Are you a citizen or a permanent resident of Australia who wants to bring your parents here? Australian citizens, Permanent Residents, and qualifying New Zealand Citizens may sponsor their parents' permanent relocation to Australia under the Australia Parent Migration Visa.

How can parents be brought to Australia?

There are two categories of Australia parent migration visas:

  • Visas for non-contributory parents
  • This PR visa carries a minimal processing charge.

Parents must have a sponsor, satisfy health and character standards, and pass the balance of family test in order to be eligible. At least half of the parents' children must live permanently in Australia in order to pass the balance of family test.

Visas for contributing parents

For a limited number of applicants based on the wait and cap, this is a fast-track PR visa.

Parents must have a sponsor, satisfy health and character standards, pass the balance of family test, and have proof of support in order to be eligible. A legal promise from the sponsor to provide financial support is known as an assurance of support.

Benefits of the Australia Parent Visa

  • What Can You Do With a Parental Visa?
  • Continually remain in Australia;
  • There are no restrictions on travel to or from Australia;
  • may be eligible for Medicare, Australia's public health programme;
  • less limitations on the rights to work;
  • When the conditions for residence in Australia are satisfied, apply for Australian citizenship.

Details of the Parent Visa Australia

Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa

A parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or qualified New Zealand citizen may enter Australia for a period of three or five years with this temporary visa.

Benefits of Sponsored Australia Parent Visa

  • This visa enables your parents to:
  • visit Australia for a maximum of three or five years per visa.
  • apply for additional visas so that you can stay in Australia for a total of 10 years.

Your parents SHOULD

Before you submit an application for this visa, you must have a parent sponsorship that has been authorised.

With this visa, your parents are able to:

visit Australia for a maximum of three or five years per visa to reunite with family and children.

reapply for visas to visit Australia for a maximum of 10 years.

NOTE: While they are on this visa, your parents cannot work.

Visa for parents (permanent) under class 103

A parent of an established Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or qualifying New Zealand citizen may enter Australia with this permanent visa.

This visa enables your parents to:

Move to or remain as a permanent resident in Australia, sponsor eligible family members' immigration to Australia, and if qualified, apply for Australian citizenship.

Your parents SHOULD

possess an eligible child who is a settled Australian citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, or eligible New Zealand Citizen, satisfy all requirements for the visa, and abide by Australian law. When applying for this visa, the applicant must not already be in possession of or have applied for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 870) visa.

Notably, the Department is not currently requesting that applicants for Family Visas travel abroad. From 24 March 2021, eligible applicants for parent visas will be able to take advantage of a temporary exception that will allow visas to be given to applicants in Australia.

With this visa, your parents are able to:

  • Stay in Australia permanently
  • work and study there
  • enrol in Medicare
  • sponsor your family's immigration to Australia
  • if qualified, apply for Australian citizenship.

Benefits of the Australia Parent Visa

  • for five years, travel to and from Australia
  • If the travel facility on this visa is still in effect after five years
  • your parents may travel to and from Australia as often as they like.

After the initial 5-year travel facility has expired, if your parents want to travel:

To return to Australia as a permanent resident, your parents will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return Visa (RRV).

Perhaps your parents might think about obtaining Australian citizenship. Your parents won't need a visa to enter Australia if they become citizens of Australia.

To leave and enter Australia, your parents will require an Australian passport, which they must apply for.

retirees should apply for a Parent Visa (subclass 103)

Your parents do not have to: if you apply for the category 103 visa as a retiree.

fulfil the family balance test, or have a sponsor or a guarantee of support

It is a long-term visa. Your parents are permitted to remain in Australia indefinitely.

The day the visa is issued counts as your parents' first day of permanent residency for citizenship purposes.

Subclass 143 Contributory Parent (Permanent) Visa

This permanent visa enables the relocation to Australia of the parents of an established Australian Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, or qualifying New Zealand Citizen.

This visa enables your parents to:

move to or remain in Australia as a permanent resident sponsor family members who are eligible for immigration to Australia apply for citizenship, if qualified

Your parents SHOULD

meet the balance-of-family test, unless you are applying for the Retirement Pathway, or have a Subclass 173 visa, and have an eligible child who is a settled Australian citizen, Permanent Resident, or eligible New Zealand Citizen.

Assurance of Support, unless you are applying under the Retirement Pathway, Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 870) visa, or both, at the time of application.