The New (Temporary) Parent Visa – a social benefit?
Updated: 9 May 2022
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister David Coleman has just announced a new and improved Sponsored Parent (Temporary) subclass 870 visa. The new visa is a response to the community concerns over the limited number of parent places in migration programs and the associated lengthy waiting period.
The new Temporary parent visa was introduced with an aim to provide parents of Australian citizens with ‘a new pathway to temporarily reunite with their children and grandchildren in Australia, while ensuring that taxpayers are not required to cover additional costs’.
Available from the 17th of April 2019, the visa will permit applicants to stay in Australia for periods of 3, 5 or 10 years once both a sponsorship and primary application are approved, and are capped at 15,000 visa grants each year.
In a nutshell
- Only an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen may apply to sponsor their biological, adoptive or step-parent.
- Sponsorship applications can be lodged from the 17th of April 2019 at the price $420.
- Primary application must be lodged within 6 months of sponsorship approvals available from 1 July 2019.
- Visa applications may be for period of 3 or 5 years after which the applicant may re apply for a maximum of 10 years in total.
- If applying for a second time, applicants must have been outside Australia for at least 90 days
- Only two parents of one household can be sponsored at a time
Despite the new visa seeming like a positive move by the Australian government, it comes with a bitter sweet taste its few road blocks for sponsors who may struggle to meet the threshold.
These are:
Price
Concerns have been raised over the price of the new visa, claiming it is ‘unfair and unaffordable’ . The new visa will cost migrants $5000 for 3-years, $10,000 for 5-years and $20,000 for 10-years, making it harder for families from a low socio-economic background to apply.
Financial burden
On top of the price paid to obtain the visa, Australian sponsors would have to act as financial guarantors for any outstanding public health costs (i.e. Medicare) incurred by the visa holder whilst in Australia, including hospital and aged care fees.
Further, both sponsors and applicants must meet the income threshold, and the visa holder would not be able to work during their time in Australia – making it harder for families to ease the overall financial burden.
So what are the benefits of the new (Temporary) Parent Visa?
Unlike the current subclass 103 Parent Visa, the Balance of Family test is not a requirement for the new (Temporary) Parent Visa. This means that there is no need for the sponsored parent to have at least half of their eligible children residing in Australia.
Additionally, the faster processing times for the new visa seem to be a great benefit to those families on a subclass 143 Contributory Parent Visa who are experiencing difficulty with the present limitations to their visitor visa, or parents who are not yet eligible to apply for permanent residency but still wish to be united with their family in Australia.
Whether or not you think the new (Temporary) Parent Visa is viable for your situation, if you are considering applying for an Australia Parent Visa, it is important you weight out your options and understand the associated requirements and process.
Do you have further questions, or need advice on your current application? Contact one of our lawyers or senior migration agents on 1300 92 11 14.
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