Australia is among the few advanced economies whose visa system explicitly allows the parents of citizens or permanent residents. The routes are not always quick, the move is rarely simple, but the destination is the same one your children have already chosen, and the welcome at the end of it, by every measure that matters, is truly worthwhile.
At Sterling Migration, we understand, as parents, how much we miss our children and grandchildren when they leave us. We want to be close to help them and remain a part of their lives. With a variety of parent visas available for Australia, it is possible for parents who meet the qualifying criteria as laid out in Australian law to emigrate.
We advocate daily for parents who wish to emigrate and have assisted thousands of families in reuniting.
Our endeavours are focused on reducing waiting times, building successful cases and mitigating potential risks posed by the immigration system to their short and long-term plans.
We maintain a 99% success rate, compared to less than 20% of visa applications worldwide being approved.
We offer a No Visa – No Fee Guarantee*
Complete our free assessment so one of our experts can evaluate your emigration options and provide you with a recommendation. You will also receive a free e-guide with everything you need to know about emigrating to Australia, both pre- and post-arrival in your new home.
There are seven parent visa subclasses. Four provide permanent residency, while three offer temporary residency.
The processing time for a Non-Contributory Parent visa is currently estimated at 33 years. For those over 67 years old, it is possible to apply once you have arrived in Australia and remain on a bridging visa. While holding a bridging visa, your Aged Non-Contributory Parent Visa is being processed.
AUD 6,600 Initial Applicant
AUD 3,300 Partner
AUD 2,065 2nd instalment due when the visa is approved per person
The sponsoring child must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia.
AUD 5,000 for a Single Parent
AUD 2,000 for an additional Parent
Police Report approx. AUD 200
Medical Report approx. AUD 500
The processing time for a Contributory Parent Visa is currently fifteen years.
For those over 67 years old, you can be in Australia when applying for an Aged Contributory Parent Visa and remain in Australia on a bridging visa until the case is complete.
For those under 67 years, you will apply off-shore. During this time you are able to visit Australia, or subsequently apply for a temporary parent visa to stay for up to 10 years while your application is being processed.
AUD 6,300 Initial Applicant
AUD 2,125 Partner
AUD 43,600 per parent. This is payable when the visa is approved.
The sponsoring child must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia.
Your child must be over 18 and have held PR for over two years.
AUD 10,000 for a Single Parent
AUD 4,000 for an additional Parent
AUD 83,454.80 of household taxable income
The sponsor can combine income with a spouse, de facto partner or another child of the parent, contributing at least half of the AUD 83,454.80 themselves
For Assurance of Support income requirements, Services Australia calculates the minimum from current JobSeeker and Family Tax Benefit rates for the household.
Police Report approx. AUD 200
Medical Report approx. AUD 500
The sponsorship application is assessed first, and processing times vary with the Department’s caseload.
The sponsoring child must have been lawfully Resident in Australia for over 4-years and hold PR or citizenship.
AUD 83,454.80 of household taxable income
The sponsor can combine income with a spouse, de facto partner or another child of the parent, contributing at least half of the AUD 83,454.80 themselves
For Assurance of Support income requirements, Services Australia calculates the minimum from current JobSeeker and Family Tax Benefit rates for the household.
a separate application charge
Once the sponsor (Your child) has been approved, we may file for the Temporary Parent Visa, with processing times varying with demand.
AUD 1,515 Initial Government fee – per person
AUD 4,855 On approval of the visa – per person
AUD 1,515 Initial Government fee – per person
AUD 10,925 on approval of the visa, per person
Police Report approx. AUD 200
Medical Report approx. AUD 500
Permanent parent visas carry full work rights. The temporary Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870) does not permit work.
Currently, non-contributory parent visas take approximately 33 years to process. This can be a disincentive for many parents.
Currently, the contributory parent visas take approximately fifteen years to process.
You can apply for an Aged Parent Visa starting from the age of 67. The aged Parent Visas have certain advantages over the Parent visa streams. However, they do not expedite the process.
Everything indicates that Australia would prefer to abolish the Parent visa stream as they deem Parents as liabilities and possible burdens on the public purse who have paid their income taxes to another country.
Therefore, the benefits of issuing parent visas are outweighed by the risks.
However, if you receive your invitation to emigrate prior to any potential changes, any new laws will not affect you retrospectively.
Yes, it is important that parents budget for medical insurance. The Australian Medicare system will not provide adequate cover as the parent would not have paid into the system.
Temporary Parent Visas are issued for three or five years, you are able to apply for a temporary visa several times, but the limit is capped at ten years. They are designed to allow a grandparent residency in Australia during the formative years of their grandchildren’s lives.
Once the children have grown, or the visa expires, the grandparents are expected to return to their country of origin.
There may be ways to extend beyond that time period based on the current law. However, there is no way to foresee what the policy will be like in ten years or even three.
To be eligible for a permanent Parent visa, at least half of your children must live permanently in Australia, or more of your children must live permanently in Australia than in any other country.
This includes stepchildren and adopted children.
There is no family test to be eligible for a Temporary Parent visa. However, your child must be settled in Australia as a citizen or permanent resident.
Discuss your eligibility and explore your options with a dedicated migration specialist.
Aged parents living overseas first approached Sterling after hearing that their daughter, an Australian permanent resident in Brisbane, was expecting her first child. They had a matter of months to be present for the birth. They wanted to remain in Australia afterwards, for the early years, and indefinitely.
We completed the substantive paperwork before they travelled, so that nothing in the file would later jeopardise the plan.
The balance of family was confirmed; the sponsoring child’s residence and capacity to sponsor were documented; medical and character evidence were assembled in advance. Both parents were above the Australian Aged Pension age. Sterling then placed the family on a defined Aged Parent strategy that has, over twenty-five years, become a quiet feature of our practice.
The strategy is not set out on these pages; it is the substance of the conversation we have with each family at the beginning of an Aged Parent matter.
The grandparents were present at the birth. They are present today, settled near their daughter, enrolled in Medicare, and known to their granddaughter from her first week of life.
Discuss your eligibility and explore your options with a dedicated migration specialist.
Whether you have questions or need guidance on your Australian immigration path, our specialists are ready to listen and advise. Contact us today.