Contributory parent visas

What are the details of the Contributory Parent visa categories?

The contributory parent visa subclasses are:

• Sc 173 temporary visa and Sc 143 permanent visa, available to parents of any age.
• Sc 884 temporary visa, and Sc 864 permanent visa, available to those of pension age.

Parents can choose to apply for a temporary visa first which will be issued for 2 years and then transition to the permanent visa where the higher application fees will be payable – this will allow them to spread the visas cost over 2 years. Or alternatively parents can apply for a permanent residence visa upfront.

Holders of a temporary Contributory Parent visa can

• live in Australia for up to 2 years
• work and study in Australia (you will not be entitled to government support)
• enrol in Medicare, Australia’s public health care scheme
• apply for a permanent visa in due course

Holders of a permanent Contributory Parent visa can

• stay in Australia indefinitely
• work in Australia for any employer or be self-employed
• study in Australia as a domestic student
• receive free or subsidised health care at publicly funded health services (Medicare)
• receive free education at state-run primary and secondary schools, and subsidised fees for domestic students at private schools and tertiary institutions
• be a sponsor for eligible relatives to come to Australia
• if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship

What do I need to be eligible for a Contributory Parent visa?

General criteria for Parents (applicants)

• Age – you must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia (for the purpose of Sc 884 and Sc 864 visas only)
• Not hold valid Sc 870 visa – you are not able to apply for a parent contributory visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sc 870 visa – Sponsored Parent (Temporary)
• Sponsor – you must have an approved sponsor. Usually, this will be your child who is 18 years old or older, provided s/he is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
• Balance of the Family Test – at least half of your children live permanently in Australia, or more of your children live permanently in Australia than in any other country
• Assurance of Support – you and any family members included in your application must be able to obtain an assurance of support to show the Australian Government that you will not have to rely on government assistance once you are granted a parent contributory visa. This is required when applying for a permanent visa – Sc 143 and Sc 864
• Health and Character – principal applicants and their family members included in the visa application must meet the health and character requirements

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General criteria for sponsors

• Age – you must be 18 years old or older
• Settled – must be lawfully resident in Australia for at least 2 years
• Be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen
• Agree to provide support, housing and financial help to the applicant and their family included in the parent visa application for the first 2 years of them living in Australia
• If acting as an Assurer of Support – meet minimum taxable income requirements for the last 2 financial years and arrange for AoS bond to be paid with the Centrelink which will be held for 10 years
• The minimum taxable income that the Assurer will need to meet varies and can be calculated here.

Can I include my family in a Contributory Parent visa application?

Principal applicants for Contributory Parent visa may include the following family members in their application

• Spouse or De Facto Partner (can be same or opposite sex)
• Your and/or your partner’s dependent children

Spouse/De Facto Partner

For both spouse and de facto applicants, you must prove that you are in a genuine and ongoing relationship.

For De Facto applicants, you must additionally provide evidence that:

• you are not related by family
• you and your partner are mutually committed to a shared life to the exclusion of all others
• you live together, or do not live separately on a permanent basis.

Dependent Children

Children can be included in your visa application, provided they fall under of the below categories:

Category 1

They are under 18 years of age
They are dependent on you or your partner
They are your or your partner’s child from a current or a previous relationship
They are not married, engaged or in a de facto relationship;

Category 2

They are over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23
They are dependent on you or your partner
They are your or your partner’s child from a current or a previous relationship
They are not married, engaged or in a de facto relationship;

Category 3

They are over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to *physical or cognitive limitations
They are dependent on you or your partner
They are your or your partner’s child from a current or a previous relationship
They are not married, engaged or in a de facto relationship
*Such child/ren will still need to meet Australia’s health requirements for the visa to be granted.

Note: The child must meet the dependency criteria at the time of application submission as well as at the time of decision-making.

Minimum English level

Principal applicant and family members included in a contributory parent visa application are not required to provide evidence of their English competency.

Health and Character

All family members who are included in Contributory Parent visa application must meet health and character requirements.

All applicants over 16 must provide police clearances from every country they lived in, Australia inclusive, for at least 12 months in the past 10 years.

In some circumstances, non-migrating family members may be required to undergo health and character clearances.

How long does it take to get a Contributory Parent visa for Australia?

The processing times for Contributory Parent visa applications are not available due to being subject to capping and queueing. The Department of Home Affairs of Australia estimates new Contributory Parent visa applications are likely to take at least 64 months to be released for final processing.

What are the costs involved?

Scenario 1 – Temporary visa first (Sc 173 or Sc 884) followed by a permanent visa (Sc 143 or Sc 864)

• Temporary visa

First Instalment payable on temporary application submission: AUD$2850 for the main applicant, AUD$1425 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$715 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18.

Second Instalment payable once requested by DHA and before the temporary visa grant: AUD$29130 per applicant

• Permanent visa

First Instalment for permanent visa payable on application submission (in almost 2 years from the date of temporary visa grant): AUD$370 for the main applicant, AUD$190 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$90 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18.

Second Instalment payable once requested by DHA and before the permanent visa grant: AUD$19420 per applicant

Scenario 2 – Permanent visa upfront (Sc 143 or Sc 864):

First Instalment for permanent visa payable on application submission: AUD$4225 for the main applicant, AUD$1425 for any secondary applicant aged 18 and above and AUD$715 for any secondary applicant under the age of 18.

Second Instalment payable once requested by DHA and before the permanent visa grant: AUD$43600 per applicant

Assurance of Support required to be paid by the Assurer: AU$15 000 for the principal applicant and AU$6000 for each secondary applicant

Australian Shores’ consultancy fees are quoted through our online assessment.

Our Skilled Visa Service includes

• Your personal adviser will manage everything required for the entire process, taking all the stress off your shoulders.
• We will provide instructions on and review all of your documentation.
• We will prepare and submit your visa applications.
• Settlement advice and support once you receive your visa.