Parent Visa
*** NEW 870 PARENT VISA ***
SPONSORED PARENT (TEMPORARY) VISA (SUBCLASS 870)
On 17 April 2019, applications open for a new parent visa subclass (870).
The 870 parent visa allows parents to live temporarily in Australia for three years or five years without needing to depart the country.
Further information here: Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa – 870
PARENT VISA (SUBCLASS 143 OR 173)
If parents are aged under 65.5 years and meet the ‘balance of family’ test (50% of the parents’ children are ‘settled’ in Australia as permanent residents or citizens), they can lodge a contributory parent visa. This parent visa involves making a non-refundable deposit to the Australian government. This amount is AUD$43,600 per migrating parent. This can be paid in full, or can be split into two parts. This visa is processed in approximately 48 months. The contributory amounts are requested once the parents have passed health and police checks. The parents become a permanent resident when the visa is granted.
AGED PARENTS
If one of the parents is aged 65.5 years or over, and they enter Australia on a visa that allows them to lodge a parent visa onshore (that is, a visitor or tourist visa WITHOUT the 8503 “No Further Stay” condition), and the ‘balance of family’ test is met (50% of the parents’ children are ‘settled’ in Australia as permanent residents or citizens), the parents can lodge an application whilst in Australia.
AGED PARENT VISA (SUBCLASS 804)
This non-contributory aged parent visa has an extremely long processing time (over 25 years), but the parents can live in Australia until a decision is made. They will hold Bridging Visa A. They will need to apply for a Bridging Visa B if they wish to depart Australia temporarily.
CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT VISA (SUBCLASS 864)
Parents aged over 65.5 can also lodge a contributory parent visa whilst onshore on a valid visa. As noted above, this parent visa involves making a non-refundable deposit to the Australian government. This amount is AUD$43,600 per migrating parent. This visa is processed in approximately 24 months. The contributory amounts are requested once the parents have passed health and police checks. The parents become a permanent resident when the visa is granted.
If the aged parent is not able to obtain a visitor visa without the 8503 conditions, they will need to lodge an offshore parent visa. Given the processing time of 25 years or more for the non-contributory pathway, the realistic option is the contributory parent visa.
SPONSORED PARENT (TEMPORARY) VISA (SUBCLASS 870)
On 17 April 2019, applications open for a the new parent visa sublcass (870).
The 870 visa allows parents to live temporarily in Australia for three years or five years without needing to depart to Australia. Unlike other parent visas, the 870 visa does not require the parent to meet the Balance of Family rule. However, the parent must have a child (biological, adoptive or stepchild) who holds Australian citizenship or permanent residency (or is an eligible New Zealand citizen), and their child must demonstrate that they have been living in Australia for four years. The child must first be approved as a sponsor prior to the parent being able to lodge the 870 visas. The sponsoring child will need to provide police checks and demonstrate minimum household income.
As the 870 visa does not have work rights, the parents must show that they have sufficient funds to support themselves for the duration of the stay period. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa – 870 does not lead to permanent residency. Eligible parents can stay in Australia for a maximum of 10 years on this visa. There is no minimum or maximum age limit for the parents.
The visitor visa concession that allows parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents to stay in Australia for longer periods will no longer be available. The 870 visas is capped, so once a fixed number of 870 visas are granted (the cap is set at 15,000), there will be no further 870 visas will granted until the following visa year (commencing in July).
The visa application fee is $5,000 for a visa of up to three years and $10,000 for a visa of up to five years. It has not been made clear is this amount is per applicant, or per couple. The fee is paid in two parts with the part one on application and part two prior grant of the 870 visas.
We can determine eligibility for a parent visa. Please complete our free online assessment form.
