There are three main parent visa options: Lets take a look.
Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143)
To be eligible for this visa, the applicant must:
- Be the parent of a child (natural, adopted or stepchild) who is a settled Australian citizen, settled permanent resident or settled eligible New Zealand citizen
- Have at least half of their children permanently residing in Australia
- Have more children living permanently in Australia than any other country
- Be able to pay the high contributory amounts
This visa allows the applicant, their accompanying spouse and dependent family members to:
- Work and study in Australia
- Live as permanent residents in Australia indefinitely
- Sponsor additional applicants for permanent residence
- Apply for Australian citizenship, subject to the residency eligibility criteria
- Receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare (Australia's medical expenses and hospital care assistance scheme) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
- Travel to and from Australia for five years, from the date the visa is granted
Assuror of support
The applicant will need an Assuror of Support. This person, usually their child, must be prepared to provide financial assistance to the visa applicant, spouse and dependent family members. This ensures that they do not need to rely on government support for 10 years.
In addition to this, the Assuror must reimburse any recoverable social security payments made to the applicant or their accompanying spouse and dependant family members in the first 10 years of residency in Australia.
Finally, the Assuror needs to lodge a bond of AU $10,000 for one applicant, and AU $4,000 for each additional adult family member. This amount may be returned after the 10-year period.
This visa is similar to the Non-Contributory Parent visa. The main difference is the reduced waiting period due to the larger contributory grant fee. With this payment, the visa is processed within 15-18 months from application, rather than 12-18 years for the Non-Contributory Parent visa.
Contributory Parent Temporary visa (subclass 173)
This visa allows the holder to enter Australia and live in the country for up to two years.
To be eligible for this, applicants must:
- Currently live outside of Australia
- Be the parent of a child (natural, adopted or stepchild) who is a settled Australian citizen, settled permanent resident or settled eligible New Zealand citizen.
- Be able to pay the high contributory amounts, which are split into two separate payments under the 173 and 143 applications
This visa is temporary and cannot be extended. After arriving in Australia, holders of this visa have two years in which to apply for a Contributory Parent visa (Subclass 143). This will give the applicant permanent resident status in Australia. Applicants must apply for their permanent visa before their temporary visa expires.
The Contributory Parent Temporary visa allows the applicant, together with their accompanying spouse and dependent family members, to:
- Work and study in Australia
- Live as temporary residents in Australia for two years
- Have access to Medicare.
The applicant will need a sponsor to give written confirmation that they will provide support, accommodation and financial assistance to the applicant and any accompanying spouse and dependent family members during their first two years in Australia.
Parent visa (subclass 804)
To be eligible for this visa, the applicant must:
- Apply whilst in Australia and be over the age of 66 and 6 months or over the age of 67 years if applying after 01/07/2023
- Be the parent of a child — naturally or by law — who is a settled Australian citizen, settled permanent resident or settled eligible New Zealand citizen
- At least half of your children and step-children are eligible children, or
- Have more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country
This visa allows the applicant, their accompanying spouse and any dependent family members to:
- Live as permanent residents in Australia
- Work and study in Australia
- Receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
- Access certain social security payments
- Apply for Australian citizenship, once residency eligibility criteria are met
However, please note that at current processing times it is expected that this visa will take 30+ years to process. This is because the government limits the number of places available each year within the programme. To manage demand fairly, applicants who meet the core criteria for this visa are placed in a queue.
Therefore, applicants for this visa should be aware and prepared for the fact that they will likely spend the rest of their lives in Australia, on a bridging visa, awaiting the outcome of the 804. Please note that many applicants are not eligible for subsidised healthcare in Australia whilst on this bridging visa unless they come from a reciprocal healthcare country.