Overview

Aged Parent Visa is an onshore visa that allows older parents of Australian citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens to live in Australia permanently. In order to be eligible to apply for this visa while in Australia, the primary applicant must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia and sponsored by an eligible child who ordinarily lives in Australia.

Eligibility Criteria – Applicant

• Must not hold or applied a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) subclass 870 Visa
• Be sponsored by the eligible child, relative or community organisation
• Must be at least 65 years of age to get benefits of age pension in Australia
• All applicants must meet the health and character criteria
• Meet the balance-of-family test* (BFT)
• Meet a 2 years Assurance of Support* (AoS)
• Not have any debt to the Australian government
• Accept Australian Values Statement
• Not had a visa cancelled or a visa application refused in the past

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

*An Assurance of Support (AoS) bond, as the name suggests, is a refundable bond provided by the sponsor or another person who meets the income criteria for furnishing the AoS to ensure the sponsoring child will meet the sponsorship obligations. This bond is forfeited it is determined that the sponsor was unable to meet these obligations. The sponsorship obligations include providing settlement and financial support to the parents if they face any financial hardships to prevent their dependence on the government in the first two years.

Eligibility Criteria – Sponsor

Sponsoring child must fulfill the following criteria:

• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
• Be 18 years or above
• Meet the character criteria – if applicable, must provide information on any past offences/criminal history

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 – VAC

First VAC

• Primary Applicant: $4,425 | Secondary Applicant – over 18 years: $2,215 | Additional applicant – under 18 years: $1,110

Second VAC

• A 2nd VAC of $2065 is payable to the Department of Home Affairs for each applicant over the age of 18 years before the visas can be granted

* The Department of Home Affairs generally revises the visa application charges on 01st July of each year

Processing Timelines

Processing times for applications in this visa subclass is different than other parent visas. This visa has an estimated processing time of up to 15 years at the time of publishing these details.