Parents of children who are Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens may be allowed to migrate to Australia. Your child must be at least 18 years of age, have been resident for at least 2 years in Australia, and willing to sponsor you.
Furthermore, as a parent, you must pass the balance of family test, meaning that at least half of your children live permanently in Australia, or that more children live lawfully and permanently in Australia than in any other single country.
You will also need to meet health and character assessments and have an approved Assurance of Support.
There are two types of visa: Parent or Contributory Parent. The main differences are that the Contributory Parent visa has more places available every year in the Australian Migration Program, and that such parents choose to make a substantially higher contribution to their future health and welfare costs.
If you are applying from outside of Australia, you could apply for:
- Parent (Permanent) visa (subclass 103),
- Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173), or
- Contributory Parent (Migrant) visa (subclass 143).
If you are applying from within Australia, you could apply for:
- Aged Parent (Permanent) visa (subclass 804),
- Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884), or
- Contributory Aged Parent (Residence) visa (subclass 864).
Both temporary visas above (subclasses 173 and 884) are granted for two years, after which you will be allowed to make an application for the appropriate permanent visas (subclasses 143 or 864).
Other Australian visa types:
Australian Skilled Migration Visas
Australian Business Visas
Australian Employer-sponsored Visas
Australian Investor Retirement Visa
Australian Student Visas
Australian Family and Spouse Visa
Australian Resident Return Visa
Australian Working Holiday Visa
Australian Travel Visa
