Contributory Parent Visas

Visiting Australia

Parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents are now eligible to apply for a travel exemption to visit their family in Australia. Please note, however, that all international travellers remain subject to state and territory quarantine arrangements and must provide evidence of being fully vaccinated plus a negative test prior to travelling to Australia.

Parents can select from 2 options and the type of visa you apply for will be determined by the duration of your proposed stay in Australia and the country of your passport. Visitor visa applications must be submitted individually on-line through an ImmiAccount followed by an application to be granted an exemption by the Border Force Commissioner.

A subclass 651 is granted with a validity of 12 months and permits a stay of up to 3 months on each visit whilst your visa remains valid. If your circumstances change after you have arrived in Australia you can be considered for the grant of a subclass 600 visa to enable you to extend your stay in Australia.

A subclass 600 visa is valid for 3 years can be granted with a stay period of up to 12 months, but you must depart Australia for a period of 6 months between each stay. You will need to provide evidence that you have sufficient funds and/or income to support your stay in Australia.

If you require advice and assistance in applying for a visitor visa and exemption, please telephone Concept Australia on 0208 315 6700.

Concept Australia charges a fee of £95 + VAT for a subclass 651 visa and £145 + VAT for a subclass 600 visa.

Consultations with the Registered Migration Agent

Complex visa legislation and policy can be difficult to interpret leaving you with more questions than answers. A consultation with the Registered Migration Agent will provide an opportunity to explain the visa process in a language you can understand and will provide you with an an opportunity to resolve queries that you may not have found answers to during your research.

We will discuss:

•    the Contributory Parent visa process and your options in detail
•    sponsorship requirements
•    assurance of Support requirements
•    the total costs of the visa process
•    the processing timetable
•    whether you should lodge an application offshore or onshore
•    potential issues that may impact on the successful outcome of your application

A fee of £95 + VAT is charged for a 1-hour consultation which will be deducted from the 1st stage of our fee outlined below should you decide to appoint Concept Australia to represent you. To arrange an appointment please telephone 0208 315 6700 or complete the questionnaire at the bottom of this page.

What Parent visa classes can I choose from?

Contributory Parent - sub-classes 143/173

The Contributory Parent visa subclass 143 is a permanent visa but you also have the option of applying for a Contributory Parent (Temporary visa) – subclass 173, which provides a two-stage pathway, allowing the costs to be staggered but, you will need to apply for permanent residence within 2 years from the date of your arrival in Australia.

Contributory Parent - sub-classes 864/884

If you qualify for an Age Pension in Australia you can apply for an Aged Contributory Parent or Aged Parent visa in Australia providing your visa is still valid and not endorsed with a “No further stay condition – 8503”. You will be granted a Bridging A visa on lodgement of your application which will come into effect when the stay period on your visitor visa expires allowing you to remain in Australia until your application is decided. This visa does not have a travel facility and will be cancelled if you depart Australia and therefore if you need to travel overseas you will need to apply and be granted a Bridging B visa before departing Australia.

Temporary Sponsored Parent visa – subclass 870

This temporary visa is an alternative option for parents who have applied for an offshore Contributory subclass 143/173 visa and who would like to spend time with their family in Australia whilst waiting for their Contributory Parent application to be processed. This visa class also offers a pathway for parents who are unable to satisfy the balance of family test. Visas can be granted with an initial stay period of 3 or 5 years and can be renewed up to a maximum overall stay period of 10 years.The average processing timetable for this visa class is between 5 - 9 months.

Sponsors

The sponsorship must be approved before the visa application can be submitted. You can sponsor one or both of your parents, or one, or both, of your partner’s parents, or one of your parents and one of your partner’s parents. You must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or Eligible New Zealand citizen and have usually been resident in Australia for at least 4 years with a minimum household income of A$ 83,454.80 in the most recent tax year. Sponsors must also have no outstanding debts to the Commonwealth of Australia and accept liability for any outstanding public health debt their parent accrues in Australia and provide financial support and accommodation if needed.

Parents

Parents must lodge their application within 60 days of the sponsorship being approved if they are inside Australia and within 6 months if they are outside Australia. Parents are not permitted to work in Australia and must maintain private medical insurance for their entire stay in Australia. Important: Parents cannot submit a Contributory Parent visa whilst they hold a subclass 870 visa.

Who can sponsor a parent?

Parents are usually sponsored by a natural child settled in Australia for 2 or more years but, if your child is under 18, you can be sponsored by an eligible relative or a community organisation.

