Parent Visa

Australian Parent Visas enables parents of children who are Australian citizens or permanent residents to be sponsored for permanent residence in Australia.

General Requirements of Australian Parent Visas You (parent) must have a child, who is: ✔ An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen ✔ Settled in Australia (resident for at least 2 years) ✔ Willing to sponsor you ✔ Generally, at least, 18 years of age ✔ Pass the balance of family test: • At least half of your children living permanently in Australia or • More children living lawfully and permanently in Australia than in any other single country. ✔ Have an approved Assurance of Support

Currently, there are six classes of visa that might apply for people wanting to bring their parents to Australia. They are: ✔ The parent visa (subclass 103) and the onshore aged parent visa (subclass 804) ✔ The contributory parent (temporary) visa (subclass 173) and the onshore contributory aged parent (temporary) visa (subclass 884) ✔ The contributory parent visa (subclass 143) and the onshore contributory aged parent visa (subclass 864) The parent visa (subclasses 103 and 804) can take up to thirty years for the visa to be approved as there is a long queue. The faster option is the contributory parent visa (subclasses 173, 884, 143 and 864). There is a significantly higher visa application charge at the final stage of the processing of these visa sub classes. A parent can apply for the permanent contributory parent visa directly (subclasses 143 and 864), or they can initially apply for a temporary contributory parent visa (subclasses 173 and 884). The temporary visa is valid for two years and the parent can apply for the corresponding permanent visa during this time. The overall costs of the two-stage process are more or less similar to those for a permanent contributory parent visa, however, the costs are staggered across the two applications.