461 visa — New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa

Who the 461 is for

New Zealand citizens live in Australia on the Subclass 444 Special Category visa, granted on arrival. The 444 covers only the New Zealand citizen — not their partner or family. The 461 exists to close that gap: it is for a person who is not a New Zealand citizen but is a member of the family unit of a New Zealand citizen who is in Australia on a 444 (or would be granted one on entry). In practice that is most often the non-NZ spouse or de facto partner, and dependent children who don't hold NZ citizenship themselves.

The visa runs for five years, allows unrestricted work and study, permits unlimited travel in and out, and can be applied for from inside or outside Australia. When it approaches expiry, a further 461 can be applied for if the family relationship continues.

Cost

As read from the Department of Home Affairs pricing service on 20 August 2026:

• Main applicant — A$1,330
• Each additional applicant 18 or over — A$675
• Each additional applicant under 18 — A$325

Health examinations and police certificates are additional, third-party costs. Department charges are reviewed at least each 1 July — verify the current amount at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before lodging.

Processing time

Home Affairs' current published global processing figure for the 461 (stamped 04 August 2026) is 50% of applications within 3 months and 90% within 5 months. We refresh these figures monthly on our processing times page. The usual causes of the slow end are incomplete relationship evidence, unresolved identity documents, and slow responses to Department requests — all within the applicant's control at lodgement.

461 vs partner visa

Partners of New Zealand citizens often qualify for both the 461 and a partner visa, and the right choice depends on the household's plans. The practical differences:

• Cost. The 461 charge (A$1,330, checked 20 August 2026) is a fraction of the partner visa charge — but it buys five temporary years, not permanent residence.
• Outcome. The partner visa ends in permanent residence (801/100); the 461 must be renewed indefinitely unless another pathway opens.
• Sponsor status. A partner visa needs the sponsoring partner to be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen (a protected SCV holder — broadly, those resident since before 26 February 2001). Many NZ citizens who arrived later cannot sponsor a partner visa — which historically made the 461 the only real option, until the citizenship change below.
• Medicare and benefits. Entitlements differ between a temporary 461 and permanent residence — worth checking against your family's circumstances rather than assuming.

The permanent question

Since 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens on a 444 can generally apply directly for Australian citizenship after four years of residence, without holding permanent residence first. That changed the strategy for 461 families: once the NZ citizen becomes an Australian citizen, they can sponsor their partner for a partner visa, converting the household from rolling temporary visas to a permanent footing. If you are on a 461 now, the timing of the NZ citizen's citizenship application — and whether to renew the 461 or switch pathways — is exactly the kind of sequencing a short consultation resolves.

Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536. General information only, not migration advice. Department charges and processing figures are the Department of Home Affairs' published values as at the dates shown and change over time; confirm current figures before relying on them.