Once they are settled abroad, most of the immigrants want their parents to come to their country and stay close. But is this possible? Can you call your parents to Australia and settle them along with you? Yes, you can surely do that! Here are the things that you must know about the Australian Parent visa.
Which Australian Parent Visa Can Help Settle Your Parents in Australia?
Australia offers lots of parent visas, but most of them are expensive and take a lot of time.
Non-contributory Visa Is Cheapest, But Wait List is Very Long
The cheapest parent visa in Australia is the non-contributory visa which requires you to pay only $6000 for the main applicant. The fee for a dependant spouse is $2000. But the provision is available for only a limited period every year and hence the waitlist can continue for long years-sometimes even 30 years.
For parents to settle in Australia, they must fulfill character and health requirements. More importantly, they must have a sponsor and also qualify the balance of family test. To pass this test, you should be able to prove that half of the children of the parents are already residing permanently in Australia.
Contributory Visas Are processed Quickly But Are Very Expensive
These visas are comparatively processed quickly but are expensive as compared to the non-contributory visas. For a permanent visa under this category, you have to pay around $50000. Apart from the above eligibility factors like a sponsor, fulfilling character and health requirements, and passing the balance of family test, for this visa the parents also have to get an assurance of support.
It is a legal commitment from the sponsor that he/she will support the parents financially.
Visas For Parents Who Are Still Working
Working parents can apply for temporary visas-173 or 884. These visas cost between $20,000 and $32,000. These visas allow the parents to work in Australia for two years and also get health facilities under Medicare. After working for a couple of years in Australia, the parents can then apply for permanent visa-143 by paying an additional amount of $20,000.
Are There Any Other Options?
Parents who want to settle in Australia and have at least half their children already living in the country can opt for a Visitor visa subclass 600. With this visa, parents can visit their children in Australia for up to 1 year by paying around $1000. However, once the 1 year is up the parents have to move back to their country and wait for six months to reapply for the visitor visa again.
Option For Parents Unable To Pass Family Balance Test May Be Underway
There is a ray of hope for parents who want to settle in Australia but cannot do so because they could not qualify the balance of family test. New reports suggest that the Australian government is planning to come up with an option for such parents and a new parent visa may be underway.