Parent visas - Australia

All Parent visas must have a sponsor and a primary visa applicant.


The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, that is your child or stepchild, or their eligible partner.


The primary visa applicant must be a parent of a child or stepchild who is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.


Parent visa categories include the following:


Parent Visa (Non-Contributory)
Contributory Parent Visa
Aged Parent Visa (Non-Contributory)
Contributory Aged Parent Visa

Which Parent Visa is Best?

The range of Parent visa options available and differing requirements can be confusing:

• As a child you want the best for your parents.
• As a parent want to be able to spend time with your family in Australia, and avoid wasting time or money on the visa process.

With the Contributory Parent visa applications, the 2^nd instalment is a very significant amount of money and a large investment for your family.


Nevett Ford Lawyers (Melbourne) can provide you with advice and assistance in relation to the visa process.

Parent Visa (Non-Contributory)

There are a number of requirements that must be met for this type of visa.

Balance of Family (BoF) test for the applicant

This requires that:

• Half of the applicant’s children must be settled Australian citizens or permanent residents or,
• More of the applicant’s children must be settled Australian citizens or permanent residents than being settled in any other single country.

All children of the parent and the parent’s current partner, including adopted and step children must be included in the balance of family test. Step children of a former partner can be counted in limited circumstance.


An assurance of support must be paid for in relation to all applications.

All applicants must meet health and character requirements.


The processing time for this type of visa is estimated to be over 10 years. Parent visas are subject to quotas in relation to the number of visas granted per financial year. The quota allocated in recent years has been small, and this has resulted in very long processing times.


Contributory Parent visas have shorter processing times.

Contributory Parent Visa

There are a number of requirements that must be met for this type of visa.

Balance of Family (BoF) test for the applicant

This requires that:

• Half of the applicant’s children must be settled Australian citizens or permanent residents or,
• More of the applicant’s children must be settled Australian citizens or permanent residents than being settled in any other single country.

All children of the parent and the parent’s current partner, including adopted and step children must be included in the balance of family test. Step children of a former partner can be counted in limited circumstance.


An assurance of support must be paid for in relation to all applications.

 All applicants must meet health and character requirements.


This visa is subject to an additional ‘contribution’ which is a 2^nd instalment paid to the Department prior to the visa grant. The 2^nd instalment is a significant amount of money, which is subject to increases each year.


Processing times for Contributory Parent visas are significantly faster than the Non-Contributory Parent visa applications.

Aged Parent Visa (Non-Contributory)

This requires that the visa applicant be an aged parent. The definition of aged for men is 65 or over. For women the age requirement is between 63.5 and 65, depending the year the woman was born.
Aside from the age requirement, this visa has similar requirements to the Parent visa (non-contributory). 


A benefit of the Aged Parent Visa is that it can be lodged onshore (i.e. whilst the visa application is physically in Australia).


The processing time for this type of visa is estimated to be over 10 years. Aged Parent visas are subject to quotas in relation to the number of visa granted per financial year. The quota allocated in recent years has been small, and this has resulted in very long processing times.


Contributory Aged Parent visas have shorter processing times.

Contributory Aged Parent Visa

This requires that the visa applicant be an aged parent. The definition of aged for men is 65 or over. For women the age requirement is between 63.5 and 65, depending the year the woman was born.
This requires that:

• Half of the applicant’s children must be settled Australian citizens or permanent residents or,
• More of the applicant’s children must be settled Australian citizens or permanent residents than being settled in any other single country.

All children of the parent and the parent’s current partner, including adopted and step children must be included in the balance of family test. Step children of a former partner can be counted in limited circumstance.


An assurance of support must be paid for in relation to all applications.

 All applicants must meet health and character requirements.


This visa is subject to an additional ‘contribution’ which is a 2^nd instalment paid to the Department prior to the visa grant. The 2^nd instalment is a significant amount of money, which is subject to increases each year.


Processing times for Contributory Aged Parent visas are significantly faster than the non-contributory Parent visa applications.


A benefit of the Contributory Aged Parent visa is that it can be lodged onshore.