Assurance of Support (AoS) – which visa require an Assurance of Support (AoS) and why an Assurance of Support (AoS) is needed? If you apply for 1 of the below visas, the Department of Immigration may either require you to provide a mandatory Assurance of Support (AoS) or a discretionary Assurance of Support (AoS).
Why you are required to provide an Assurance of Support (AoS)?
An Assurance of Support (AoS) is an agreement to provide financial support to the visa applicant and not to rely on any government for financial or income support.
If you are granted certain visa, the Department of Immigration want to be assured that your sponsor will help you financially to settle down in Australia. In the event you are not financially able to support yourself and need to ask Centrelink for income support, the Department of Human Services will claim the amount of financial assistance provided to you. In short, it is an agreement to repay the Department of Human Services for any income support provided to you. The assurance will remain in force for at least 4 years after arriving in Australia or from the date of visa grant if applying for the visa in Australia.
The Assurance of Support (AoS) remains for the duration of the assurance period regardless of whether the visa holder applied and was granted another visa (except for humanitarian visa) or become an Australian citizen.
Once the visa is granted, the Assurance of Support (AoS) can only be cancelled in very limited circumstances.
Types of Assurance of Support (AoS)
The person who provide the Assurance of Support (AoS) is known as the assurer (and the visa applicant is the assuree). An assurer is usually an over 18 member of your Australian family who passed the income test (must be able to provide proof of income for the current and 1 of the past 2 financial years) and is able to provide a bank guarantee, if required. An assurer can also be an organisation. In short, the sponsor and assurer do not have to be the same person. However, it is unlikely that an assurer could provide the Assurance of Support (AoS) if they have received the full rate of any pensions, benefits or allowances (other than family payments) from Centrelink during the past year.
Mandatory Assurance of Support (AoS) – Which visa
The below table is for 1 assurer and 1 adult assuree (subject to change annually, click here to learn more). If there are 2 adult assurees the AoS amount is $7,000 for 4 years or $14,000 for 10 years; and if assurer is an organisation the AoS amount is $10,000 for up to 2 adult assurees for 4 years and $20,000 for up to 2 adult assurees for 10 years.
| Subclass | Visa Name | AoS Amount & Years | Salary |
| 103 | Parent (click here to learn more) | $5,000 (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 114 | Aged Dependent Relative (click here to learn more) | $5,000 (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 115 | Remaining Relative (click here to learn more) | $5,000 (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 143 | Contributory Parent (click here to learn more) | $10,000 (10 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 804 | Aged Parent (click here to learn more) | $5,000 (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 835 | Remaining Relative (click here to learn more) | $5,000 (2 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 838 | Aged Dependent Relative (click here to learn more) | $5,000 (2 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 864 | Contributory Aged Parent (click here to learn more) | $10,000 (10 years) | $31,343.08 |
Discretionary Assurance of Support – Which visa
Sponsors will only be advised whether they are required to provide an Assurance of Support after having lodged an application.
| Subclass | Visa Name | AoS Amount & Years | Salary |
| 101 | Child (Offshore) (click here to learn) | Nil (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 102 | Adoption (click to learn more) | Nil (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 117 | Orphan Relative (click here to learn) | Nil (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 151 | Former Resident (click here to learn) | Nil (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 802 | Child (Onshore) (click here to learn) | Nil (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
| 837 | Orphan Relative (click here to learn) | Nil (4 years) | $31,343.08 |
Will the Assurance of Support money be returned?
At the end of the Assurance of Support (AoS) period, your assurer can apply for the Assurance of Support money to be returned less any income paid to the assuree.
Australian migration law is complex and difficult to understand, contact our immigration lawyer for a consultation (fee applies) or click here to find answers to your question.
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This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission on the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult an immigration lawyer or a registered migration agent to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.
