Parent Visa
There are several visa options for parents who wish to live in Australia. The suitability of each option depends on the applicant’s personal circumstances such as their age, their resources and whether they are in Australia when applying.
The first option for migrating parents is the Parent visa (subclass 103) and the Aged Parent visa (subclass 804). The cost of these visas is relatively low; however, there can be long waiting times of up to 30 years before these visas are approved.
The Contributory Parent visa category is a faster, however more expensive visa option for parents who are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for faster processing. The current processing time is 12 to 24 months depending on the applicant’s circumstances.
The Contributory Parent visa category The Contributory Parent visa category has two different pathways:- Apply first for a temporary 173 visa, and within 2 years convert this to permanent residency (143 visa).
- Apply directly for permanent residency – 143 visa.The first pathway enables applicants to spread the costs of the Contributory Parent migration over a number of years. The second option provides a direct pathway to permanent residence but involves paying all the Contributory Parent costs in one application.
- They have a child who is An Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen
- The child has been living in Australia lawfully for at least 2 years before they lodge their visa application
- They have a sponsor (normally the child who lives in Australia is the sponsor)
- They meet the Balance of family test criteria (The balance of family test measures the parents’ ties to Australia. It requires that at least half of the applicants’ children live permanently in Australia, or that more of their children live permanently in Australia than in any other country.)
- They meet health and character requirements. Parents might be able to get the Contributory Aged Parents visa if they are in Australia and meet additional age requirement.
- To live in Australia
- To work and study in Australia
- To enrol in Medicare Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses
- To travel to and from Australia
If you are applying for Prospective Marriage Visa, you do not have live together or share finance or social life; you do need, however, to know each other personally.
Your marriage (if you are married or plan to marry) must be valid under Australian law.
Partner category visas allow the holders:- To live in Australia
- To work and study in Australia
- To enrol in Medicare Australia's scheme for health-related care and expenses (Prospective marriage visa holders can do so only after applying for Partner visa (subclasses 820/801)
- To travel to and from Australia
| Visa Subclass | 1st instalment | 2nd instalment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base application charge – main applicant | Additional charge for every secondary applicant who is at least 18 years old | For every applicant who is at least 18 years old | |
| 173 (Temporary) | $2,490 | $1,245 | $29,130 |
| 143 (Permanent) applying as a 173 holder | $325 | $165 | $19,420 |
| 143 (Permanent) applying directly | $3,695 | $1,245 | $43,600 |
- *Note that there is also an additional applicant charge for an applicant who is less than 18 years old
- *Charges for Contributory Aged Parent visas are similar but not equal. Please contact us for more information.
- Support
- Accommodation
- Financial Assistance.
- The Assurance of Support scheme allows welfare costs for certain migrants to be met by an Australian permanent resident or citizen, rather than the Australian community.
- An AoS is a legal commitment by a person (the assurer), not necessarily the sponsor, to provide financial support to a person applying to migrate (the assuree) so that they will not have to rely on social welfare payments. It is also a commitment to repay to the Australian Government certain welfare payments if payments are paid to the assuree during their AoS period.
- An AoS for contributory parent visa holders lasts for 10 years.
- The assurer will also need to provide a financial bond.
- The financial bond is a source of available funds for AoS debt recovery purposes if recoverable social security payments are made to the assuree during the AoS period. The bond is lodged and held by the Commonwealth Bank for the entire AoS period. It is released to the assurer at the end of the AoS period, with the deduction of any amount needed to repay recoverable social security payments to Centrelink.
- The amount of the bond is determined by the visa class for which the migrant is applying. For visas under the contributory parent category, the bond is $10,000 for the primary applicant and $4,000 for any additional adult applicants.