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 a visa in either of these 2 categories.

What are the major differences between the Parent category and the Contributory 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 a visa in the Contributory Parent category, parents choose to make a substantially higher contribution to their future health and welfare costs.

What are the requirements that I must meet to migrate as a parent ?

To be granted a visa in the 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.
satisfy certain public interest criteria, such as health and character checks,
have an approved Assurance of Support and have lodged an Assurance of Support bond, and
have paid the appropriate first and second visa application charge

If you are applying from within Australia, you will also need to meet the age requirements for the Aged Parent visa.
In addition, to make an acceptable application for a visa in the Parent category, you must also withdraw any previous parent application that has not yet been decided by the department.

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

Applicants for parent visas can expect lengthy timeframes between lodgement and grant of their application. There are two key reasons for this.

The Immigration Minister 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.

Due to the high demand for parent migration, a cap has been placed on the number of visas that can be granted each year in this category.

When a cap is reached, applicants who have met the key legal requirements for the grant of a parent visa are placed in a global queue for the grant of that visa. When further visa places become available and applicants meet all the legal criteria for the grant of that visa, visas are granted in order of the date that they were allocated a position in the queue, or the "queue date".

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

Flexible visitor visa arrangements are in place for parents with an existing migration application. Applicants for Parent visas are able to visit Australia for a stay of up to 12 months. Applicants for a visa in the Parent category who subsequently apply for a Visitor visa will still need to meet all the criteria and comply with the conditions of their Visitor visa.