The department of immigration's (DIBP's) website states that the processing period for the non-contributory parent visa is now 30 years. The previous indication was 13 years. Has the quota dropped for this parent visa category or have more people desperately joined the queue in light the of the shock from the government’s attempt to repeal the visa class?

Thirty or 13 years, the wait is too long. Unless families can contribute some $100,000 and get on the contributory parent visa class which has a processing period of under 2 years, family reunions involving parents look virtually impossible.

This issue together with the difficulties faced by migrants in obtaining permanent residency were among the reasons cited for the fall in Australia’s score in the latest assessment of Australia’s performance in resettling migrants according to a report by the global ranking index, MIPEX.

The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) is a unique tool which measures policies to integrate migrants in all EU Member States, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA.

Developers of the index, use 167 policy indicators to “create a rich, multi-dimensional picture of migrants’ opportunities to participate in society. The index is a tool to evaluate and compare what governments are doing to promote the integration of migrants in all the countries analysed.

While Australia ranks 8 out of the 38 countries ranked, the migrant integration policy index has penalised Australia for policies that make it harder for migrants to have family reunions and obtain permanent residence.

The parent category visa was a particular concern. The category includes both the Parent (non-contributory) and the Contributory Parent visas. Parent (non-contributory) visa applications have a lower processing priority than other visas in the family stream such as partners, children and contributory parent visas. DIBP's website indicates that the same number of parent visas will be available this  year: 8,675. However its website is still showing the 2014–15 Migration Programme year breakdown for the 2 different classes, with the quota as follows:

• 1 500 places allocated to Parent (non-contributory) visas (subclasses 103 and 804)
• 7 175 places allocated to Contributory Parent visas (subclasses 173/143 and subclasses 884/864) which requires a contribution of over $100,000.

According to the DIBP, due to the caps, applicants for a Parent (non-contributory) visa “can expect an approximate 30 year wait before visa grant consideration after being allocated a queue date.”

“People just can’t do that,” said Jessica Kinsella, the Australian National University lecturer who helped compile the Australian data for MIPEX. In an interview with the AAP news agency she said that migrant policies needed attention in order to promote social cohesion and help those already settled to have a fulfilling life. Ms Kinsella said Australia needs to weigh up the need of migrants to be with family against the burden some could place on the health system, along with the economic contribution grandparents can make as a source of childcare.