Parent visas
The Parent Visa enables parents of children who are Australian citizens or permanent residents to be sponsored for permanent residence in Australia. The Parent visa migration program is capped and queued, some visa types have a long processing time of up to 30 years.
There are currently six classes of Parent visas which fall into two major categories – non-contributory and contributory. They may also be classified on the basis of an applicant’s age, and whether it’s temporary and/ or permanent residence.
The non-contributory Visa has a much longer processing time but it has a lower Visa Application Charge. The contributory parent visa can be processed a lot sooner but Visa Application Charge is much higher.
There is however an option to spread the costs for the contributory parent visa over two stages. The first stage is where the provisional visa is applied for which is approved for a period of two years. The second stage of the application is applied for prior to the provisional visa expiring, where you can apply for the permanent stage, paying the balance of the fees.
Assurance of support (AoS)
Applications for a permanent Parent category visa require an AoS, which is a legal commitment from an individual or organisation to give the applicant financial support, so they do not have to rely on social security payments.