Parent Visa

Parent and Family Visas

Lets parents live in Australia if they are the parents of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia.

To be eligible to apply for a Parent visa, you must

• pass the balance family test;
• be a parent of a child that is Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or New Zealand citizen;
• the child must have lived in Australia at least 2 years as permanent resident, Australian citizen or eligible New Zealand citizen;
• the child must be your sponsor and be at least 18 years old;
• have approved Assurance of support.
• must meet the health and character criteria.

The Balance of Family Test: The balance of family test measures your ties to Australia. The applicant meets this requirement if either :

• at least half of your children live permanently in Australia
• more of your children live permanently in Australia than in any other country.

If you wish to bring your partner to Australia, there are different types of partner visas available.

Parent and Family Visa types (Visa Subclasses)

AGED PARENT VISA

The visa lets older parents live permanently in Australia if they have a child who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident who is settled in Australia.

To be eligible to apply for a Parent visa, the applicant must:

• be at an age where entitled to an aged pension in Australia. (Read quick facts below),
• 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 you apply for this visa. For most applicants, your child or your child’s spouse or de facto partner will need to sponsor you,
• meet the balance of family test.

The current waiting time for this visa is over 30 years. You can lodge the application either in Australia or outside Australia. If you do not have a no further stay provision on your visa you can lodge your visa in Australia and will be granted a bridging until the visa is determined.

CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT VISA (TEMPORARY)

This visa lets parents live in Australia for up to two years if they are the parents of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia. The investment required for this visa is quite high and needs to be checked at the time of lodging the application.

Parent visas are based on a ‘balance of family’ test. This means that 50% of the applicant’s children must be ‘settled’ in Australia as permanent residents.