Introducing the Temporary Sponsored Parent visa for Australia

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temporary sponsored parent visaIn November of this year, the Australian government will officially introduce the temporary sponsored parent visa.

This new visa will allow Australian citizens and permanent residents, as well as eligible New Zealanders, to bring their parents to Australia to live with them for up to five years at a time.

Understandably Australians has met this announcement with a considerable amount of enthusiasm.

Anyone who’s emigrated, or who are about to emigrate, will tell you that leaving parents behind is one of the hardest things to do when emigrating, if not the hardest.

Concerns around existing parent visas prompted the new visa

Australia currently has six parent visas under the Family category. The costs associated with these visas are enormous! You can expect to pay up to AU$32900 for your visa. This price tag is a massive stumbling block for the average person trying to move to Australia.

The other concern hopeful immigrants have is that parent visas for Austalia take years to finalise. In some instances as long as 30 years!

Don’t believe us? See for yourself – it’s true for the parent visa, aged parent visa and subclasses 864 and 143 of the contributory parent visa.

This means even when the visa is more affordable, the waiting times make moving to Australia little more than a pipe dream.

The temporary sponsored parent visa now puts living in Australia within reach for a much greater number of parents

As mentioned earlier, the temporary sponsored parent visa will allow the parents of Australians to join their children for a period of up to five years at a time.

The five year visa will come at a cost of AU$10 000, while a three year visa will cost AU$5000. This AU$5000 is significantly less than any of the current parent visas.

There has been no announcement yet on how long the processing time for the temporary sponsored parent visa will be. However, taking into consideration that Australian immigration wants to address concerns around timelines, it is most likely safe to assume that applicants won’t have to wait years on an outcome.

temporary sponsored parent visa renewal

Here are answers to five of the most frequently asked questions on the new visa

There has been a lot of questions from Australians and their parents already on the new temporary sponsored visa. Here are five of the most frequently asked plus their answers:

Who is eligible to apply?

  • Parents (biological or adoptive) and step-parents of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens.
  • Step-parents can only apply if they are still in a married/de facto relationship with a biological parent of the sponsoring Australian child.
  • Only one set of parents per household can be sponsored at a time.

temporary sponsored parent visa sponsor eligibility

What requirements must a parent meet to qualify for the visa?

Parents must meet a number of requirements, including:

  • Their child must be approved as a sponsor.
  • Meeting the identity, health and character requirements.
  • Not having outstanding public health debt in Australia.

Parents will also be required to hold, and maintain, health insurance from an Australian provider valid for their intended period of stay in Australia.

What requirements must a sponsor (the child) meet?

The sponsor for a temporary parent visa must meet a number of requirements in order for their sponsorship to be approved. These will include that the sponsor must:

  • Be a biological, adoptive or step-child of the parent.
  • Provide valid evidence of their identity.
  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen.
  • Be 18 years or older.
  • Have lived in Australia for at least four years.
  • Meet a household income requirement.
  • Meet character requirements.
  • Accept legal liability for any outstanding public health debt their sponsored parent accrues. This requirement is in place to reduce the cost to the Australian government of health services for temporary parent migrants.

temporary sponsored parent visa sponsor requirement

 More details will be announced closer to the introduction in November 2017

The Australian government still has to release some details around the temporary sponsored parent visa, such as the sponsorship requirements and the application process. These details are expected much closer to the November introduction date.

The easiest way to stay in the loop is to follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn for updates.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us on +27 (0) 21 202 8200. Our advisers will be happy to help you understand this new visa better.

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