You may be able to sponsor your parent (regardless of age) for a permanent Australia Parent visa Class AX Subclass 103 to live with you in Australia if you, or your cohabiting partner (spouse or de facto partner), are an Australian citizen or permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen having lived in Australia for more than 2 years (that is, settled).
Your parent can apply for this visa (Parent Subclass 103 visa) on his or her own if on 8 May 2018 holds an Investor Retirement Subclass 405 visa or Retirement Subclass 410 visa and has not held any other visa when applying for this visa.
In order to be eligible to sponsor your parent, you or your cohabiting partner must be over 18. If you are under 18, your over 18 partner may sponsor your parent for you. If both of you are under 18, your or your partner’s relative or guardian who is over 18 and is a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident or an eligible NZ citizen can sponsor your parent for you. In addition, a community organisation can also sponsor your parent on your behalf.
Balance of Family test
Before you can sponsor your parent for an Australia Parent visa Subclass 103, at least half of your siblings (including step equivalent) must be living permanently in Australia. This is commonly known as the Balance of Family (BoF) test. However, your parent does not need to pass the BoF if he or she holds an investor Retirement Subclass 405 visa or Retirement Subclass 410 visa.
When applying for a Parent Subclass 103 visa, your parent can be in or outside Australia, but must be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
Your parent can include under 18 family member in a combined application for a Parent Class AX Subclass 103 visa.
Before the Department of Immigration (Department of Home Affairs) grant the visa, you may be required to provide Assurance of Support (click here to learn more) and DHS (Centrelink) may also require you to show your salary is at least $57,738 per annum if sponsoring 1 parent or $86,607 if sponsoring both parents. If both you and your partner are sponsoring both respective parents, both salaries must be at least $115,476.
Processing time for Parent visa
There is an annual cap or limit to the number of Parent Subclass 103 visas issued by the Department of Immigration. The queue for this visa is over 30 years and if granted, is valid for 5 years from the date of grant (click here to learn about RRV Subclass 155 visa).
Alternate parent visas, such as Contributory visas (click here to learn more about Contributory Subclass 143 visa and Subclass 173 visa) usually have a shorter processing time of between 3 to 4 years from the date of application.
If your parent lodged an application for the Parent Class AX Subclass 103 visa in Australia, the Department of Immigration will not generally grant an associated Bridging Visa to allow them to stay in Australia until a decision is made. Click here to learn more.
Australian migration law is complex and difficult to understand, contact our immigration lawyer for a consultation (fee applies) to help you decide if you are eligible to sponsor your parent (click here to find out how an immigration lawyer or registered migration agent can help you). You may also refer to our FAQs for answers regarding visa application or visa cancellation by clicking here.
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This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission on the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult an immigration lawyer or a registered migration agent to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.
