The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has announced a new visa: The temporary sponsored parent visa. This will allow as many as 15,000 Australians to bring their parents over to Australia every year, starting from November 2017.

Australian flag by the beach

It just got easier to bring your parents to Australia

The existing Parent visa (subclass 103) takes over 20 years to be granted, and the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) requires a very steep visa application fee, as well as a costly Assurance of Support bond. These obstacles mean that many people are faced with the reality of leaving their parents behind when immigrating to Australia, and these parents are losing out on irreplaceable years that could be spent with their children and grandchildren. 

The temporary sponsored parent visa will solve some of these problems. The visa will allow Australian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents to stay in Australia for up to five years at a time. The visa may be renewed from outside of Australia to allow a cumulative stay of up to ten years. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection will undertake a review of the temporary sponsored parent visa at the end of the first program year. 

See also: Australian business visas

How to sponsor your parent

The sponsor of the parent must meet the following requirements before the visa application can be made; the sponsor must:

  • Be a biological, adoptive, or step-child of the parent
  • Provide valid evidence of identity
  • Be 18 years or older
  • Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
  • Have lived in Australia for at least four years
  • Meet a household income requirement
  • Meet the character requirements
  • Accept legal liability for any outstanding public health debt their sponsored parent accrues

Note: There is no English language requirement for this visa.

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How to apply for this visa

The visa applicant must meet identity, health and character requirements and not have any outstanding public health debt in Australia. The applicant is required to hold health insurance from an Australian provider for the duration of their intended stay.

The visa will cost AUD 10,000 for five years and AUD 5,000 for three years.


Our registered migration agents in Melbourne will ensure your visa application has the greatest chance of success. Get in touch with us via email on ausoffice@sableinternational.com or give us a call on +61 3 86514500 

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