Applications for a sponsored parent temporary visa will be open from July 2019

Applications for a sponsored parent temporary visa will be open from July 2019

If you have children or grandchildren living in Australia, the new sponsored parent temporary visa could grant you the ability to temporarily reunite with them in Australia for significantly longer than standard visitor visas allow. Applications to become a sponsor opened in April and once sponsor application has been approved, the sponsored parent will be able to apply for the temporary visa from the 1st July 2019.

The Australian government has announced that the sponsored (subclass 870) parent visa will come at no additional cost to taxpayers, rather it has been introduced to address growing concerns about the lack of parent places in Australia’s migration programme. The temporary visa hopes to reduce the lengthy weight periods currently associated with visitor visas.

Who can apply?

Those who wish to apply for the visa must be either:

• The biological parent of the sponsor
• The adoptive/legal parent of the sponsor
• A lawful step-parent to the sponsor.

Sponsors must be a permanent resident of Australia, an Australian citizen or a New Zealand citizen. After sponsor approval, a parent has 6 months to apply for a visa but they should not attempt to apply before sponsor approval, as their application will be automatically rejected.

Applicants should remember that the sponsored parent visa is temporary and does not allow permanent residence in Australia. Parents are eligible to apply for both a sponsored parent temporary visa and a permanent visa at the same time and any existing visa arrangements will not be influenced or affected by this new temporary visa however applications for Contributory Parent (subclass 173/143) cannot be made whilst you are the holder of the Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent Visa.

How many sponsored parent temporary visas are available?

Up to 15,000 visas will be granted, once this cap is reached no further applications will be considered until July 1st 2020. The 15,000 cap was chosen by the Government as Australia is currently prioritising providing visas for partners and children of Australian residents and young skilled migrants over more senior citizens.

Further questions?

If you have any questions about the sponsored parent temporary visa or any questions about immigration to Australia in general, contact Ethos Migration. We are an experienced immigration law firm based in Melbourne and our migration agents and immigration lawyers are leading experts who would be happy to answer any queries you may have.