Contributory Parent visa (subclass 173 and 143)
The Contributory Parent visa (subclass 173 and visa 143) allows parents to reside in Australia if their child is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. The contributory parent 173 visa is a temporary visa that permits the parent to settle in Australia for two years. This visa is not extendable or renewable, yet applicants can apply for Contributory Parent (subclass 143) (within 2 years of residing in Australia on a 173 visa) if they would like to stay permanently in Australia.
The applicants for both visas are required to be sponsored by their child residing in Australia. If the child is under 18, applicants are allowed to be sponsored by:
- A child’s spouse (who must be at least 18 years of age or more and a resided Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen)
- A relative or custodian of the child
- A relative or custodian of the child’s wife if the wife is less than 18 but is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- A community organisation
Note: If a community organisation is sponsoring the applicant, the immigration department requires a valid document to prove the relationship between the organisation and the applicant or a written consensus from the senior representative indicating a sanction to support the applicant(s) after they arrive in Australia.
Profits of The Contributory Parent Visa
Holding a contributory parent 173 visa, one can:
- Reside, study and work in Australia for 2 years
- Get health coverage from Medicare (Australia’s plan for health-related care and costs)
- Travel around Australia frequently for two years from the date visa is granted
Holding a contributory parent 143 visa, one can:
- Reside, study or work in Australia for an indefinite period
- Get health coverage through Medicare
- Apply for Australian citizenship after meeting the criteria
- Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- Leave and enter Australia for five years from the date visa is granted
Eligibility Criteria
For Subclass 173:
- Your child is an Australian citizen, has a PR status or is eligible for one
- Your child has been residing in Australia legally for at least 2 years
- You have a sponsor
- You pass the balance of family test
- You pass health and character requirements
For Subclass 143:
- You are required to obtain a Contribute Parent Temporary visa (subclass 173)
- You must keep all the criteria applicable to a temporary contributory parent visa (subclass 173)
Evidence of relationship for Both Visas (Subclass 143 and 173)
You must have verified copies of:
- Birth certificates
- A family book indicating relationships
- Marriage certificate (if the partner is the sponsor of the child)
- Evidence of custodianship (if the sponsor is the custodian of a child)
- Other admissible evidence that indicates the relationship between the child and sponsor
If the sponsor is a community organisation, it is required to have:
1. Certificate of registration
2. Evidence of authority given to the representative of the organisation to operate on part of the organisation such as the board or management committee’s authority
3. Evidence of financial capacity to back you when you arrive in Australia
Family Members in the Visa Application
You can incorporate the following members in the visa application:
1. Your partner
2. Your or the partner’s child/stepchild
3. Dependent family members
You and all the dependent family members must possess:
1. Medical examinations conducted within 12 months of lodging a visa application to fulfil health requirements
2. Police certificate from each country you’ve resided in for more than 12 months in the past ten years
Processing Time
Non-contributory visas have much longer processing times than contributory visas.
Non-contributory visas
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection website states the processing time for non-contributory parent and aged parent visas as roughly 10 – 30 years. There is also a possibility that the government could potentially cancel all non-contributory parent visa applications. (They did try to cancel parent visa applications in 2014. However, this was never passed).
Contributory visas
Contributory visa applicants processing time can be between 24 – 36 months. When the visa is granted, the parent will become an Australian permanent resident.
Upon applying for an onshore aged parent visa, the applicant would be granted a bridging visa letting them stay in Australia legally until the visa is granted. If the parent is from an RHCA country, they may be capable of enrolling in Medicare. However, it is highly recommended that you check with Centrelink or Medicare about this. In the application for a parent’s visa (for applicants under 66), there is no bridging visa granted. However, parents may be eligible to get a long length sponsored visitor visa.
The other choice is the contributory Aged Parent temporary visa. The benefit of this visa is that the second visa application charge is bifurcated into two payments. This visa would grant you temporary settlement in Australia for up to 2 years before you apply for the permanent contributory Aged Parent visa.
Visa Application Charges
Several various visa choices may result in Australian permanent residency:
Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 804)
Processing time 20+ years
1. Main Application charge – $4425
2. Second Installment – $2065
Contributory Parent & Aged Parent Visa
Processing time 24 – 36 months
1. Main Application Charge – $4225
2. Main Application Contribution – $47,825
Temporary Parent Visa
If you do not desire to make such a large amount of money, you could also regard the Temporary Parent Visa (Subclass 870).
Temporary Parent Visa
Usually, you can apply for both Parent (under 66 years old) and Aged Parent Visa (over 66 years old) from inside or outside Australia. However, you are only granted a bridging visa if you have applied for an Aged Parent Visa (over 66 years old) contributory/noncontributory from within Australia. If you apply for a Parent Visa (contributory or noncontributory) from within Australia, you are not granted a bridging visa.
Provided that your parents move to Australia on a tourist visa, they may be allowed to apply for the contributory aged visa and aged parent visa from within Australia. If the applicant is less than 65 years of age, they will apply for a parent visa. When applying for a parent visa, no bridging visa is granted.
The main difference between Contributory and Non- Contributory Parent Visa
There are two ways for permanent residency for parents: ‘non-contributory’ and ‘contributory’. The non-contributory Visa has a much longer processing time, but the Government application charge is lower. The contributory parent visa can be processed a lot sooner but the application charge is much higher.
There is, however, a choice to divide the costs for the contributory parent visa into two stages. The first stage is where the provisional visa is applied and sanctioned for a period of two years. The second phase of the application is before the provisional visa expires and you can apply for the permanent phase, defraying the balance of the fees.
