I'll never forget the day a jumbo jet took my grandparents away.
I watched that plane until it turned into a speck in the sky, and just like that, they disappeared. I remember asking my mum through tears, "Why can't Baba and Dedo stay?"
I was nine years old and had spent most of my childhood with them.
My parents moved to Australia from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1995, after war broke out following the collapse of Yugoslavia. Like many migrants, they arrived with a few suitcases, no friends or family, and two children under the age of five.
As skilled migrants, they found work quickly. But in order to make ends meet, they both needed to work full-time, which meant they required child care.
Sara Tomevska's grandparents came to Australia to help with child care after her parents left the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1995. Source: Supplied / Sara Tomevska
Their presence in my childhood hugely enriched my life. Generous with their time and wisdom, they gave me perspective through sharing their childhood stories, and appreciation for the sacrifices my own parents were making.
Not least, they kept alive a connection to the language and culture I was born into, which might have otherwise been lost.
In 2003, my grandfather suffered a heart attack, requiring a double bypass surgery. With an application for permanent residency still pending after six years, he had no access to Medicare and the operation drained their savings. They felt they had no choice but to return to Macedonia.
Two weeks later, the Department of Immigration called to say their visa application was successful.
You might think it was "bad timing", "unlucky", or even "unfair", but perhaps the best word to describe the immigration system my family dealt with in the late 1990s, is "fast". At least, it was certainly "fast" compared to the system today.
That's because the average wait time for a parent visa in 2023 is 40 years, according to the latest review of Australia’s migration system.
Sara Tomevska with her maternal grandparents and young sister. Source: Supplied / Sara Tomevska
'Cruel and unnecessary' system
The 186-page Migration Review, led by former public service boss Martin Parkinson, has found Australia’s migration system is broadly "not fit for purpose", and has recommended "a new and fairer approach" to parent visas.
Between 2010 and 2022, the backlog of parent visa applications increased from about 35,000 to 120,000. Yet, the number of available parent visas has remained tightly capped at 8,500 places per year.
The report also reveals processing time for parent visa applications is "between 30 to 50 years", or 15 years if applicants can fork out $48,000 for a contributory parent visa.
About 80 per cent of the parent visas issued in Australia go to those willing to pay.
"A waiting period of 30-50 years, given the likely age of many parents, makes the probability of successful migration virtually non-existent for many applicants," the report states.
A review into Australia's migration system has called for an overhaul of the way it assesses potential citizens. Source: Supplied / Sara Tomevska
The review proposes several ways the government could address the "multi-decade" backlog.
Firstly, it suggests considering the implementation of a visa lottery model, as an "effective option for managing demand and avoiding further backlogs".
Another option is scrapping permanent residency for parents altogether, in favour of more short-term visas.
"While likely to be contentious, this approach might provide cheaper, fairer, faster and more certain access to a form of family reunification than is currently available."
Sponsored parent temporary visas (SPTV) are also an option for family reunions, at a cost of $5,240 for three years, or $10,480 for five years.
The processing times are much shorter, about five months, with applicants required to have private health insurance coverage up to $1 million in medical fees for the duration of their stay.
However, the review notes “take up of the SPTV has been lower than expected and has not reduced demand for permanent visas.”
'A question of what we can afford'
As Australia grapples with intensifying budgetary and workforce pressures caused by an ageing population, the economic impact of inviting more near-retirees into the country can’t be ignored.
Treasury estimates that each parent-visa permanent migrant costs $393,000 over their remaining lifetime in Australia.
The former deputy secretary of Australia's immigration department, Dr Abul Rizvi, said "parent visas have always been difficult policy".
"It's all a question of what we can afford," he said.
"On the one hand, you want to do the right thing by the migrants you've invited here and allow them to bring their parents to Australia.
"On the other hand, an overarching objective of the migration program is to slow the rate of ageing."
Sara Tomevska's parents came to Australia in 1995 with two small children. Her grandparents came soon after to help with childcare. Source: Supplied / Sara Tomevska
In response to the Migration Review's suggestions to implement a visa lottery or scrap permanent residency altogether, Mr Rizvi said both options are "worth looking at".
"Trying to remove grandma after she’s been here for three or four or five years is not going to be easy, though,” he said.
"With the lottery, there are some questions about fairness for those who are already on the waitlist. How are they dealt with? It's worth looking at, but how you actually implement it is a different question."
Mental health, social and economic benefits
The Federation of Indian Associations in Victoria has called on the government to see parent visas as an "opportunity", arguing grandparents provide a support system to youth migrants, reduce burden on the childcare system, and allow the professional development of younger parents.
The review found that "family reunion can support the objectives of other visa programs, particularly the economic objectives of the skilled visa stream” by freeing up skilled migrants to fully participate in the workforce.
"Conversely, the current parent visa application processing backlogs may be detracting from Australia’s reputation as an attractive, welcoming, migration destination."
According to Treasury, on average, a skilled migrant has a lifetime positive fiscal benefit of around $200,000 for the nation.
The social, emotional and cultural benefits of having family support close are harder to measure.
Ruth Das, who runs Mental Health Australia's Multicultural Mental Health Project, pointed to social isolation and lack of community connection as obvious "risk factors" for poor mental health.
"We see plenty of migrants who bring their parents to Australia principally from a childcare perspective," she said.
"Restricting those visas will restrict access to child care, which will further impact migrants’ ability to participate in the workforce but will also exacerbate their isolation and lead to mental health distress."
With the federal budget just two weeks away, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has repeatedly said Labor "can't fund every good idea" — and one as economically fraught as parent visas may not be a priority.
Still, as the government seeks to expand its migrant intake by 715,000 places over the coming two years to plug critical skill gaps, including in aged care, further conversation about this fraught issue may be unavoidable.
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