The pandemic and the closing of the borders made it very difficult for the parents of Australian citizens and Australian residents to visit their children. But now that the borders are open and many of the restrictions have been lifted you will be allowed to enter the country but you have to apply for a travel exemption(must be fully vaccinated and if you are not then you may be able to enter Australia in specific circumstances). Below are some different ways you can bring your parents or relatives to Australia.
Visitor Visas
One of the fastest ways for parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents is to apply for a visitor visa with a travel exemption. There are three types of visitor visas. Which visa your parents can apply for will depend on their passport’s country.
Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601)
This visa lets you visit Australia for the purposes of tourism, exploring beautiful sights, visiting family and friends, and business. With this visa, you can enter Australia as many times as you wish during a 12-month period. You can stay for up to 3 months each time. You can’t include family members on this visa so anyone that wishes to come with you must apply for a separate visa. If you hold a passport from one of these countries you can apply for this visa: Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States. Processing times are very short since this visa is usually granted very quickly after it’s lodged.
e-Visitor Visa (Subclass 651)
If you hold a passport from a European country you can apply for this visa. Limitations on the number of times you can visit and their durations are similar to the subclass 601 visa. Processing times are between 1 to 7 months.
Visitor Visa (Subclass 600)
If your parents hold visas from any country other than the ones listed above, they will have to apply for a standard visitor visa (Subclass 600). This visa can be granted for a duration of 3 month to more than 12 months. Depending on your case it can be granted for a single entry or multiple entries. This will be decided by the case officer and will change on a case-to-case basis. To fast-track your application, it’s better to get your travel exemption first.
Bringing your parents to Australia for longer periods (Up to 5 years)
If you want to bring your parents to Australia but want them to stay longer than what the visitor visas allow, then you can go for the temporary sponsored parent visa (Subclass 870). This visa will allow you to bring your parents to Australia as a sponsor and have them stay in Australia for 3 to 5 years. There are two steps that you have to go through if you want to get this visa.
First you have to become an approved sponsor and then your parents can lodge their visa applications. Make sure your sponsorship is approved before your parents apply for their visa. You can only become a sponsor if you’re the child of the applicant or the child’s partner. You must also be 18 or older. Must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible NZ citizen. You should not owe any money to the Australian government and have a taxable income of at least $83,454.80 in the most recent year(this number can be combined with your partner’s income as well). A travel exemption will still be required for the Subclass 870 visa.
Permanent residency parent visas
If temporary visas are not suitable for you or don’t meet your needs and requirements, then it’s worth looking into more permanent options. There are a few visas that allow you to bring your parents to Australia permanently:
- Contributory parent visa (Subclass visa 143) – takes 5 to 6 years to process
- Contributory aged parent visa (Subclass 864) – takes 5 to 6 years to process
- Parent visa (Subclass 103) – takes 30 years to process
- Aged parent visa (Subclass 804) – takes 30 years to process
All parent visas will require you to pass the “Balance of Family Test”. This means that at least half or more of your children are Australian citizens or permanent residents and they reside in Australia.
