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Assurance of Support

An Assurance of Support (AoS) is a legal commitment by a person (not necessarily the sponsor) to repay to the Australian Government certain welfare payments paid to migrants during the following respective Assurance of Support period:

• 10 years for Contributory Parent visa holders or 
• 2 years for all other visa types where an Assurance of Support is needed

The AoS scheme enables welfare costs for these migrants to be met by an Australian permanent resident or citizen, rather than the Australian community.

Types of Assurance of Support

The Assurance of Support requirement applies to the following visa categories:

• Parent
• Aged Parent
• Contributory Parent
• Contributory Aged Parent
• Aged Dependent Relative
• Remaining Relative

For these visas an Assurance of Support must be provided before the visa can be granted and the AoS requirement cannot be waived.

Discretionary Assurance of Support

In most other visa subclasses, a discretionary Assurance of Support may be requested if an applicant is assessed as being at risk of becoming a charge on Australia's welfare system. This request is based upon close consideration of the education, skills, employment history, English language capacity and age of the visa applicant and their sponsor.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship determines which visas should include an Assurance of Support requirement and in discretionary Assurance of Support cases, when an Assurance of Support is needed.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship does not undertake assessments of Assurance of Support applications. The Assurance of Support scheme is based in the Social Security Act 1991 and is delivered by Centrelink. The relevant office of Centrelink will:

• provide Assurance of Support application forms
• assess an Australian resident's capacity to provide an Assurance of Support
• counsel assurers about the implications of the Assurance of Support undertaking
• advise the requirements that need to be met by assurers (including joint assurers) in order to provide an Assurance of Support
• advise obligations of being an assurer, including the bond lodgement and procedures for bond release, and
• advise the recoverable social security payments affected by an Assurance of Support

The AoS Process

Before your visa is granted, DIAC will send you a letter via your agent advising that you need to obtain an Assurance of Support. You must forward this letter to your potential assurer.

Your potential assurer is to provide this letter to Centrelink to initiate the Assurance of Support assessment. Centrelink will advise your assurer how to make an Assurance of Support application and the responsibilities that accompany an Assurance of Support commitment.

Centrelink will advise DIAC and the assurer about the outcome of the Assurance of Support assessment when the Assurance of Support is finalised. If it is unsuccessful you are given the opportunity to contact another person to act as your assurer. It is possible to combine two people so that the financial criteria are met.