Parent Visa

Australian visa for parents: Stay with your loved ones. You are a parent of a child or children living in Australia and now you would like to move to Australia permanently and be with your children and maybe grandchildren.

How This Visa Works

Parents of Australian citizens, Permanent Residents or eligible New Zealand Citizens can apply for a Parent Visa if they meet the balance of family test and can be sponsored by at least one of their children living in Australia. To apply as a parent you must be sponsored by your child, who must be an Australian Citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Who Is Eligible For This Visa?

General Criteria

• At least half of your children living in Australia, or more children living in Australia than overseas.
• Sponsored by one of your children in Australia who is an Australian citizen, ‘settled’ permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen;
• You can apply from another visa, such as a visitor visa, so long as there is not an 8503 restriction on that visa.

Specific Criteria for a Non-Contributory Parent Visa

• Visa Subclass:

– Parent Visa (Subclass 103) – Apply outside of Australia

– Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 804) – Apply inside of Australia

• Processing Time: around 30 years • Assurance of Support (AoS): AUD5,000 for the main applicant ; for any adult secondary applicant is AUD2000. This bond will be held for the 2-year AoS period.

Specific Criteria for a Contributory Parent Visa

• Visa Subclass:

– Contributory Parent Visa (Subclass 173/143) – Apply outside of Australia

– Contributory Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 884/864) – Apply inside of Australia

– Processing Time: around 50 months

– Assurance of Support (AoS): AUD10,000 for the main applicant ; for any adult secondary applicant is AUD4000. This bond will be held for the 10-year AoS period.

• There are two payment options (adjusted annually) for Contributory Parent Visa applicants:

– Permanent visa – pay $43,600 second Visa Application Charge per parent;

– Temporary visa: – pay $31,670 second Visa Application Charge per parent, which would entitle parents to a two-year temporary residence visa including Medicare access and work rights. During this two year period, parents may apply at any time for a permanent visa at which time the remaining payment of $19,420 is required.

– The contributory parent visa category also requires a 10-year $10,000 Assurance of Support bond for main applicants and $4,000 for adult secondary applicants (for temporary visa holders, this is payable during processing of the permanent visa.) The assurance of support bond earns interest and is refunded after 10 years.

Other Requirements

A parent can only apply within Australia for a parent visa if they are aged. An aged parent is one who is old enough to be granted an Australian age pension.

The pension age will be gradually increased from 65 to 67 years as set out in the table below.

If an application is made within Australia, then an applicant can apply from another visa, such as a visitor visa, so long as there is not an 8503 restriction on that visa. Once onshore and have applied for a parent visa, they are entitled to go on a bridging visa, which keeps them in Australia lawfully, for the remainder of time it takes to assess their parent visa

What This Visa Lets You Do

This visa lets you:

• stay in Australia indefinitely
• sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
• travel to and from Australia for five years
• apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible