How can I stay with my child who lives permanently in Australia ?

There are two visa categories available to parents of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen wishing to migrate to Australia :

• the Parent category, and
  
• the Contributory Parent category

If you would like to live permanently in Australia, and you are the parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, you may apply for an Australian visa in either of these 2 categories.

What are the major differences between the Contributory Parent category and the Parent category ?

The major differences between the two categories are that :

• the Contributory Parent category has more visa places available each migration program year; and
• by applying for an Australian visa in the Contributory Parent category, parents choose to make a substantially higher contribution to their future health and welfare costs.

What are the Australian visa requirements for migration as a Contributory Parent ?

To meet the Australia visa requirements in the Contributory Parent category, generally you must :

• have a child, who is :
  
  • an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen,
  • settled in Australia (resident for at least 2 years),
  • willing to sponsor you, and
  • at least 18 years of age,
• pass the balance of family test :
  
  • at least half of your children living permanently in Australia, or
  • more children living lawfully and permanently in Australia than in any other single country,
  • satisfy certain public interest criteria, such as health and character checks
  • have paid the appropriate first visa application charge,
  • have an approved Assurance of Support and have lodged an Assurance of Support bond and
  • have paid a substantial contribution to your future health and welfare costs (second visa application charge).

If you are applying from within Australia, you should also be aware that age requirements apply.

Where do I apply for a visa in the Contributory Parent category ?

If you are in Australia and meet the age requirement, you may apply for a Contributory Aged Parent or a Contributory Aged Parent (temporary) visa. All applications for a Contributory Aged Parent visa should be lodged at your nearest regional office of the department. This may be done in person or by mailing/couriering your application to the relevant address.

Parents of any age may apply for a Contributory Parent visa. Such applicants must be outside Australia to be granted a Contributory Parent visa and are not eligible for the grant of a bridging visa in relation to any such application.

All applications for a Contributory Parent visa must be lodged directly with the Perth Offshore Parents Centre, even if you are in Australia at time of lodgement.

When you are in Australia, you cannot lodge a Contributory Parent category visa application if you have a "no further stay" condition (condition 8503) on your current Australian visa or are not barred by section 48 of the Migration Act. If you are in Australia and need further information on these conditions, you should contact your nearest departmental office.

Where do I apply for an Australian visa in the Contributory Parent category ?

If you are in Australia and meet the age requirement, you may apply for a Contributory Aged Parent or a Contributory Aged Parent (temporary) visa. All applications for a Contributory Aged Parent visa should be lodged at your nearest regional office of the department. This may be done in person or by mailing/couriering your application to the relevant address.

Parents of any age may apply for a Contributory Parent visa. Such applicants must be outside Australia to be granted a Contributory Parent visa and are not eligible for the grant of a bridging visa in relation to any such application.

All applications for a Contributory Parent visa must be lodged directly with the Perth Offshore Parents Centre, even if you are in Australia at time of lodgement.

When you are in Australia, you cannot lodge a Contributory Parent category visa application if you have a "no further stay" condition (condition 8503) on your current visa or are not barred by section 48 of the Migration Act. If you are in Australia and need further information on these conditions, you should contact your nearest departmental office.

What are temporary Contributory Parent visas ?

The second Australian visa application charge (VAC) for the Contributory Parent category is considerably higher than for the Parent category.

As an alternative to applying directly for a permanent Contributory Parent category visa, applicants can choose to spread the payment of the second VAC by paying a first instalment for a 2-year temporary Contributory Parent visa.

At any time during the 2-year period, such Australian visa holders can then apply for the corresponding permanent Contributory Parent visa and pay the balance of the second VAC, just before the permanent visa is granted.

How is my application for a visa in the contributory parent category processed ?

Processing of Parent Category visas can take considerably longer than other Family Stream visas. This is due in part to the processing priority they have been given and the high demand in this category.

The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs has issued a direction for migration officers giving guidance on the order of priority for processing Family Stream applications.

Within the Family Stream, all parent applications are given a lower processing priority than applications from other family members, such as partners and children.

Within the Parent visa categories, the Contributory Parent category has a higher processing priority than the Parent category.

In addition, a number of Australian visa classes in the Family Stream are also subject to capping.
This means that once the number of visas set by the Minister for a visa class for the migration program year has been reached, no further visas can be granted in that class in that program year.

The Contributory Parent category is subject to capping. In the 2003-04 migration program year, there will be 5,500 Australian visa places available worldwide under the Contributory Parent category and 1,500 Australian visa places under the Parent category.

Thereafter, in each program year, there will be respectively 3,500 and 1,000 Australian visa places available.

When a cap is reached, applicants who have met the legal requirements for the grant of a Contributory Parent visa are placed in a global queue for the grant of that visa.
When further Australian visa places become available and applicants meet all the legal criteria for the grant of that visa, visas are granted in order of the queue date allocated to an applicant.

Can I visit Australia while my application for a visa in the Contributory Parent category is being processed ?

Flexible visitor visa arrangements are in place for parents with an existing migration application.

Applicants for a visa in the Contributory Parent category who subsequently apply for a visitor visa will still be required to meet all the criteria and comply with the conditions of their Visitor visa.

Where must I be when a decision on my application for a visa in the Contributory Parent category is made ?

Parents can be granted a Contributory Aged Parent or a Contributory Aged Parent (temporary) visa only if they are in Australia at the time the decision is made.

Parents can generally be granted a Contributory Parent or Contributory Parent (temporary) visa only if they are outside Australia at the time the decision is made.

More information on the Contributory Parent visa?

For more information on the Contributory Parent visa, contact us