How to bring my parents to Australia? This is one of the most common questions asked by foreign nationals who settle in Australia after obtaining Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
However, it’s not as straightforward as it might seem. Now your parents can visit you for a short period through a Visitor Visa, but what if you want them to stay longer? In that case, they would have to opt for one of the Parent Visa options available.
Different Visa Options To Bring Your Parents To Australia
Longer Visitor Visas
Your parents can opt for the Tourist Visa subclass 600, which is a stream of tourist visas that permits parents of Australian citizens or residents to remain in Australia for one year on every entry.
However, if your parents decide to live in Australia for a longer period, they would have to go for other visa options. So, let’s talk about them.
Sponsored Parent Temporary visa – Subclass 870
Your parents can live in Australia for 3, 5, or 10 years through this visa. However, they would not be given work rights or access to Medicare benefits, which is undoubtedly a drawback of subclass 870. As a result, your parents would need private health insurance unless they belong to a country that has a reciprocal agreement with Medicare, like the UK.
Another thing to note here is that the Sponsored Parent Visa subclass 870 is neither too cheap nor too expensive compared to other parent visa options offered by Australia. Plus, it’s a temporary visa.
Permanent Parent Visas
Permanent Parent Visa options are ideal if your parents want to live in Australia permanently with access to the public health system and work rights.
The Permanent Parent Visa is the most sought-after visa, and the Department of Home Affairs grants only 1,500 to 2,000 of these every year. But what’s surprising to note here is that it has a processing time of 26 to 30 years.
However, the Immigration Department introduced the Contributory Parent Visa when it realized that the long queues for the Permanent Parent Visa made it difficult for families to reunite.
Contributory Parent Visa
Contributory Parent Visa is one in which parents make a monetary contribution to the social security system to speed up visa processing. However, it would still take up to five years to be processed.
This isn’t a cheap visa since it demands a contribution of AUD 43,000 per person, which means the total contribution would be around AUD 90,000 if you want to bring both of your parents to Australia. There’s also an assurance of support and a bond involved with the Contributory Parent Visa.
We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on Australian immigration.
