Parent Visa

A parent visa is initially based on a 'balance of family' test. This means that 50% of the applicant’s children must be 'settled' in Australia. For the purposes of a parent visa, 'settled' means the child must be a permanent resident of Australia and have lived in Australia for a certain period. Where there are children from different relationships, all children are counted when calculating the balance of family for a parent visa.

Once this test is passed, there are two parent visa options. The Non-Contributory parent visa involves making a visa application and waiting in the queue to be assessed. It typically takes 10 - 12 years to obtain a parent visa this way.

The fast track parent visa (it takes about 12 months) is the Contributory Parent 143 visa. The 143 visa involves making a deposit to the Australian government of approximately AUD$34,000 per migrating parent. This payment is made after the applicant has passed the medical, approximately 12 months after the date of the 143 visa application. There are have two options regarding this payment: the applicant can pay the full amount at the time due, or pay half initially, and half in two years time. On this parent visa, the applicant becomes a permanent resident (with work rights and access to government funded medical care) when the total payment has been made. Additionally, the sponsoring child needs to make a deposit of $10,000 for the first parent (and $4,000 for the second parent) on this parent visa. This $14,000 is held in trust for 10 years. At this time, it is returned to the child and the parent can claim the aged pension.

AGED PARENT VISA

If the applicant is a certain age (please ask your migration agent to confirm), he or she can apply for an aged parent visa. This parent visa allows the applicant to apply within Australia. The parent could enter Australia as a tourist and make the aged parent visa application. You can stay in Australia during the processing time, adhering to the conditions of the tourist visa. It typically takes 10 - 12 years for this parent visa to be granted. The child in Australia will need to sponsor the parent and act as an Assurance of Support. This involves paying a bond, the amount confirmable through a migration agent.

We can determine your eligibility by completing our free online assessment form.