Assurance of Support

An Assurance of Support is a legally binding agreement between an Australian Resident or organisation (the assurer) and the Australian Government. The assurer agrees to provide support to a migrant (the assuree) in Australia so that the assuree does not need to rely on payments from the Centrelink program.

Migrants who do not meet the conditions for independent admission to Australia may be required to have an Assurance of Support before their visa can be granted. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship determines which visa applications need an Assurance of Support and the Centrelink program decides who can be an assurer. If you have been asked to provide an Assurance of Support, and become an assurer, the Centrelink program can assist you with information. All potential assurers will have an interview with the Centrelink program.

If you have arrived under an Assurance of Support, it means your assurer is required to support you in Australia for two or 10 years, depending on your visa type.

You and your dependants cannot claim payments from the Centrelink program while covered by an Assurance of Support agreement. If you do so, the assurer must repay the full amount to the government.