Parent Visa

TIt is very common for those who are living in Australia to want to bring their parent out. This page outlines the the options for your parents to obtain a permanent visa to Australia.

Primary requirements

Before getting any further it is important to understand some of the main requirements.

Parent of a citizen or permanent resident

The Applicant must be the parent of an Australian citizen or permanent resident who has spent at least 2 years living in Australia

Family balance test

You must pass the balance of family test (at least half of the applicants children and step-children must be citizens or permanent Residents in Australia, or more of the main applicants children must be settled permanent citizen or residents of Australia than any other single country).

Additional requirements

There are some additional requirements that may apply depending on the visa you’re applying for.

Criteria for Contributory Aged Parent visa

The main applicant of this visa must be over 66 years of age, however if they have a partner aged younger than 66, they can be included as a secondary applicant.

Health and Character

Your parents will need to meet health and character requirements and will need to undertake a medical assessment, chest x-ray and HIV test. Please note that if you go the non contributory parent visa route then your parent would be required to undertake a medical assessment before the visa is granted.

Temporary Parent Visa

If you are do not meet the balance of family test, you could also consider the Temporary Parent Visa (Subclass 870).

Different Parent Visa Options

There are several different visa options that may lead to Australian permanent residency

NO Bridging Visa Granted

Can apply onshore, but NO bridging visa is granted

  • Parent Visa (subclass 103)
  • Contributory Parent Visa (subclass 143)
  • Contributory Parent Temporary Visa (subclass 173) to Contributory Parent Visa (subclass 143)

Bridging Visa Granted

Can apply onshore and be granted a bridging visa

  • Aged Parent Visa (subclass 804)
  • Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 864)
  • Contributory Aged Parent Temporary Visa (subclass 884) to Contributory Aged Parent
  • Visa (subclass 864)

Processing Time

Non-contributory visas have far longer processing times than contributory visas.

Non-contributory visas

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection website lists the wait time for non-contributory parent and aged parent visas is approximately 10 – 30 years. There is also a chance that the government could potentially cancel all non contributory parent visas applications. (They did attempt to cancel parent visa applications in 2014, however this was never passed).

Contributory visas

Contributory visa applicants can be expected to wait between 24 – 36 months for the visa to be processed. Upon grant of the visa application, the parent will become an Australian permanent resident.

Upon application for an onshore aged parent visa, the applicant would be granted a bridging visa allowing him to remain in Australia lawfully until the visa is granted. If the parent is from an RHCA country they may be able to enroll in Medicare, however I would always recommend that you check with Centrelink or Medicare about this. The application for a parents visa (for applicants under 66), there is no bridging visa granted. However parents may be eligible to obtain a long length sponsored visitor visa.

The other option is the contributory Aged Parent temporary visa. The benefit of this visa is that the second visa application charge is divided into two payments. This visa would grant you temporary residence in Australia for up to 2 years before you apply for the permanent contributory Aged Parent visa.

Visa Application Charges

There are several different visa options that may lead to Australian permanent residency

Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 804)

Processing time 20+ years

  • Base Application charge – $4425
  • Second Installment – $2065

Contributory Parent & Aged Parent Visa

Processing time 24 – 36 months

  • Base Application Charge – $4225
  • Base Application Contribution – $47,825

Temporary Parent Visa

If you do not want to make such a large outlay of money, you could also consider the Temporary Parent Visa (Subclass 870).

Applying for a visa in Australia from a tourist visa

Generally you can apply for both Parent (under 66 years old ) and Aged Parent Visa (over 66 years old) from inside or outside Australia. However, you are only granted a bridging visa if you have applied for an Aged Parent Visa (over 66 years old) contributory/non contributory from within Australia. If you apply for a Parent Visa (contributory or non contributory) from within Australia, you are not granted a bridging visa.

Application Provided that your parents come to Australia on a tourist visa, they may be able to apply for the contributory aged visa and aged parent visa from within Australia. If the applicant is under 66, they will apply for a parent visa, however on application of a parent visa, there is no bridging visa granted.