Overview

Subclass 103 is an 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 the government benefits (see below) and the visa holders can also travel freely in and out of Australia.

Eligibility Criteria

It is important that an applicant for this visa category should have neither applied for, nor held a Sponsored Temporary Parent Visa Subclass 870. The applicants of this visa are required to meet the additional eligibility criteria mentioned below:

• Be sponsored by an eligible child or step-child, unless the said child is under 18 years of age in which case an eligible relative or a community organisation can also sponsor the parent/s
• Meet the Balance-of-Family Test*
• 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
• Not owe any debt to the Australian government
• Accept Australian Values Statement
• Must not have any history of visa cancellation or refusal of 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

Visa Application Charges

Primary Applicant	AUD 4,425
Spouse/Secondary applicant over the age of 18 years	AUD 2,215
Each additional applicant under the age of 18 years	AUD 1,110
Assurance of Support (administered by Centrelink, Australian Government)Primary applicant – AUD 4000 Each secondary applicant over the age of 18 years – AUD 2000 Remains in force for 2 years from the date of the applicants’ arrival in Australia	2nd VAC – AUD 2065 (payable at the time of visa grant)

Processing Timelines

The processing timelines are unavailable due to the backlog and we strongly recommend that the potential applicants consider other Parent Visa options such as the Subclass 143, 173, 804, 864, 870, etc.

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

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:

• at least half their children and stepchildren are eligible children, or
• there are more eligible children than children living in any other single country

What is the Balance of Family Test – as defined 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