The Australian government has finally passed the legislation which will allow parents of migrants to spend long periods in Australia.
The Federal Government on Wednesday announced it will open applications for the much-awaited temporary sponsored visa for parents in the first half of 2019.
“This new visa will help families reunite and spend time together,” Immigration Minister David Coleman said in a statement.
“It will provide a new pathway for parents and grandparents to visit their families in Australia, which will deliver great social benefits to the Australian community,” he added.
Here are the seven must-know facts about the new temporary sponsored visa for parents.
- 3-year-visa will cost $5000, a 5-year-visa will cost $10,000 and a 10-year-visa will cost $20,000, with the opportunity of a single renewal for another five years at the same price.
- 15,000 people each year will be granted this long stay parent visa.
- Children/Sponsors will be required to pay for their parents' private health insurance. The children will also need to act as financial guarantor on any extra healthcare costs their parents rack up in Australia.
- Those on the new visa will not be allowed to work, however, the government hopes they will take on family roles which would see “reduced pressure on childcare facilities.”
- Those sponsoring their parents for the new visa need to be Australian citizens or permanent residents, or “eligible New Zealand citizens”.
- The visa-holders would not be allowed to reapply beyond the 10 years and would have no pathway to permanent residency.
- This visa will be available in the first half of 2019.
The new temporary long stay visa for parents is a response to calls from migrant communities who have called for reform to parent visas, arguing that the current system is complex and prone to long delay.
Parent visas are currently split across several visa streams, including the Aged Parent visa, the Contributory Parent (Temporary) and the permanent Contributory Parent visa.
