The Two-Year Sponsorship Undertaking for Subclass 116 Carers in 2026
If you are applying for the Carer visa (subclass 116), you must be sponsored — and that sponsorship has a defined shape rather than running indefinitely. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs Carer visa (subclass 116) official page (as at the July 2026 version), one of the standing requirements is that you "be sponsored by your relative or their partner for your first 2 years in Australia". The Migration Regulations 1994 add the second half of the test: at the time your application is decided, that sponsorship must have been approved by the Minister and must still be in effect.
What does "sponsored for your first 2 years in Australia" actually cover?
The requirement is expressed in terms of time in Australia, not time since you lodged. That distinction matters for this visa, because the subclass 116 process requires you to be outside Australia both when you apply and when the Department decides your application. The two-year undertaking therefore relates to the period that begins once you are living in Australia as a permanent resident, not to the months your application spends in the queue.
It also sits alongside a separate requirement on the same official page: you must provide care for a relative, or a member of their family who lives with them, who has no reasonable access to care options in Australia. The sponsorship undertaking is about who stands behind your first two years; the care requirement is about what those years are for. Satisfying one does not satisfy the other.
Who can be your sponsor?
Under clause 116.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994, the sponsorship must come from either:
- the Australian relative themselves, if they are at least 18 years old; or
- that relative's spouse or de facto partner, provided the partner lives with the relative, is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and is at least 18.
The "Australian relative" in this context is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen. If the relative is under 18, they cannot sponsor in their own right, and the sponsorship has to come through the partner route described above.
The authoritative statements are the current Home Affairs Carer visa (subclass 116) page and the Migration Regulations 1994 as published on the Federal Register of Legislation.
Does the sponsorship have to be approved before the visa is granted?
Yes. Clause 116.222 requires that, at the time of decision, the sponsorship has been approved by the Minister and is still in effect. This is a decision-time criterion, not merely an application-time one. A sponsorship that was never approved, that has been withdrawn, or that has otherwise ceased to operate cannot support a grant even if every other part of the case is strong.
This is why the sponsorship is best understood as a live obligation rather than a form you sign once. Anything that affects the sponsor's eligibility — their age, their citizenship or residence status, or whether the partner route still applies — is relevant right up to the moment the decision is made.
Does the sponsorship cover my partner and children as well?
It must. Clause 116.312 provides that the main applicant's sponsorship also has to cover secondary applicants who are included in the combined application, and clause 116.322 separately requires each secondary applicant to have a qualifying sponsor. In practice that means one sponsorship undertaking is expected to carry the whole family unit included in the application, not just the person providing the care.
How is the sponsorship connected to conditions 8502 and 8515?
The two are related but distinct. Clause 116.612 allows the Minister to attach conditions to the visa, including:
- condition 8502, which requires the sponsor to have arranged the visa holder's accommodation in Australia before they enter; and
- condition 8515, which requires the visa holder, after entry, not to engage in activities inconsistent with the purpose of the visa, that is, not to stop providing the care unless there is a reasonable reason.
Condition 8502 ties the sponsor directly to your arrival arrangements. Condition 8515 ties the visa to its care purpose. A plan in which the relative moves into residential care shortly after the visa is granted is the kind of fact that can undercut the care requirement itself, because the visa was granted so that you would provide the care.
Separately, clause 116.611 requires you to enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter. The official page notes that if you do not travel before that first entry date, you may still be able to travel with an expired first entry date if the visa is still valid, but the visa may be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. Visa details and conditions can be checked in VEVO.
Why do sponsorship problems sink otherwise strong cases?
The published criteria are narrow, and most sponsorship failures fall into a small number of categories: the sponsor is under 18; the sponsor is not an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen; or the family relationship between applicant and sponsor is not one the regulations recognise. A relationship that exists in practice but does not fit the regulatory definitions will not carry a sponsorship, however genuine it is.
This article is general information about how the published rules are structured; it is not personalised advice, and the way it applies to a particular family depends on facts set out in the current Home Affairs pages and the Migration Regulations 1994. Where your situation is unusual, treat the Department's current published material as the reference point and get advice from a qualified professional rather than relying on a general explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the two-year sponsorship period start?
The official requirement is worded as being sponsored by your relative or their partner "for your first 2 years in Australia". Since a subclass 116 applicant must be outside Australia at both application and decision, the undertaking concerns the period after you arrive. For how this is recorded on your own grant, check your visa details in VEVO and the current Home Affairs page.
Can my relative's partner sponsor me instead of my relative?
Yes, the regulations allow the Australian relative's spouse or de facto partner to sponsor, provided they live with the relative, are an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and are at least 18. This route is essential where the relative themselves is under 18 and cannot sponsor in their own right.
What happens if my sponsor withdraws before the decision?
The sponsorship must be approved by the Minister and still in effect at the time of decision. If it has been withdrawn or has otherwise ceased to be in effect, that decision-time criterion is not met, regardless of the strength of the rest of the application.
Do I still have to provide care after the two years end?
The published sponsorship requirement is expressed as covering your first two years in Australia, but the visa's care purpose is not described as expiring at that point. Condition 8515, where attached, requires you, after entry, not to engage in activities inconsistent with that purpose, that is, not to stop providing the care unless there is a reasonable reason. Your own conditions are the starting point, and they can be confirmed in VEVO.
Does the sponsorship also cover my partner and children?
Yes. The regulations require the main applicant's sponsorship to cover secondary applicants included in the application, and each secondary applicant must also have a qualifying sponsor, usually the same Australian relative or their partner.
What should I do if the care arrangement changes after I arrive?
The Home Affairs guidance for visa holders directs you to tell the Department if your situation changes. Changes to where your relative lives, who provides their care, or who is sponsoring you are the kinds of changes that can affect how the published criteria apply, so check the current official guidance on changes in situation and confirm your visa conditions in VEVO.