The new Temporary Sponsored Parent visa is due to be released in late 2017, if the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and other Measures) Bill is passed. More details will be made known on its introduction. What do we know for now?
- Granted for 3 or 5 years, maximum stay is 10 years in total
- 3 year visa costs AUD$5,000
- 5 year visa costs AUD$10,000
- No Balance of Family test
- No bond required
- No work rights
- Only can undertake short term, informal study
- Maintain health insurance from an Australian provider through the period of their stay
- Cannot have outstanding public health debt in Australia
- Meet health and character requirements
- Only one set of parents per household (that is maximum two people) can be sponsored for this visa at a time
Sponsor requirements:
- Biological, adoptive, or a step child of their parent
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Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
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18 years or older
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Have lived in Australia for at least four years
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Meet a household income requirement
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Meet character requirements
- Accept legal liability for any outstanding public health debt their sponsored parent accrues
The sponsor and applicant will be assessed separately. The sponsor application must be approved before the visa application for the parent can be made.When the news of a new temporary parent visa first came out in October last year, it was well received, having been marketed as an affordable visa, quicker turnaround and without news on the 10 year cap.We’re not so sure now that it’s as great an option than previously thought.
We’ve left out the non contributory parent visa in our following considerations, which while is actually affordable, has an unrealistic 30 year ++ wait.
Read: Parent Visa Applications
The temporary sponsored parent visa cost for a total of a 10 year stay will come up to a AUD$20,000. That’s nearly halfway to the cost of a contributory parent visa application. Private health insurance is also a must, which will very surely add substantial weight to the cost. There is however, no bond that is required to be paid and payments for the temporary parent visa are further apart as compared to the contributory parent visa option, making it a little easier to handle.
Read: Contributory Aged Parent Visa
Read: Contributory Parent Visa
But putting aside cost, the bigger issue is the 10 year limit. If you sit in the unfortunate pocket of being unable to afford the cost of a contributory parent visa or if you are unable to meet the balance of family test (but your parents really need to be with you) then the temporary sponsored parent visa is your only option. But then what do you do? Bring them here now, and send them home older and frailer after 10 years, or wait for what you think might be the last ten years of their lives? It doesn’t seem kind.
The news of this visa has brought up public concerns that the introduction of this visa will result in population problems with no contribution (at least to the public) in return.
In considering both the tangible and intangible costs, and the often negative view on migrants in the media, the temporary sponsored parent visa sounds more like it was created to be a profiteering scheme and a political move that has been packaged with buzzwords like “reunification” and “cultural link” to appear humanitarian.
Nonetheless it is another option in addition to the current visa programme for parents and will certainly be helpful to those who are not currently eligible or cannot afford the contributory parent visa option. There is still that 10 year limit to think about though.
Related articles:
DIBP: Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa FAQs
SBS News: New Parent Visa Announced
SBS News: “People Will Pay It” – More Details on Australia’s $20,000 Parent Visa
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