Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens who have parents living overseas may want to bring them to Australia either temporarily or permanently. There are many pathways to parent visas, but they can be expensive and/or incur extensive wait time, and the fees for them are constantly changing. First, parents must have an eligible sponsor, a child who is 18 years of age or over and has been living lawfully in Australia for at least two years before the visa application is lodged. Second, parent/s must also meet health and character requirements, and third, in some scenarios, they must also pass the balance of family test, which means at least half of the parent’s children must either be permanent residents or citizens of Australia.   A parent category visa will allow your parent/s to live in Australia for up to two years as a temporary resident or as an Australian permanent resident. Currently, there are six types of scenarios for parent visas, designed to assist a person to understand which visa options might be available to them: SCENARIO 1:

• You are applying outside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident

PARENT (PERMANENT) VISA (SUBCLASS 103) APPLYING FROM OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA Processing time can be up to a staggering 30-year long wait, but it costs less than other parent visa options, from AU$3,695 for a primary visa applicant. Only 1,500 places have been allocated to Subclass 103 and 804 Parent Visas (non-contributory) in the 2017–18 Migration Programme year. SCENARIO 2:

• You are applying outside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to live in Australia for up to two years as a temporary resident
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for fast-tracking the process

CONTRIBUTORY PARENT (TEMPORARY) VISA (SUBCLASS 173) APPLYING FROM OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA This visa lets parents of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia temporarily. It costs over AU$30,000, so isn’t within reach of everyone, but if you are approved for this visa and you decide to make your stay Down Under permanent, you can then apply for a Contributory Parent visa subclass 143, which will allow you to spread the cost of your migration across a number of years. SCENARIO 3:

• You are applying either inside or from outside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for faster processing

CONTRIBUTORY PARENT (PERMANENT) VISA (SUBCLASS 143) To qualify for this Subclass, you must also have an assurance of support. Applications for this visa are processed in order of lodgement and according to the planning levels set in the Migration Programme each year. The growing popularity of this visa type may impact processing times from year to year, but the Department of Home Affairs estimates it takes on average minimum of 38 months. It currently costs AU$19,750. Scenario 4:

• You are applying inside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident
• You meet age requirements

AGED PARENT (PERMANENT) VISA (SUBCLASS 804) You must be old enough to receive the Australian aged pension to be eligible for this visa. While the relatively inexpensive price tag, from $3,695 for a primary visa applicant might sound like an attractive prospect, it also has a wait time of up to 30 years. So, the big question is, will you still be alive to enjoy living permanently in Australia by the time your application for this visa is granted? SCENARIO 5:

• You are applying inside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to live in Australia for up to two years as a temporary resident
• You meet age requirements
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for faster processing

CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT (TEMPORARY) VISA (SUBCLASS 884) Once again, you must be old enough to receive the Australian aged pension. The cost of this visa is from AU$32,900, and the processing times vary assessed on a case-by-case basis. SCENARIO 6:

• You are applying from inside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident
• You meet age requirements

CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT (PERMANENT) VISA (SUBCLASS 864) To apply for this visa as a migrating parent, you must have an assurance of support, which is an agreement that you will have financial assistance if necessary, to ensure that cost to the Australian taxpayer is minimal. You must also be old enough to receive the Australian aged pension. At a cost from AU$19,750, it is more expensive than a couple of the other permanent visa subclass categories, but processing times are expected to be shorter than those for subclass 103 and 804. NEW TEMPORARY “LONG STAY” SPONSORED PARENT VISA IN LEGISLATIVE LIMBO Also pending Senate approval, the government has proposed to introduce a new Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa that will allow approved applicants to stay up to 5 years at a time in the country, with a maximum 10-year period of stay. The proposed visa will allow migrants to seek a three-year visa for their parents for $5000, a five-year visa for $10,000 and a ten-year visa for $20,000. The new long stay temporary visa for parents was announced in May 2017, and though expected to be available from November 2017 subject to passage of the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2016 through Parliament, it is yet to pass. A few other points to be aware of with this new proposed temporary parent visa:

• 15,000 people each year will be granted this long stay parent visa
• Children/Sponsors will be required to pay for their parents’ private health insurance. The children will also need to act as financial guarantor on any extra healthcare costs their parents rack up in Australia
• Those on the new visa will not be allowed to work, however, the government hopes they will take on family roles which would see “reduced pressure on childcare facilities”
• Those sponsoring their parents for the new visa need to be Australian citizens or permanent residents, or “eligible New Zealand citizens”
• The visa-holders would not be allowed to reapply beyond the 10 years and would have no pathway to permanent residency

At present, there doesn’t seem to be a definitive timeline on when this new legislation might pass and come into effect, so it’s a case of ‘watch this space’. In the meantime, contact one of our Migration Agents for expert advice and a no-obligation consultation. Hunt Migration can help make your migration experience easy and stress-free with the assurance of a personal expert migration team by your side. Call 1300 MYVISA to speak to Australia’s leading immigration lawyers and agents. Let Us Help You Get Your Visa Today!