who is this visa for?

This visa is for parents of children who are Australian Permanent Residents or Citizens that wish to live permanently in Australia.


Parent Visas

Persons wishing to enter or remain in Australia under the Parent Migration Programme must have a child who is either an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident. This child must be an eligible sponsor, and the balance of family criteria must be met.


    In order to satisfy the Balance of Family test, at least half of the applicant's children must live permanently in Australia, or, more of the applicant's children must live permanently in Australia than in any other country.

    Permanent Parent Visa options include:

    Contributory Parent Visas - These visas have the advantage of being processed relatively quickly (1.5 to 2 years) however the Department of Immigration requires that all each applicant pay a non-refundable visa application fee of AUD$43,600 before being granted the permanent visa.

    Note: Applications for Non-Contributory Parent visas are no longer being accepted as of the 1st of July, 2014.

Applicants may consider applying for a temporary Contributory Parent visa (subclass 173), however, an application fee of $19,420 per applicant does apply. After arriving in Australia on a subclass 173 visa the holder has two years to apply for a Permanent Contributory Parent visa. In this way, the costs of the Contributory Parent migration can be spread over a number of years.

Due to the considerable costs and/ or processing delays associated with permanent parent visas, the Australian Migration Advisory recommends that applicants consult with an experienced Migration Agent before proceeding.

Additional requirements may apply
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Obligations as a Parent Visa Holder

This is a Permanent visa allowing the holder to remain in Australia indefinitely. There are no work or study restrictions placed upon this visa.