Is an Assurance of Support Required for Subclass 151 in 2026?

No. An Assurance of Support (AoS) is not a standing criterion for the Former Resident visa (subclass 151) — you only need one if you are asked for one. The Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Former Resident visa (subclass 151) page, current as of October 2026, states the position in a single line: "You might be asked to provide an Assurance of support."

For agents preparing an application, that phrasing is the whole story. The subclass 151 criteria are built around who the applicant is — a long residence applicant or a defence service applicant — not around their bank balance. The financial safeguard sits outside that framework as a conditional, decision-maker-driven request.

Is an assurance of support a standard criterion for subclass 151?

No. The visa has two qualifying pathways, and neither lists an AoS as something every applicant must satisfy.

Under the long residence requirement, an applicant must show they spent at least 9 years in Australia as a permanent resident before turning 18 (or, if under 18 at the time of application, at least half of their life), were younger than 45 at the time of application, have never been an Australian citizen, and kept close business, cultural or personal ties with Australia after they stopped being a permanent resident. Under the defence services requirement, the applicant must show that before 1981 they completed at least 3 months of continuous Australian defence service, or were discharged before completing 3 months because they were medically unfit as a result of that service. There is no age limit on the defence services pathway.

Every applicant must meet the health and character requirements; family members who apply with them must also meet the health requirement, and family members aged 16 years or over must meet the character requirement. Applicants and any family members must owe no debt to the Australian Government (or have a formal arrangement to repay it), and their immigration history is considered when the application is decided. An AoS is a separate overlay on top of all of this.

Who makes the call, and who has to approve it?

The request comes from the visa decision-maker; the approval comes from a different part of government.

Under clause 151.229B of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994, as published on the Federal Register of Legislation, the requirement is framed this way: if the Minister requires an Assurance of Support, it must have been approved by the social services department. In other words, two things have to happen in sequence — the Minister (or a delegate) asks for it, and the department that administers the assurance scheme approves it. A case officer cannot approve one, and an assurer cannot volunteer one into existence.

Applicants should note that the naming of the responsible department differs between sources. The Home Affairs visa page links to the assurance of support information on the Australian Government's human services site (Centrelink), while clause 151.229B refers to approval by the social services department. Both are official Australian Government sources. The department named in the request letter you receive is the one that processes the assurance.

Where does the AoS sit among the subclass 151 criteria?

Element	What the sources say
Main applicant clause	151.229B — applies only if the Minister requires an assurance
Secondary applicant clause	151.328 — also discretionary
Nature of the requirement	Discretionary, not a universal threshold; the decision-maker may or may not ask
Who approves it	The department administering the assurance scheme, not the visa case officer
Consequence if requested and not approved	The clause is not satisfied and the visa cannot be granted

When is an AoS likely to be requested?

There is no published checklist of triggers, and that absence is itself the answer.

The Department's policy guidance for this visa does not set out conditions that automatically switch the AoS requirement on. It is an individual judgement made on the facts of the case, typically where a decision-maker sees some risk that the applicant could place a burden on public resources — for example, where future income support looks likely given the applicant's circumstances.

One recurring context is health. Applicants who apply from outside Australia under the long residence pathway are assessed against PIC 4005, the stricter health standard. Applicants who apply onshore under the long residence pathway, and defence service applicants, are assessed against PIC 4007, which can be waived. Where a health waiver is being argued, an assurance of support is commonly part of the package prepared to address the cost concern.

It is also worth being clear about what subclass 151 does not require. The visa has no minimum income, asset or employment test, and it does not depend on employer sponsorship or nomination. The AoS is effectively the only financial-risk lever available, which is why it appears at all.

This is general information about how the criteria are structured and is not advice on an individual application. Whether an assurance is requested, and what a particular assurer must show, depends on the applicant's own circumstances and on the requirements in force at the time.

Does the requirement apply to family members as well?

Yes — in the same discretionary way. Clause 151.328 applies the same conditional structure to secondary applicants.

The practical consequence is sharper than it looks. Subclass 151 operates on a "one fails, all fail" basis under clauses 151.226–151.227B: if any family member included in the application fails the relevant public interest or special return criteria, the main applicant cannot be granted the visa either. Family members who are not travelling to Australia can still be drawn into health and character assessment where the application is made from outside Australia.

What does an approved assurance of support involve?

An AoS is a commitment by someone else — not the applicant — backed by security.

Practice guidance for this visa describes the assurer as an eligible Australian citizen, permanent resident or organisation, with a bank guarantee or bond lodged as security. The amount is not a fixed published figure: it is set at the time of the request and depends on the circumstances. The assessing department looks at the assurer's own capacity to carry the commitment, which is why assurer eligibility is usually the practical bottleneck rather than the applicant's paperwork.

How should an application be prepared in case an AoS is requested?

Prepare in parallel, but do not file the assurance until it is asked for.

Decide which pathway the applicant qualifies under: long residence or defence service.
Confirm the applicant's age against the 45-year limit, which applies only to the long residence pathway.
Identify a possible assurer early, before any request arrives.
Ask that person to check their own eligibility and financial capacity.
Ask the assurer to gather identity and income evidence now.
Assemble the applicant's residence or defence service evidence in a dated timeline.
Book health examinations early, especially for offshore applicants assessed against PIC 4005.
Wait for the written request before lodging the assurance.
Lodge the assurance within the deadline stated in the request.
Keep the approval notice with the application file for the rest of the decision.

What happens if a requested AoS is never approved?

The application fails on that clause.

Where an assurance has been required under clause 151.229B and approval is not granted, the criterion is not satisfied and the visa cannot be granted. Because of the "one fails, all fail" principle, a secondary applicant's unapproved assurance under clause 151.328 carries the same consequence for everyone in the application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all subclass 151 applicants need an assurance of support?

No. The Home Affairs page for the Former Resident visa (subclass 151) says only that you might be asked to provide one. It is a discretionary request made case by case, not a criterion every applicant must meet.

Can I lodge an assurance of support before being asked?

There is no mechanism for it to count on its own. Clause 151.229B is triggered by the Minister requiring the assurance, and the case officer's role is to check that the required assurance has been approved by the department that administers it.

Who can act as an assurer?

Practice guidance for this visa describes the assurer as an eligible Australian citizen, permanent resident or organisation. The assurer's own capacity is assessed, and a bank guarantee or bond is lodged as security.

Does my partner or child need a separate assurance?

Secondary applicants are covered by clause 151.328, which uses the same discretionary structure as the main applicant's clause. The important point is that an unapproved assurance affecting any family member can defeat the whole application.

Is there a minimum income or asset test for subclass 151?

No. The published criteria contain no minimum income, savings or employment requirement, and the visa does not rely on employer sponsorship. Financial risk is addressed, where it is addressed at all, through the assurance of support route.

What are the main criteria I still have to meet?

Applicants must qualify as a long residence or defence service applicant, meet health and character requirements, owe no debt to the Australian Government, and have an immigration history that does not disqualify them. Health standards differ by pathway and by whether the application is made in or outside Australia.