Strengthening Cultural and Family Ties with New Parents Visa

The social well-being and community benefits have been the primary objectives for the government of Australia. In one such move; the government introduced a new parents visa in 2017. This five-year temporary visa will let parents stay for a long time with their children in Australia. The new parents visa became the part of family migration programme for the year 2017-2018.
The new parents’ visa reduces the waiting time. Australia already has one fully-functional parents visa, however, the new visa will work along with the existing visa. It will not replace the existing visa. With this new visa, parents can now stay with their children and their families for up to five years.
With this new visa, Australian government looks to strengthen cultural and family ties. This move is also seen as a contributor to the overall community benefit.

The Criteria

The government has also laid out some eligibility criteria to apply to this visa. To become a sponsor for their parents, children must fulfil any of the following requirements:

1. Need to be an Australian citizen
2. Need to be a permanent resident of Australia
3. Need to an eligible New Zealand citizen

Also, for this visa, the government has skipped the mandatory English language test and the Balance Family Test. The government has also suggested interested applicants consult immigration experts for more details.
The applicants can file an online application through ImmiAccount. However, it is advisable to take the help of immigration experts to expedite the process.

The Difference Between New and the Old

There are certain differences between the existing parents’ visa. Under the new visa, the sponsor and applicant parents must fulfil an array of assessment criteria. And both these assessments should be done separately to proceed with the visa application and visa approval. Also, the new visa requires the sponsor’s pre-approval.
Depending on the approved visa validity, the applicants’ parents can stay between three and five years in Australia. The applicants can apply for the new visa multiple times, however, the maximum years of stay the applicants get are 10 years.

The Charges and Bonds

A financial bond is not required under this new visa. The charges for this new visa are AUD 5,000 for three years and AUD 10,000 for five years.

The Applicants’  Eligibility Criteria

The government has also highlighted the eligibility criteria for the applicants. They are:

1. The government has laid out some health and character requirements. The applicant’s parents must meet these requirements.
2. The applicant’s parents must be covered under health insurance issued by an Australian insurance provider for their stay in Australia.
3. The child must get approval as a sponsor.
4. At a time, only two people or one set of parents from the household can get visa sponsorship.
5. The applicant parents must be either biological, adoptive or step-parents.
6. The applicant parents must not have any debt on the public health system in Australia.
7. If a stepparent is applying for this visa, he/she should be either married or in a de-facto relationship with the biological parent of the sponsoring child.

The Assessment

Criteria to be a Sponsor

Here are the assessment criteria to become eligible to become a sponsor of the parents’ visa.

1. An eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian citizen, or an Australian permanent resident.
2. Must be 18 years or above.
3. Must have lived in Australia for at least 4 years.
4. Must fulfil the character and household income requirements.
5. Must be either biological, adopted or stepchild of anyone the applicant parents.
6. Must provide valid identity proofs of the applicant parents.
7. The sponsor should take the personal responsibility of the parents by signing relevant documents.
8. Must agree to be legally liable for the debts incurred for the purpose of accessing public health services.