IT ALLOWS:

This visa enables parents of children who are Australian citizens or permanent residents to be sponsored for temporary or permanent residence in Australia. The program covers a number of visas, with various options being viable depending on the parents’ age, whether they seek temporary or permanent residence and their financial capacity.

 Contributory Parent Visa (Subclass 143/173)

These visas are for parents of settled Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens who pay a higher application fee for faster processing. The temporary component is optional as a two-year visa which enables the parents to spread the costs of the application fee over a number of years.

Parent Visa (Subclass 103)

The Subclass 103 visa is a permanent visa which lets a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen move to Australia. Though the visa is relatively cheap to apply for and has a low bar for eligibility, the current processing time is over 30+ years. Combined with the fact that the visa application must be made offshore, it is a largely impractical visa for new applicants.

Sponsored Parent (Subclass 870) (Temporary Parent Visas)

The Sponsored Parent (temporary) visa (subclass 870) lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who cannot meet the family balance test to visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years, it does not provide a pathway to permanent residence in Australia.  A parent can apply for further visas to visit, up to a maximum period of 10 years but does not provide work rights.

Aged Parent (Subclass 804)

This is a permanent visa for older parents of settled Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens. One applicant must meet the age criteria for Aged Pension in Australia (currently 67) .

Although the processing time for this visa is 30+ years, onshore visa applicants may request bridging visas which would allow them to remain in Australia while their application is being processed. If parents are not concerned about permanent residence but seek long term permission to remain in Australia, this pathway can be a cost effective alternative to the Contributory Parent pathway.

Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 884) / Contributory Aged Parent (Subclass 864)

These visas are for older parents of settled Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens who pay a higher application fee for faster processing.

The temporary component is optional as a two-year visa which enables the parents to spread the costs of the application fee over a number of years. At least one parent must meet the minimum age for aged pension in Australia.

CAN I INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERs:

You can include:

• Dependent children