On Wednesday 29 September, the Department of Home Affairs updated their information on the current parent visa scheme framework. Home Affairs confirmed that the following numbers of visas are available under contributory and non-contributory parent visa scheme:
In the 2018–19 Migration Programme year:
- 1 500 places have been allocated to Parent (non-contributory) visas (subclasses 103 and 804)
- 7 175 places have been allocated to Contributory Parent visas (subclasses 173/143 and subclasses 884/864).
In the current Migration Programme year, 1 500 Parent (non-contributory) visa places are available for applicants applying from in and outside Australia. These types of visas are assessed in order of lodgement, assigned a queue date and then placed in the queue for the relevant visa subclass. The queue date is the date that the application was assessed as meeting the initial criteria for a Parent (non-contributory) visa. When a queue date has been assigned it is a fixed date and the application cannot be given priority ahead of other applications. Applications are finalised in order of their queue date as places become available. Based on current planning levels, applicants for a Parent (non-contributory) visa can expect an approximate 30 year wait before visa grant.
The department's online queue calculator enables applicants to determine how many people are ahead of an application in the queue.
To use the queue calculator, the applicant can enter the queue date and select the parent visa subclass applied for. The parent visa queue calculator will give an approximate number of persons ahead in the queue. This process is also helpful in estimating the approximate time it will take to be considered for visa grant based on the number of visa grants available for the visa subclass in any one Migration Programme year. If an applicant is a new Contributory Parent visa applicant, they will not be provided with a queue date. Therefore the queue calculator is not applicable to these applications at this time.
The number of people ahead of you in the queue includes applicants being considered for visa grant for this Migration Programme year.
Numbers in the queue are subject to:
- changes in the number of visa places available each year
- fluctuations due to visa grants, refusals and withdrawals
- fluctuations due to successful review cases which are given priority.
To access queue calculator, visit - https://www.ecom.immi.gov.au/qcalc/QDateAnswer.do
Contributory Parent Visas
In the 2018-19 Migration Programme year, 7 175 Contributory Parent visa places are available for applicants applying from in and outside Australia.
Home Affairs process applications for this visa in date of lodgement order and according to the planning levels set in the Migration Programme each year. Unlike standard parent visa, the Contributory Parent visa is currently not subject to queuing arrangements, therefore an applicant will not be provided with a queue date.
If an applicant is applying for Contributory Parent visa, you should note that processing times can vary. It is important that you ensure you have funds available for the second visa application charge at all times during the application process, as payment might be required at an earlier date than was anticipated at the time of visa application lodgement.
Temporary Parent Visa
The new visa will allow Australians to sponsor their parents to stay in Australia for up to five years at a time.
This new visa arrangement does not replace the existing Parent category visas and there will be approximately 15,000 places available per year. The visa was due to be introduced in May 2017, however the legislation is yet to pass the Senate.
The Bill will extend relevant aspects of this sponsorship framework to apply to family sponsored visas with a view to:
- separate sponsorship assessment from the visa application process for family sponsored visas;
- require the approval of persons as family sponsors before any relevant visa applications are made;
- impose statutory obligations on persons who are or were approved as family sponsors;
- provide for sanctions if such obligations are not satisfied;
- facilitate the sharing of personal information between a range of parties associated with the program; and
- improve the management of family violence in the delivery of the program by allowing the refusal of a sponsorship application; and cancellation and / or barring of a family sponsor where inappropriate use of the program or serious offences are detected – especially those involving family violence.
The progress of this bill can be tracked here: