The Parent Visa (Subclass 103) is a permanent visa for parents of Australian permanent residents or citizens.
Read our general information and document checklists in relation to these visa categories below. Contact us directly for specific advice.
- Overview
- Subclass 870
- Subclass 103
- Subclass 804
- Subclass 143 / Subclass 173
- Subclass 864 / Subclass 884
- Process
Australia’s Parent Visa Program
Australia’s Parent visas are temporary and permanent visas which allow parents of Australian citizens, permanent residents, and eligible New Zealand citizens to obtain visas in Australia. The program covers a number of visas, with various options being viable depending on the parents’ age, whether they seek temporary or permanent residence and financial capacity.
Onshore visa options (may grant bridging visas)
- Aged Parent (Residence) visa (subclass 804)
- Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 884) / Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 864)
- Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) (if you have Permission to Apply from the Minister)
Temporary visa options
- Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870)
Practical visa options (non 30+ year processing times)
- Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 884) / Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 864)
- Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 173) / Contributory Parent (Migrant) visa (subclass 143)
- Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870)
Permanent visa options
- Aged Parent (Residence) visa (subclass 804)
- Parent Visa (subclass 103)
- Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 173) / Contributory Parent (Migrant) visa (subclass 143)
- Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 884) / Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 864)
Eligibility
Sponsored Parent (Subclass 870) (Temporary Parent Visas)
This temporary visa lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years. A parent can apply for further visas to visit up to a maximum period in Australia of 10 years and does not contain work rights.
General eligibility
- can be in or outside of Australia (but if in Australia the applicant must have permission to apply from the Minister)
- be the biological, adoptive, step-parent or parent in-law of the Parent Sponsor (there is no balance of family test or Assurance of Support requirements for this visa)
- be at least 18 years of age
- have an approved Parent Sponsor to apply for this visa (the sponsor must be an Australian citizen/permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been usually resident in Australia for four years AND have a minimum salary of $83,454.80 per annum)
- must meet health and character requirements
- have, or have access to, enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia
- have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily
- have and maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance whist in Australia
- not have an outstanding debt to the Australian government
Documents required
- parents’ passport biodata page
- evidence of relationship to sponsor (e.g. birth certificate)
- proof that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen (e.g. citizenship certificate, passport)
- proof of the sponsors taxable income (PAYG summaries, employment contracts, payslips)
- evidence of health insurance
- police clearances from any country you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years
Eligibility
Parent (Subclass 103)
The Subclass 103 visa is a permanent visa which lets a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen move to Australia. Though the visa is relatively cheap to apply for and has a low bar for eligibility, the current processing time is over 30+ years. Combined with the fact that the visa application must be made offshore, it is a largely impractical visa for new applicants.
General eligiblity
- can be in or outside of Australia at time of application (but an onshore visa will not grant a bridging visa)
- have an eligible sponsor (a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, where settled usually means residence in Australia for at least 2 years)
- meet the balance of family test
- have an assurance of support
- meet health and character criteria
- have no debts to the Australian government
Documents required
- passport bio-data page
- evidence of relationship to sponsor (e.g. birth certificate)
- Sponsorship application form (Form 40)
- proof that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen (e.g. citizenship certificate, passport)
- evidence of balance of family test (evidence of how you are related to each child, evidence of each child’s country of permanent residence)
- assurance of support
- police clearances from any country you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years
Eligibility
Aged Parent (Subclass 804)
This is a permanent visa for older parents of settled Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens. One applicant must meet the age criteria for Aged Pension in Australia. Although the processing time for this visa is 30+ years, onshore visa applicants can obtain bridging visas which would permit them to remain in country during processing. If parents are not concerned about permanent residence but seek long term permission to remain in Australia, this pathway can be a cheap alternative to the more expensive Contributory Parent pathways.
General eligibility
- be in Australia at time of application and decision
- one applicant must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia
- have an eligible sponsor (a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, where settled usually means residence in Australia for at least 2 years)
- meet the balance of family test
- have an assurance of support
- meet health and character criteria
- have no debts to the Australian government
Documents required
- passport bio data page
- evidence of relationship to sponsor (e.g. birth certificate)
- sponsorship application form (Form 40)
- proof that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen (e.g. citizenship certificate, passport)
- evidence regarding the balance of family test (e.g. birth certificates and evidence of each child’s permanent residence)
- assurance of support
- police clearances from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years
Eligibility
Contributory Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 173) / Contributory Parent (Subclass 143)
These visas are for parents of settled Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens who pay a higher application fee for faster processing. The temporary component is optional as a two year visa which enables the parents to spread the costs of the application fee over a number of years.
General eligibility
- can be in or outside of Australia at time of application (but onshore does not grant a bridging visa)
- have an eligible sponsor (a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, where settled usually means residence in Australia for at least 2 years)
- meet the balance of family test
- have an assurance of support
- meet health and character criteria
- have no debts to the Australian government
Documents required
- passport bio data page
- evidence of relationship to sponsor (e.g. birth certificate)
- sponsorship application form (Form 40)
- proof that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen (e.g. citizenship certificate, passport)
- evidence regarding the balance of family test (e.g. birth certificates and evidence of each child’s permanent residence)
- assurance of support
- police clearances from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years
Eligibility
Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 884) / Contributory Aged Parent (Subclass 864)
These visas are for older parents of settled Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens who pay a higher application fee for faster processing. The temporary component is optional as a two year visa which enables the parents to spread the costs of the application fee over a number of years. At least one parent must meet the minimum age for aged pension in Australia.
General eligibility
- if applying for the Subclass 864 visa, must be inside of Australia at time of application and decision (may grant bridging visa )
- have an eligible sponsor (a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, where settled usually means residence in Australia for at least 2 years)
- must be old enough to qualify for the age pension in Australia
- meet the balance of family test
- have an assurance of support
- meet health and character criteria
- have no debts to the Australian government
Documents required
- passport bio data page
- evidence of relationship to sponsor (e.g. birth certificate)
- sponsorship application form (Form 40)
- proof that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen (e.g. citizenship certificate, passport)
- evidence regarding the balance of family test (e.g. birth certificates and evidence of each child’s permanent residence)
- assurance of support
- police clearances from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years
Process
Parent visas
We’ll advise and guide you from assessing eligibility to lodgement stage. We use an online document / information collection tool so that all your files and information are stored in one single location. You can use the Hannan Tew Portal to track the status of your matter and have a complete overview of documents required and provided.
Parent Visas
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need health, character and / or English assessments?
Depending on your country of nationality and your travel history, you may require health examinations to process your visa. Hannan Tew will advise you of the relevant assessments once you have completed the information questionnaire.
You will need to provide police clearances for all countries in which you have resided for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.
What is an assurance of support?
An Assurance of Support (AoS) is a legal undertaking by the sponsor, family relative, an organisation, or any other person who may be eligible to be an assurer, to repay certain social security payments to the Australian Government which has been paid to a person or their family members applying to migrate to Australia during their AoS period.
The Assurance of Support is required to remain in place for two years from the date you and any accompanying family members arrive in Australia.
The assurer must:
- give sufficient financial support so that you or any accompanying family members do not have to rely on any government support; and
- reimburse the Australian Government for any recoverable social security payments, this includes payments made by Centrelink to you and any others covered by the AoS; and
- pay a refundable security bond before the visa is approved
Do I have any conditions once I have obtained my visa?
Generally speaking the permanent residence visa is granted without conditions (apart from, in some cases, the condition to enter into Australia before a particular date).
What is the balance of family test?
A parent meets the balance of family test if:
- at least half their children and stepchildren are eligible children or
- there are more eligible children than children living in any other single country
A child is an eligible child if they are:
- an Australian citizen or
- an Australian permanent resident usually resident in Australia
- or an eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia
Note you will not have to pass the balance of family test if you are applying for the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
What is "capping and queuing"?
Australia’s Immigration Minister has the power to “cap” or limit the number of visas which can be granted each year in a particular visa subclass.
In other words, when the number of visas set by the minister for a visa class for the migration program year has been reached, no further visas can be granted in that program year. Parent and Contributory Parent visas are subject to capping by the Minister and processing times are now in the decades.
Contributory Parent visas are not presently queued which makes them a costly, but still viable pathway to permanent residence.
I have lodged an offshore Parent visa application, can I visit Australia during processing?
Yes, you can still obtain a Visitor visa (or appropriate visa) that allows you to spend time with friends and family in Australia. This will not adversely impact your permanent residency visa application, and policy provides that such Visitor visas can have longer stay periods in Australia.
What age do my parents need to be in order to apply for the Aged Parent / Contributory Aged Parent visas?
At least one parent must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia.
The pension age will be gradually increased from 65 to 67 years as set out in the table here.
Does applying for these visas result in a Bridging Visa?
You will only be granted a Bridging Visa if (among other things) you apply for an Aged Parent or Contributory Aged Parent visa in Australia whilst holding a substantive visa.
Disclaimer
The information contained here is offered for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or give rise to an attorney-client relationship between you and our firm. The information: (i) must be regarded as a practical guide for general information and not a process guide for determining the specific immigration requirements of the countries covered, (ii) should not be a substitute for a more indepth analysis of applicable facts and circumstances conducted by competent professionals, and (iii) does not represent an opinion from Hannan Tew or any of its agents with regard to the laws of any of the jurisdictions concerned. The information does not guarantee the outcome or approval of any particular immigration application.
What can we do for you?
With extensive experience representing applicants apply for general skilled migration visas from all corners of the world, our staff are well placed to assist with all issues in relation to the general skilled migration program including: skills assessment applications, State / territory nomination applications, visa applications and general advisory.
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