What is the balance of family test?

The balance of family test is applied to all parents with the exception of the Temporary Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870) or if you are applying as a retiree and hold a retirement visa (sub-classes 410/405). To meet the balance of family test a parent must have at least half of their children and step-children residing permanently in Australia or more children residing in Australia than in any other single country.   

What is an Assurance of Support (AoS)

An AoS is a legal agreement your assurer makes with the Australian government so that you will not have to rely on government assistance and will pay back any income support during your first 10 years in Australia. An AoS is not applicable to the Temporary Sponsored Parent subclass 870 visa or if you are applying as a retiree.

Who can be an assurer?

An assurer must be an Australian permanent resident aged 18 years of age or older and pass the income test for the current and previous financial year. You can have up to 3 assurers to meet the financial requirement or alternatively a genuine incorporated or unincorporated organisation in Australia may also be an assurer. Instructions to arrange for an AoS will be requested once processing commences and currently the cost is A$10,000 for the primary applicant and a further A$4,000 for the Spouse.

Meeting the health requirement

The health requirement is designed to protect the Australian health care system from significant costs and ensure that additional pressure is not put on health care and community services that are in short supply. Parents will be asked to undergo a medical examination, x-ray and HIV/AIDS test with an approved panel doctor at an approximate cost of £300.00. Depending on your medical history, other test may be requested by the Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC).

Meeting the character requirement

You must be of good character to live in Australia and when requested will need to provide police reports from any country where your stay period has exceeded 12 or more months in the 10 years at the time the reports are requested. Parents may be concerned that a previous conviction could result in their application being refused. It is therefore important that you declare all convictions including those that may have been removed or stepped-down from police records. Being honest about your criminal history will enable the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to consider your reasons for the offending behaviour, any mitigating circumstances and the amount of time that has passed since any offence was committed. A UK police report costs £55:00 and an Australian Federal Police report costs A$42:00.

DHA Visa Application Charges (VAC)

143 Contributory Parent - 1st VAC primary applicant A$4,225 & Spouse A$1,425 payable when the application is submitted to the DHA and prior to visa grant a 2nd VAC of A$43,600 per parent.

173 Contributory Parent – 1st VAC primary applicant A$2,850 & spouse A$1,425 payable when the application is submitted to the DHA & prior to visa grant A$29,130 per parent. A further VAC of A$19,420 is payable per parent prior to the grant of a permanent residence (subclass 143 visa) in Australia.

864 Contributory Aged Parent - 1st VAC primary applicant A$4,225 & spouse A$2,110 when the application is submitted to the DHA and prior to visa grant a 2nd VAC of A$43,600 per parent.

884 Contributory Aged Parent -1st VAC primary applicant A$4,225 & spouse A$2,110 payable when the application is submitted to the DHA in Australia & prior to visa grant A$29,130 per parent. A further VAC of A$19,420 is payable per parent prior to the grant of a permanent residence (subclass 143 visa) in Australia.

870 Temporary Sponsored Parent – 1st VAC A$1,020 per parent payable when the application is submitted to the DHA and a 2nd VAC (per parent) of A$4,070 for a 3 year visa & A$9,160 prior to the grant of the visa(s).

Fees charged by Concept Australia

Our fees are charged in 2 stages:

1.    On engagement of our services - £650 + VAT
2.    On lodgement of your application with the DHA - £650 + VAT

What services can I expect to receive from Concept Australia?

Our services include:

•      A personal or SKYPE appointment to assess your eligibility and to answer your questions
•      Certification of your documents by the Registered Migration Agent
•      Electronic completion of application and sponsorship forms
•      Liaising with your son or daughter (sponsor) in Australia
•      Advice on health and character issues (if applicable)
•      Management of your application at the Parent Visa Centre (PVC)

Why should I only use an agent registered with MARA?

The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) is managed by the DHA who is responsible for monitoring the conduct of registered migration agents both in and outside Australia. MARA approves continuing professional development activities of all registered agents to ensure they maintain up-to-date knowledge of migration law and procedure so that only the highest level of advice and assistance is provided to prospective applicants. The DHA strongly advise that if you need assistance with the visa process that you should only appoint an agent who is registered with the MARA. A person who is not registered cannot offer you legal protection and you run the risk of being exposed to migration fraud by someone who has limited knowledge on immigration procedures and who is not accountable for his/her actions.