Families separated between India and Australia often discover that “family migration” is not one simple pathway. The latest Department of Home Affairs queue information highlights an especially important reality for people considering Carer, Remaining Relative or Aged Dependent Relative visas: these visas can involve very long waits, and careful planning is essential.
As at 31 May 2026, Home Affairs estimates that a new Carer visa application may take about 12 years, while new Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative applications may take about 22 years. These are estimates rather than guarantees, but they should shape any family’s financial, care and travel planning.
Which visas are covered by the Other Family queue?
The Other Family category includes both offshore and onshore subclasses:
- Carer visas: subclasses 116 and 836, for eligible applicants moving to or remaining in Australia to provide ongoing care or assistance to a qualifying relative with a long-term medical condition.
- Remaining Relative visas: subclasses 115 and 835, intended for eligible people whose only close family members live in Australia.
- Aged Dependent Relative visas: subclasses 114 and 838, for eligible single older relatives who rely on a relative in Australia for financial support.
Each subclass has detailed eligibility, sponsorship, health, character and other requirements. Families should not assume that having a relative in Australia is enough to qualify.
Latest queue release dates in 2026
Home Affairs says that, as at 31 May 2026, it had released the following applications for final processing:
- Carer visas: applications with a queue date up to 31 December 2023.
- Remaining Relative visas: applications with a queue date up to 30 June 2013.
- Aged Dependent Relative visas: applications with a queue date up to 30 June 2013.
A queue release date is not the same as a lodgement date, approval date or personal decision deadline. It shows which queued applications Home Affairs has reached for final processing. The department contacts applicants in writing when their application is released from the queue.
Why do these visas take so long?
Other Family visas are subject to capping and queueing. Capping means only a maximum number of visas can be granted in a migration program year. Once that number is reached, other eligible applications remain in the queue until a place becomes available in a later year.
Home Affairs first considers applications in lodgement-date order against core criteria. An application that meets those criteria can receive a queue date. Applications are then released for final processing in queue-date order, subject to places being available.
The department stresses that it cannot provide an exact timeframe for an individual case. Planning levels, application volumes, withdrawals, refusals, review outcomes, ministerial intervention cases and processing directions can all affect movement.
What Indian Australian families should do now
1. Find the official queue-date letter
If an application has already been queued, keep the written notice showing its queue date. Compare that date with the latest official release date, not with social-media claims or another family’s timeline.
2. Keep contact details current
A wait measured in years creates obvious risks: applicants move, email addresses change and authorised recipients may no longer act for the family. Use the official Home Affairs process to update details and keep copies of every submission.
3. Prepare for requests without doing checks too early
Maintain identity, relationship, dependency, care and sponsorship records in an organised file. However, do not obtain time-limited health checks, police certificates or other documents years in advance unless Home Affairs specifically asks for them.
4. Build a realistic care and financial plan
A visa application is not an immediate solution to an urgent care need. Families considering a Carer visa should plan for how care will be delivered during the queue. Those considering dependency-based pathways should document genuine, continuing support and seek advice about changing circumstances.
5. Check alternatives before committing
Depending on age, location, relationship and circumstances, a different visa may be more appropriate—but no pathway should be treated as a guaranteed workaround. Compare official eligibility rules and obtain advice from a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner if the case is complex.
Do not confuse acknowledgement with queue progress
Home Affairs lists an approximate five-week milestone for acknowledging a new Other Family application, but that does not mean the visa will be assessed or granted in five weeks. The long estimated timelines apply because demand is much greater than the number of available places.
The department also says it generally does not answer individual status enquiries because of application volumes. Applicants should rely on written correspondence, keep ImmiAccount or authorised-contact details current where applicable, and use the official Other Family Processing Centre contact options for permitted enquiries or document submissions.
The practical takeaway
For Indian Australian families, the 2026 figures reinforce one message: apply only after checking eligibility carefully, and plan around a long queue rather than an early grant. Review the official Home Affairs Other Family visa queue page for future updates, preserve every queue notice, and reassess family care and financial arrangements regularly while waiting.