect the request during processing rather than at lodgement.
Does one assurance of support cover the whole family?
The assurance covers the applicant and any family members who come to Australia with them on this visa. Under clause 114.325, a secondary applicant must either be covered by the main applicant's assurance or have their own assurance accepted.
Does the sponsor have to be the person giving the assurance?
The regulations focus on the assurance being accepted by the Secretary of the Department of Social Services, not on the sponsor personally providing it. What matters is that an accepted assurance covers the applicant, and whoever gives it must satisfy that agency's financial assessment.
What happens if the assurance of support is never accepted?
Clause 114.225 is a criterion to be satisfied at the time of decision, so without an accepted assurance the visa cannot be granted. The Department also notes that the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused.
Can the sponsor change later if they can no longer support the application?
The Department's official pages do not set out a mechanism for substituting a sponsor on a Subclass 114 application. If your sponsorship situation changes after you apply, check the current official guidance on change of circumstances before assuming the original sponsorship can simply be replaced.