Overview

Subclass 143 is a contributory offshore permanent residence visa that lets the parent/s of a “settled” Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia indefinitely. The holders of this parent visa are entitled to a limited number of government benefits (see below) but the visa holders can also travel freely in and out of Australia.

Eligibility Criteria

This visa cannot be applied for, if the applicant has in the past either applied or held a sponsored parent (temporary) subclass 870. The applicants of this visa are required to meet the additional eligibility criteria mentioned below:

• Like the normal parent visa, the contributory visa also requires sponsorship by an eligible child, unless the child is under 18 years of age in which case an eligible relative or a community organisation can also be the sponsors
• Meet the Balance-of-Family Test* – please see below the additional details of the family test and who can be considered a child of the parent
• The sponsoring child must provide an acceptable Assurance of Support
• Meet the health criteria as defined in the Australian Migration Act
• Meet the character test# if an applicant is more than 16 years old
• Neither the applicant or any of the family members, whether or not included in the application must owe a debt to the Australian government
• All applicants are required to accept the Australian Values Statement
• None of the applicants should have any visa cancellation or refusal of a visa application

* This test is satisfied when equal or a greater number of biological and step-children are living in Australia than any other country

# It is important to let us know if you have had a visa cancelled or refused in the past or have a criminal record

Key Visa Entitlements

• Stay in Australia indefinitely as permanent residents
• Eligible for work, study, Medicare and other benefits offered by the Australian Government
• Include family members in the visa application i.e., partner and dependent children
• Sponsor family members to travel to Australia and other eligible visas
• Travel in and out of Australia without any restrictions
• Apply for Australian citizenship, subject to meeting the applicable criteria

Visa Application Charges*

Primary Applicant	AUD 4,425
Spouse/Secondary applicant over the age of 18 years	AUD 2,110
Each additional applicant under the age of 18 years	AUD 1,060
Assurance of Support (administered by Centrelink, Australian Government)Primary applicant – AUD 10,000 Each secondary applicant over the age of 18 years – AUD 4,000 Remains in force for 10 years from the date of the applicants’ arrival in Australia	2nd VAC – AUD 43,600 each (payable directly to DHA at the time of visa grant)

Primary Applicant	AUD 370
Spouse/Secondary applicant over the age of 18 years	AUD 190
Each additional applicant under the age of 18 years	AUD 90
Assurance of Support (administered by Centrelink, Australian Government)Primary applicant – AUD 10,000 Each secondary applicant over the age of 18 years – AUD 4,000 Remains in force for 10 years from the date of the applicants’ arrival in Australia	2nd VAC – AUD 19,420 each (payable directly to DHA at the time of visa grant)

Processing Timelines

Processing times for applications in this visa subclass can vary significantly depending on the risk assessment level of the applicants’ country of origin and how promptly the applicants can submit the requested documents, including translations, if required. The general processing times for the visa applications in this visa subclass are given below and it does not include the time needed to process the skills assessment and state-nomination applications.

• Most of the visa applications are processed in approximately 36 to 48 months, depending on the queue date and annual allocation (capping) for various parent visa subclasses

What is the Balance of Family Test – as defined by the Department of Home Affairs

This test determines the extent of the parent’s links to their children or stepchildren in Australia and ensures only the parents with close ties to Australia are eligible for a Parent Visa.
A parent meets the balance of family test if:

Children counted in the balance of family test

You and your partner’s children, including stepchildren and adopted children, are counted in the balance of the family test. Children are not counted if they:

• are deceased
• have been removed from their parents’ exclusive legal custody by adoption, court order or operation of law
• are registered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as refugees and live in a camp operated by the UNHCR
• live in a country where they suffer persecution or human rights abuse and can’t be reunited with their parents in another country

A stepchild is:

• your current partner’s child, or
• your former partner’s child who is under 18 years of age and in relation to whom you have guardianship, custody or a parenting order in force under the Family Law Act 1975. Stepchildren born from polygamous or concurrent relationships are not counted in the balance of family test