The Parent visa (subclass 103) lets parents live permanently in Australia if they have a child who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia.

Most applicants must be sponsored by their child. The sponsor needs to have lived lawfully in Australia for the two years immediately before the application is lodged.

There can be long waiting times of up to 30 years before this visa is approved. 

Eligibility:

An individual might be able to get a Parent visa (subclass 103) if they:

• Have a child who is:
  1. An Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen
  2. Lawfully resident in Australia for at least two years (a shorter period can be considered for Australian citizens if there are compelling and compassionate circumstances)
• Meet the balance-of-family test
• Meet health and character requirements
• Have a sponsor.

What does this visa allow for: 

This is a permanent residence visa. It allows the individual and any family members who have also been granted this visa:

• Stay in Australia indefinitely
• Work and study in Australia
• Enroll in Medicare, Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses
• Apply for Australian citizenship(if they are eligible)
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
• Travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted (after that time, they will need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia).

Before application:

There is significant demand for this visa and places are limited. An individual could have to wait up to 30 years to have this visa decided.

Instead of waiting, an individual could consider a Contributory Parent visa, which is usually finalised in less than two years.

• Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173) gives a two-stage visa pathway in which an individual can apply first for a temporary visa and later for a permanent visa while in Australia.
• Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) is a permanent visa that lets an individual pay the full costs of Contributory Parent migration through just one visa application.

If an individual applies for a Contributory Parent visa, they will pay a higher visa application charge.  A longer assurance of support with a higher bond would also be needed before they could be granted a permanent Contributory Parent visa.  The higher charges offset some costs to the community, such as the costs of health and welfare services.

An individual cannot apply for this visa if they already hold another visa that has a ‘No further stay’ condition.

The Sponsor:

An individual must be sponsored by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The sponsor needs to have been living lawfully in Australia for at least two years before they apply for this visa. For most applicants, the individuals child or the child’s spouse or de facto partner will need to sponsor the individual.

If the individuals child is younger than 18 years of age they can be sponsored by:

• Their child’s spouse, if the spouse has turned 18 and is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
• A relative or guardian of their child, if the relative or guardian has turned 18 and is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
• A relative or guardian of their child’s spouse, if the spouse has not turned 18 and is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
• A community organisation.

Sponsor obligations:

As a sponsor, an individual must give a written undertaking to provide support for their parent(s) for the first two years of their stay in Australia. This also applies to any family members who came with the parent to Australia.

During this period, they must provide:

• Support
• Accommodation
• Financial assistance.

Assurance of support:  

If an individual has also provided an accepted assurance of support for their parent, they are responsible for repaying the Australian Government for any social security payments accessed during the first two years of their stay in Australia. This also applies to any family members who came with the parent(s) to Australia.

In addition to the above-mentioned conditions, there are other factors and criteria to be taken into consideration.

For more information and eligibility requirement please Contact us or complete the Assessment Form and email us.