The last 2 years has been extremely frustrating for Parents who are not only having to wait much longer to be granted a Parent visa 143 but, because of border restrictions imposed by the Australian government due to Covid-19 have also not been able to visit their children and grandchildren in Australia.
There has, however, been some good news recently announced by the Australian Prime Minister who confirmed that from 01 November 2021, parents who have an adult child residing permanently in Australia would be allowed to apply for a visitor visa and exemption to travel to Australia.
The reduction in parent visa places allocated within the family migration stream and the surge of applications lodged in the last 5 years has resulted in the Contributory Parent visa 143 processing time increasing to approximately 13 years.
It is understandable that the parent visa processing time is unrealistic and inevitably parents will wish to explore alternative options to obtain a permanent parent visa Australia. If you are not sure about possible the alternatives please contact Concept Australia to discuss.
Visiting Australia during the coronavirus pandemic
The type of visa you apply for will depend on the country of your passport, the duration of your proposed stay and whether you have any criminal convictions.
Subclass 651 visa for Australia
This visa enables British passport holders plus those from the European Economic Area to travel to Australia for stays of up to 3 months during each visit in the 12 months from the date the eVisitor is granted. Eligible passport holders also include Monaco, Republic of San Marino, Switzerland, and the Vatican City. 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. Find out more about applying for a subclass 651 visa.
Subclass 600 visa for Australia
This visa is for applicants from non-European countries or British passport holders and those from the European Economic Area who are seeking to stay longer than 3 months in Australia. This visa is also appropriate for applicants who have a criminal conviction as it will enable the DHA to assess your eligibility prior to travelling to Australia. Applying for a 600 visa need not be difficult and Concept Australia can help.
Contributory Parent - sub-classes 864/804
If you qualify for an Age Pension in Australia you can withdraw your existing Contributory Parent visa and apply for either a Contributory Aged Parent visa or an Aged Parent visa in Australia before your subclass 651 visitor visa expires. 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 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. It should be noted that visitor visas endorsed with Condition 8503 – no further stay will preclude you from applying for a parent visa onshore. As parent applications are subject to capping and queuing you will be invited to undergo health checks and provide police reports to meet the criteria to be queued.
Temporary Sponsored Parent visa – subclass 870
If you do not qualify for an Age Pension in Australia, this temporary visa is an 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 application to be processed. Visas can be granted with an initial stay period of 3 or 5 years and attract a total DHA Visa Application Charge of A$5,090 or A$10,180, respectively and can be renewed up to a maximum overall stay period of 10 years. The average processing timetable for this visa class is between 5 - 9 months. The sponsorship must be approved before the visa application can be submitted. Your sponsor can be your biological child or his/her spouse and must have usually been resident in Australia for at least 4 years with a minimum household income of A$ 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.
Discuss your visa options with the Registered Migration Agent
If you have applied for a parent visa 143 and would like to discuss alternative visa options please call 0208 315 6700 or send an email to info@conceptaustralia.co.uk