Parent Visas

1. The applicant of this visa must:
Be a parent of a child (natural, adopted or step-child) 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, accompanying spouse and dependant 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 subsidized healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Travel to and from Australia for five years, from the date the visa is granted
The applicant will need an Assuror of Support. This personmust be ready to deliver financial assistance to the visa applicant, spouse and dependent family members. This ensures that they do not need to depend on on government support for 10 years.
Moreover, the assuror must reimburse any recoverable social security payments made to the applicant or their accompanying spouse and dependent 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.
Contributory visas processes are quick to obtain, costing over $47,000 per parent. These visas are granted within two years. If the parents are still in their working age, they can apply for 173 or 884 temporary visa category, which only initially cost them $29,130. Then they have two years to live in Australia. They have access to Medicare, and have full time work rights. Within the two years they can come and earn that money. This option allows temporary residents to save up for the additional $19,000 required to switch to a permanent subclass 143 visa within the twoyears.

This visa is alike to the Non-Contributory Parent visa. The main dissimilarity 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.

2. Contributory Parent Temporary Visa – subclass 173

This visa lets the visa holder to enter Australia and live in the country for up to two years. To be eligible for this, applicants must:

Currently lives outside of Australia
Be the parent of a child (natural, adopted or step child) 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 visa applications.
This is a temporary visa, and cannot be extended. After arriving in Australia, holders of this visa have two years in which to apply for a Contributory Parent Migrant 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.
This visa lets the applicant, along 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, Australia’s medical expenses and hospital care assistance scheme.
The applicant will require 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.

3. Parent Migrant Visa – subclass 103

To be qualified for this visa, the applicant must:
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
Have at least half of their children permanently residing in Australia
Have more children living permanently in Australia than any other country
This visa lets the applicant, their accompanying spouse and any dependent family members to:
Live as permanent residents in Australia
Work and study in Australia
Receive subsidized healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Apply for Australian citizenship, once residency eligibility criteria are met
Sponsor other applicants for permanent residence
Applicants for this visa presently have to wait for more than 20 years before it is granted, as the government limits the number of places available each year of the program. To accomplish the demand fairly, applicants who meet the core criteria for this visa are placed in a global queue.
Due to the long waiting period, applicants may choose to apply for a Contributory Parent visa instead. This visa entails that applicants, or their sponsor, pay a much higher visa application fee and Assurance of Support bond. This contributes to government revenue and helps to offset some costs placed on the community by parent migration.
In addition to the basic requirements, the applicant will need an Assuror of Support who must be prepared to:
Provide financial assistance to the visa applicant, spouse and dependent family members, to ensure that they do not need to rely on any form of government support for 10 years
Reimburse any recoverable social security payments made to the applicant, their accompanying spouse or dependent family members in the first 10 years of residency in Australia
Lodge a bond of AU $10,000 for one applicant and AU $4,000 for each additional adult family member, which can be reimbursed after the 10 year period.