Parent Visas (Onshore and Offshore)

Parent Visa (Onshore And Offshore)

This visa 103 lets parents live temporarily / permanently in Australia if their child is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia.

General eligibility criteria for 103 Visa

The applicant might be eligible to apply for a parent category visa if:

•   the applicant has been sponsored by their child who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen
•   the child has been living in Australia lawfully for at least 2 years before the applicant lodges the visa application
•   the applicant meets the Balance of family test criteria
•   the applicant meets health and character requirements.

Balance of Family Test

All applicants for a parent visa must meet the balance of family test. The balance of family test is designed to determine the extent of the applicant’s links to Australia.

At least half of the applicant’s children live permanently in Australia, or

more of the applicant’s children live permanently in Australia than in any other country.

The following visa options allow a parent to live in Australia as a temporary or permanent resident. An applicant can only process one parent visa at a time; so if the applicant has an application under process for any type of parent visa and wants to switch to another type of parent visa, the applicant must withdraw the existing visa application at the same time or before applying for a new parent visa.

1. If the application is made outside Australia, the applicant can apply for one of the visas below:

•   Parent visa (subclass 103) This is permanent visa with a processing time up to 30 years. However, the visa application charge is comparatively cheaper than other parent visas.
•   Contributory parent (temporary) visa (subclass 173) This is a temporary visa with a higher visa application charge but significantly faster processing time.

2. If the application is made either in or outside Australia, the applicant can apply for the below visa:

Contributory Parent Visa (subclass 143)This option is only applicable if the applicant is prepared to pay higher visa application charge for faster processing and has an assurance of support.If the applicant holds a Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 173):

the applicant will pay a reduced first instalment of this visa application charge as s/he would have already paid some amount during the earlier visa application;

this visa can be applied and granted only in Australia and should be applied before the temporary visa expires.

3. If the application is made in Australia, the applicant can apply for one of the visas below. However, for these visas, the main applicant must be aged, which currently is 65 years or more.

Aged Parent Visa (subclass 804) This is a permanent visa which is only applicable if the applicant meets the age requirements. This visa has a processing time up to 30 years. However, the visa application charge is comparatively cheaper than other visas.

Contributory aged parent (temporary) visa (subclass 884)This is a temporary visa which is only applicable if the applicant is prepared to pay higher visa application charge for faster processing and meets the age requirements.

Contributory aged parent visa (subclass 864)This is a permanent visa which is only applicable if the applicant is prepared to pay higher visa application charge for faster processing, meets the age requirement and has an assurance of support.If the applicant holds a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 884), the applicant:

will pay a reduced first instalment of the visa application charge as s/he would have already paid some amount during the earlier visa application;

can apply for a this before the temporary visa expires.

Applications for a permanent parent category visa require an assurance of support. It is a legal commitment from an individual or organization to give the applicant financial support so s/he does not have to rely on social security payments. The assurance covers the applicant and any family member included in the application. The person or organization required to give the applicant an assurance of support can be your sponsor or another person.

Capping & Queuing

Parent and Aged Parent category visas are subject to capping on yearly basis. If the applicant is applying for a visa that has reached the capping limit, s/he must wait in a queue until more visa places become available. This might be for many years and the applicant will have to continue to meet all visa requirements.

Visa entitlement

•   live in Australia for up to 2 years as a temporary resident, or
•   live in Australia as an Australian permanent resident.