Parent Visas

Parent visas allow an “eligible” person, who is the parent of an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident, to stay in Australia with their child. Parent visas can be broadly categorized into the following :

  • Parent Category
  • Contributory Parent Category
  • Parent (Temporary) Category

The visa you choose to apply for will depend on

  • Whether you are applying onshore or offshore.
  • The cost you are willing to incur to be granted the visa
  • The period of time you are willing to wait to be granted the visa
  • Whether you wish to stay in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis

Parent visas are subject to ‘Capping’ & ‘Queueing’. A limited number of visas (which is determined at the start of each “Migration Program Year”) are granted under the Family visa streams. Because of this, processing times for Parent visas can be very long & take a number of years before grant.

Parent Category

Offshore :Subclass 103
Onshore : Subclass 804

This category is a direct pathway to Permanent Residence. It is an option for visa applicants who are not willing to pay a very high Visa Application Charge (VAC)& “Assurance of Support”, and are willing to wait for much longer periods of time to be granted their visa.

A subclass 103 visa can also be applied for by visa holders of a Subclass 405 (Investor Retirement visa) or a Subclass 410 (Retirement visa).

Offshore Parent visas are for those applying outside Australia, whereas Onshore Parent visa applicants apply in Australia. An important difference between the offshore & onshore parent visas is that onshore parent visa applicants have to be of a minimum age to be eligible to apply. There is no such requirement for offshore visa applicants.

You have to be sponsored by your child, whose sponsorship must first be approved, before your visa application is assessed. Sponsors have to meet a range of criteria to be eligible to sponsor. If a child is under 18 years of age, the visa applicant can be sponsored by “other persons”. Contact us to know who can sponsor under such circumstances & criteria that have to be met.

You can include “members of your family unit” in your visa application.

Contact Us to know the range of criteria the visa applicant & sponsor have to meet in order to be eligible to apply for this visa. A decision-ready visa application will entail shorter processing periods & ensure a higher chance of success. Contact Us to know how you can succeed in achieving your migration goals.

Contributory Parent Category

Offshore : Subclass 173 & Subclass 143
Onshore : Subclass 884 & Subclass 864

Under this category, a visa applicant has the option of applying either for the 2-stage or the 1-stage visa pathway. As the name of this category suggests, visa applicants for this category have to “contribute” (pay) a significantly higher Visa Application Charge (VAC) & a higher “Assurance of Support”. The trade off for the higher cost payable is that visa applicants are granted their visa in substantially shorter periods. The 2-stage process enables the visa applicant to spread the significant cost of the visa over a number of years.

Offshore Parent visas are for those applying outside Australia, whereas Onshore Parent visa applicants apply in Australia. An important difference between the offshore & onshore parent visas is that onshore parent visa applicants have to be of a minimum age to be eligible to apply. There is no such requirement for offshore visa applicants.

You have to be sponsored by your child, whose sponsorship must first be approved, before your visa application is assessed. Sponsors have to meet a range of criteria to be eligible to sponsor. If a child is under 18 years of age, the visa applicant can be sponsored by “other persons”. Contact us to know who can sponsor under such circumstances & criteria that have to be met.

You can include “members of your family unit” in your visa application.

Contact Us to know the range of criteria the visa applicant & sponsor have to meet in order to be eligible to apply for this visa. A decision-ready visa application will entail shorter processing periods & ensure a higher chance of success. Contact Us to know how you can succeed in achieving your migration goals.

Parent (Temporary) Category

Subclass 870

This is a Temporary visa. It enables “eligible” parents of Australian citizens or Permanent Residents, who are granted multiple entry visas for definite periods, to stay with their child or children in Australia temporarily.

Subclass 870 visas are normally granted for 3 or 5 year periods. However, you might not be granted the length of stay you want. You can re-apply for another Subclass 870 visa once your current visa expires. However, you can only hold this visa for a maximum cumulative period of 10 years. After this you must apply for one of the above parent visas.

You have to be sponsored by your child, whose sponsorship must first be approved before you can submit your visa application. Sponsors have to meet a range of criteria to be eligible to sponsor.

You cannot include “members of your family unit” in your visa application.

Contact Us to know the range of criteria the visa applicant & sponsor have to meet in order to be eligible to apply for this visa. A decision-ready visa application will entail shorter processing periods & ensure a higher chance of success. Contact Us to know how you can succeed in achieving your migration goals.