Assurance of Support (AoS)
An Assurance of Support (AoS) is a guarantee provided to the Australian government that migrants will not have to depend on any assistance from the government in the first two years while living in Australia. This assurance can be provided by one person, an organization or up to three persons in a joint assurance of support.
Assurers who are individuals are obliged to:
- Pay a bond for every adult applicant aged 18 years and above:
- AUD 10,000 — for the main applicant.
- AUD 4,000 — for each adult family member included in the application.
- Reimburse any recoverable social security payments made to you in the first two years of living in Australia including any payment made by Centrelink or any support covered by the AoS.
If the assurer is an organization, the bond will be larger.
An AoS can last for up to ten years for a Contributory Parent visa and two years for most another visa where the AoS is required. The AoS is in effect on the date of visa grant if the applicant is inside Australia or the date of entry into Australia if the visa holder is outside Australia. Upon maturity of the AoS, the bond payment, less any debts owed to the Australian government, is refunded to the assurers. The lodgment of AoS is usually required after the visa application has been assessed by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Types of Assurance of Support (AoS)
There are two types of AoS namely the mandatory AoS and the discretionary AoS.
Mandatory AoS must be paid before a visa can be granted and it cannot be waived in any circumstances. In such case, a financial bond must be lodged by the assurer. The following permanent visas applies:
- Parent (AUD5,000 main applicant, AUD2,000 secondary applicant)
- Aged Parent (AUD5,000 main applicant, AUD2,000 secondary applicant)
- Contributory Parent (AUD10,000 main applicant, AUD4,000 secondary applicant)
- Contributory Aged Parent (AUD10,000 main applicant, AUD4,000 secondary applicant)
- Aged Dependent Relative (AUD5,000 main applicant, AUD2,000 secondary applicant)
- Remaining Relative (AUD5,000 main applicant, AUD2,000 secondary applicant)
The bond payment is applicable for applicants aged 18 and above.
For AoS of AUD10,000 is applicable for each application if the assurer is an organization.
Discretionary AoS may be required if the applicant is perceived to be at risk of being a burden to the Australian community. Considerations taken into account would include the education, skills, employability, English language ability and age of the visa applicant and sponsor. In most cases, an AoS bond is not required for visas with a discretionary AoS.
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HOW IT WORKS
Three Simple Steps to Your Visa
1
Enquire with Australian Study and Visa Services
We will work with you to identify the best option for migration and assist in the lodgement of your Australian Visa application.
2
Australian Visa Application Assessment
We help you to provide and compile accredited documents that comply with the reporting format required for compliance, to support your application and explain how timing might make the difference between success and failure.
3
Australian Visa Application Decision
We will keep you informed during the entire visa decision process and give you processing times for a study visa in Australia, guide you in detail, and keep reminding you of the timing for certain parts of the process.
