Adoption Visa (Subclass 102)

The Adoption Visa (Subclass 102) is a permanent visa for a child who has been adopted outside Australia or is in the process of being adopted outside Australia by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. It lets the child live in Australia with their adoptive parent.

The child must generally be under 18, outside Australia when the application is lodged and when the visa is granted, and be adopted or in the process of being adopted by an eligible sponsor who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. Different legal pathways may apply, including Hague Convention, bilateral arrangement, or state/territory adoption-authority cases.

Processing times vary. Home Affairs publishes current global visa processing times separately, and those estimates are only a guide, not a guarantee.

The adoptive or prospective adoptive parent must generally be 18 or older, be the child’s adoptive or prospective adoptive parent, be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, and sponsor the child for the visa.

The current Home Affairs pricing page lists the base application charge for Subclass 102 as AUD 3,235, with additional charges potentially applying in some cases. Charges can change, so the official pricing page should be checked before lodgement.

Yes. Because Subclass 102 is a permanent visa, the child can work and study in Australia once the visa is granted.

No. This is an offshore visa for the child. The child must be outside Australia when the application is lodged and also when the visa is granted.

Documents usually include identity documents, adoption or adoption-process evidence, sponsor details, and any health, character, or child-protection documents required by Home Affairs. For child-related family visas, the application is generally paper-based and uses the relevant child migration form and checklist.

The child must be outside Australia at lodgement and at grant for Subclass 102. That means travel planning has to be managed carefully. Whether the child can enter Australia on a different visa while waiting is case-specific, but the Subclass 102 itself still requires the child to be offshore when the decision is made.

Yes. Like any visa, Subclass 102 can be refused if the legal requirements are not met, including age, offshore status, adoption requirements, health, character, debt, or child-protection concerns. Home Affairs also says the visa will not be granted if it is against the best interests of the child.

Possibly. Review rights depend on the decision and the circumstances of the case. If the application is refused, the refusal notice will usually explain whether review rights exist and how to act on them. This should be checked from the actual refusal decision.

Subclass 102 applications are paper-based, but Home Affairs indicates that applicants for Child visa subclasses including 102 can import their paper application into ImmiAccount for online management after lodgement.

Yes, potentially. Home Affairs says a child adopted outside Australia may later be eligible for Australian citizenship, but the pathway can depend on how and where the adoption was completed. In some cases, citizenship may be available after entry on Subclass 102; in others, automatic acquisition can happen after an Australian court adoption order.

If the child turns 18 before the visa is granted, they no longer meet the age requirement for Subclass 102.

Not automatically. Whether siblings or other family members can be included depends on the migration rules and the structure of the application. It should be checked carefully against the form requirements and the specific case details.