Parent Visas

Introduction

A Parent has several visa options to choose from and the pathway selected will be determined by factors such as age, timetable for moving to Australia and meeting the Balance of Family test. Parents must be sponsored by a child who is an Australian citizen or settled permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen.

What is the difference between the parent visa sub-classes 

Subclass 143 is a permanent offshore Contributory Parent visa

Subclass 864 is a permanent onshore Contributory Parent (permanent) visa available to an applicant aged 67 years or older.

Both these visa subclasses require payment of a 2nd Visa Application Charge (VAC) plus lodgement of an Assurance of Support (AoS) bond prior to the grant of a visa.

Subclass 804 is an onshore non-contributory parent for a parent aged 67 or older which does not require payment of a 2nd VAC and with a reduced AoS bond.

Applying for a visa onshore

Parents who intend to travel to Australia on a visitor visa and apply onshore are advised to check the visa granted to them and ensure that condition 8503 has not been applied to the grant notice which would prevent them from making a valid application whilst in Australia.

Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa is a temporary parent visa which can be granted with an initial stay period of 3 or 5 years and can be renewed with a maximum overall stay period in Australia of 10 years.

Health and character checks

Parents must meet health and character requirements and will be issued instructions to arrange medical examinations and apply for police reports once processing commences. Note: parents who have submitted an onshore Contributory or aged parent application will be invited to undergo medical examinations and apply for police reports approximately 2 years after their application is submitted to the Parent Visa Centre to be placed in thhe Parent queue.

What is the average processing timetable for the above parent visa subclasses

• Subclass 143 or 864 Contributory Parent visas - approximately 15 years.

• Subclass 804 aged parent visa - approximately 33 years.

• Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (temporary) visa - approximately 12 months.

What is the Balance of Family test?

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. If a child's whereabouts is unknown the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will consider the last known country as the usual place of residence. The balance of family test is applied to all parents with the exception of of the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa or if you are applying as a retiree and hold a subclass 410 or 405 retirement visa.  

What is an Assurance of Support (AoS)?

An AoS is a legally binding and unconditional commitment by an Australian resident (the assurer) to support the parent (the assuree) and repay any recoverable Australian social security payments that may be paid to the assuree during their AoS period.

Who can give an Assurance of Support?

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.

How much is an Assurance of Support?

For subclass 143 and 864 applicants, the cost is AUD10,000 for the primary applicant plus AUD4,000 for the spouse with the AoS bond held for a period of 10 years. For subclass 804 applicants, the cost is AUD5,000 for the primary applicant and AUD2,000 for the spouse with the AoS bond held for a period of 4 years. An AoS is not applicable to the Temporary Sponsored Parent subclass 870 visa or if you are applying as a retiree (subclass 143 or 103).

When is the 2nd instalment of the Visa Application Charge requested?

Once you have met all the requirements of the Contributory Parent visa process (subclass 143 or 864)you will be asked to pay the 2nd instalment of the VAC of A$43,600 for each parent. An invoice will be issued by the DHA with payment instructions to pay the VAC within 70 days and once settled the parent visa is granted within a few days.

What is a Bridging visa?

If you are eligible to apply for a parent visa in Australia, on lodgement of your application you will be granted a Bridging A visa which will come into effect when the stay period on your visitor visa expires and will allow you to remain in Australia until your parent application is decided. If you need to depart Australia once your Bridging A visa is in effect, you will need to apply for and be granted a Bridging B visa prior to your departure from Australia as the Bridging A visa does not have a travel facility and will be cancelled on departure from Australia.

What is a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa - subclass 870

• Parents applying for this visa must satisfy the following criteria:
• Must be sponsored by the biological child of the parent or his/her spouse
• Sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident , or eligible New Zealand citizen
• A sponsor must have lived in Australia fior 4 years (except Australian citizen)
• Sponsor must evidence a household income of A$83,454.80
• Allpicant must depart Australia before the first visa expires
• Does not need to meet the balance of family tes
• Cannot work in Australia
• Must evidence sufficient funds/income to support stay period in Australia 
• Must have adequate health insurance
• Cannot apply for a Contributory or aged parent visa whilst holding a subclass 870 visa

What services can I expect to receive from Concept Australia?

Our services include:

•      a zoom or telephone appointment to assess your eligibility and to answer your questions
•      certification of your documents by the Registered Migration Agent
•      electronic completion of your visa application form(s)
•      liaising with your son or daughter (sponsor) in Australia
•      advice on health and character issues (if applicable)
•      submission of your application and documents to the Parent Visa Centre in Perth

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.

Consultations

Consultations are arranged by Zoom or telephone and the discussion will enable you to make an informed choice as to which visa pathway is appropriate to your circumstances. During the consultation we will discuss:

• the parent visa process and your options in detail
• sponsorship requirements (your sponsor is welcome to join the discussion)
• assurance of support requirements
• the total cost of the visa process
• the processing timetable for the various parent visa subclasses
• whether you should lodge an application offshore or onshore
• any questions you may not have found answers to during your research
• potential issues that may impact on the outcome of your parent visa application
  
  If you would like to find out more about visa options for parents, please telephone 0208 315 6701 or complete the enquiry form below.