A Subclass 117 visa – a chance for an orphan to migrate to Australia with you

A Subclass 117 visa is considered one of the most humanitarian visas in Australia as it allows orphans under 18 to migrate to Australia and receive amazing benefits of this visa.
So what should you know about a Subclass 117 visa? What are the requirements? How much will a Subclass 117 cost? Check out the rest of this article for more detailed information.
Table of Contents
Benefits of holding a Subclass 117 visa?
Requirements of an Australian Orphan Relative visa – Subclass 117
What documents and papers are required when it comes to a Subclass 117 visa?
Processing times of a Subclass 117 visa
Step-by-step of a Subclass 117 visa
What you should notice when applying for a Subclass 117 visa
What is a Subclass 117 visa?
It’s commonly known as an Australian Orphan Relative visa. This is a permanent visa that allows the child who is a single orphan and whose parents are dead or lost or unable to care for them to come and live with a relative in Australia.
The sponsor must be a settled Australian citizen, Eligible New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident.

Benefits of holding a Subclass 117 visa?
A Subclass 117 visa is included in the Australian Family visas. Thus, it also provides many wonderful benefits to its applicants.
Residence benefits |
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Free entries benefits |
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Social security benefits | Enrol in Australia’s public healthcare scheme, Medicare. |
Education benefits | Having full study and work rights. |
Sponsor family member benefits | Can sponsor another eligible family member |
To have a full understanding of those 5 benefits, you should contact VEM now. With more than 11 years of experience of working in migration, we’ll be able to give detailed information and explanations for you and your family.

Requirements of an Australian Orphan Relative visa – Subclass 117
Requirements | |
For the applicants and the sponsor |
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Meet the health and character requirements. | |
Must pay back debts to the Australian Government or there must be a formal arrangement to pay it back. | |
For the sponsor | Must be a settled Australian citizen, Eligible New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident |
Over 18 years old. | |
Have no criminal background, especially any crimes relating to children. | |
For the applicants | Don’t have their parents to take care of them because:
The Australian Department of Home Affairs won’t grant a Subclass 117 visa if the child’s parents deny their responsibilities of taking care of the child. |
Must be single | |
Must be under 18 years old. | |
Must be offshore while the visa is lodged and granted. |
For more information about the requirements of the Subclass 117 visa, contact VEM today. Our professional migration consultant who is licensed by the Australian Government (MARN: 1577877) will support you to make sure you are eligible for this visa.
What documents and papers are required when it comes to a Subclass 117 visa?
You (the applicant) | Identification papers |
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Proof of the child’s family situation |
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Other evidence |
All of VEM’s clients will be instructed about these papers. | |
The sponsor | Identification papers |
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Financial proof |
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Others | Fill in form 40. All of VEM’s clients will be instructed about these papers. |
These papers can usually get a bit overwhelmed and complicated so it may take a long time to complete. Additionally, all of these documents must be translated into English.

Moreover, the Australian migration regulations are updated constantly. Mr Phong Cao is a member of the Australian Migration Institute (MIA: 12648), so when working with VEM, clients will also be informed about any new changes about the necessary documents.
That’s why you should contact VEM from the start if applying for a Subclass 117 visa is your intention.
Processing times of a Subclass 117 visa
Compared to a Subclass 102 visa, the processing time of a Subclass 117 visa is twice as long.
Processing times | |
75% of the applications are processed within | 55 months |
90% of the applications are processed within | 72 months |
Step-by-step of a Subclass 117 visa
There are 4 main steps to apply for this visa:
- Step 1: Preparing your documents.
- Step 2: Applying for a Subclass 117 visa.
- Step 3: Providing further documents (if required).
- Step 4: Being granted an Orphan Relative Visa – Subclass 117.

Our professional migration consultant – Mr Phong Cao will directly assist you while working with VEM. As a member of the Migration Institute of Australian and being licensed by the Australian Government, he has to follow his clients visa process closely in order to update the stages to the clients in time.
Cost of a Subclass 117 visa
Types of charges and fees | The amount of money (AUD) |
The applicant | 1, 710 |
The accompany family member |
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Note: The 117 visa fees listed above do not include a 1.4% surcharge.
Refund is not allowed whenever there’s a visa rejection. Hence, you are strongly advised to look for a professional and trustworthy migration agency.
What you should notice when applying for a Subclass 117 visa
Responsibilities of the sponsor when the Subclass 117 visa is granted
The sponsor must support the applicants in accomodation, food and drink, etc in the first two years in Australia. If not, the Australian Government will reconsider and even terminate the Subclass 117 visa approval.
If you’re too busy with your own life in Australia, let VEM be your assistant while you’re applying for this visa. Because after the visa grant, VEM will continue to remind its clients to fulfill their responsibilities in the required time.
Legal rights
Before the Subclass 117 visa application, the sponsor must be assured of these legal rights. Specifically,
- The sponsor must have the sole legal right to bring the applicant from the young country where they live to settle in Australia.
- If the person having legal rights over the applicant is another person, the sponsor must obtain written confirmation from that person about the application for the Australian Subclass 117 visa.
- The sponsor must have approval from the government of the country where the child is living to take the child out of the country.
Since these rights are really important, make sure you contact VEM now to receive assistance from Mr Phong Cao.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if that person is eligible.
You must be outside of Australia while applying and receiving the visa approval.
The answer is yes.
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We hope the information in this article can give you an understanding of a Subclass 117 visa. If there’s any further information, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or call us via hotline. VEM will contact you back as soon as possible.
Find out more about other Australian visa: