Parent visas allow Australian Citizens and Permanent residents to sponsor their parents to travel to and remain in Australia. The parent must meet the balance of the family test. A parent meets this requirement if either:
- at least half of their children live permanently in Australia
- more of their children live permanently in Australia than in any other country.
There are both onshore and offshore options, but a parent must be an aged parent to be able to apply for an onshore parent visa.
There are also contributory and non – contributory options for parent visas. The contributory parent visa requires a larger visa application charge; however the processing time is much quicker than non – contributory parent (18 months as against 30 years). The extended waiting time is due to the capping of parent visas, which means that only a certain number of visas can be granted in a financial year.