PARENT VISAS
Parent visas allow parents of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens to live in Australia either temporarily or permanently.
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There are two main categories of parent visas: contributory parent visas and parent visas (non-contributory). The contributory parent visas provide significantly lower processing time however significantly higher cost.
For most parent visas, applicants are required to pass the balance of family test: at least 50% of the children are Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents living in Australia, or there are more children that are Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents living in Australia than the number of chicldren living in any other single country. Unfortunately, there is currently no way of requesting a waiver of this requirement and all applicants must meet the balance of family test, except for those applying for a Sponsored Parent Visa (subclass 870). In some circumstances, some children may not be counted in the balance of family test, for example, a deceased child.
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Applicants who do not pass the balance of family test may still reunite with their family members in Australia via the subclass 870 visa, which is a temporary parent visa that allows certain parents to stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years. Additionally, the parent has the option to apply for subsequents 870 visas for up to a maximum period of stay of 10 years.
NON-CONTRIBUTORY PARENT VISAS
PARENT (Migrant)
SUBCLASS 103
SUBCLASS 804
AGED PARENT (Migrant)
Non-Contributory Parent Visas allow for a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen to move to or stay in Australia as a permanent resident. There are two types of Non-Contributory parent visas, an onshore option and an offshore option, depending on the applicant's location.
CONTRIBUTORY PARENT VISAS
CONTRIBUTORY PARENT (Temporary)
SUBCLASS 173
CONTRIBUTORY PARENT (Migrant)
SUBCLASS 143
A Contributory Parent Visa allows a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to move to Australia and stay either temporarily with the subclass 173, or permanently, with the subclass 143.
CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT (Temporary)
SUBCLASS 884
CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT (Migrant)
SUBCLASS 864
A Contributory Aged Parent Visa allows an aged parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to stay in Australia either temporarily with the subclass 884, or permanently, with the subclass 864.
Family (Temporary) Subclass 870
Sponsored Parent Visa
The Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870) offers a new pathway for parents to reunite with their children in Australia. It is a temporary visa that allows a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to visit Australia and stay for up to 3 to 5 years, with the option to reapply for further visas up to a maximum of 10 years.