Written by Sheila Woods of Interstaff 19 March 2019

Australia’s new Temporary Parent Visa

Parents coming to Australia under the new Subclass 870 Visa option will be able to stay for five years without departing, which is a significantly longer period than if they were to arrive on a Visitor Visa. After this time, they can choose to re-apply for another five years, for a total maximum stay of ten years.

A few main features of the Subclass 870 Temporary Parent Visa include:

• Limitations preventing parents from working in Australia
• Requirements for evidence of access to funds
• Requirements for health insurance
• ‘Balance of Family Test’ (BoF) not required (A Balance of Family test assesses the proportion of your children living permanently in Australia and is an eligibility requirement for all other Parent Visas.)

The new Parent Visa will require two applications – a Sponsorship application and a Visa application. The visa application can only be lodged once the sponsorship application has been approved. Once the applications have been granted, a number of sponsorship obligations and visa conditions will apply.

How the new Temporary Parent Visa contrasts with Permanent Parent Visa options

While the Subclass 870 Parent Visa only allows for a temporary five or ten year stay, it could provide migrants a long-term visa alternative to Australia’s current permanent Parent visa options, which typically require either lengthy waiting times or very high Government costs.

To help you consider if the new option is one you’d like to explore, compare the new Temporary Parent Visa’s fees and expected waiting periods against Australia’s current permanent residence visa options.

Am I eligible to sponsor my parents?

There are a number of factors influencing both your ability to become an approved sponsor as well as your parents’ eligibility for Australia’s various Parent Visa options. Some of these factors include:

• The visa holders’ ability to meet health and character requirements
• The sponsor’s household income
• Evidence of access to funds for the duration of the visa
• Evidence of health insurance
• Whether there are any outstanding debts to the Australian Government and other eligibility factors

We expect the Department of Home Affairs will announce the supporting legislative regulations for the visa in coming months. As the visa will be capped to 15,000 people, you may wish to consider applying without delay. The Department will begin accepting sponsorship applications for the Subclass 807 Parent Visa from 17 April 2019 and applications for the visa are intended to open from 1 July 2019.

Established in 1988, Interstaff has over 35 years of Australian visa and migration experience and provides strategic immigration advice to businesses and individuals Australia-wide and internationally. MARN: 0533879.