For anyone living in Australia who wishes to bring their parent from overseas to live with them permanently, you are going to have questions relating to immigration policies and processes which may allow it to happen. The first point is that you can indeed bring parents from overseas to live with you in Australia, but as you would expect there are certain requirements. Read on, and you will find the requirements as advised by www.successmigration.com.au that would allow your parents from overseas to live with you in Australia.
Parent Visa Requirements
It should come as no surprise to you that as with any other kind of visa which applies to someone wishing to have permanent residency in Australia, there are requirements that have to be met. In the case of a parent visa, these requirements can be split into two types. The first group of requirements are the primary ones, and it is these which have no leeway. In other words, if these requirements are not met, then any parent visa application is likely to be refused.
Primary (Mandatory) Requirements
The first primary requirement is that in order for your overseas parents to apply for a parent visa to allow them to live with you, you must be either be [A] An Australian citizen or [B] Have permanent residency in Australia and have lived here for at least 2 years.
Whilst that first primary requirement is fairly straightforward, the second primary requirement does cause some confusion, but it is not as complicated as it might seem at first. It is called the ‘Family Balance Test’, and its criteria apply to those who have more than one child living in Australia, so if you are your parent’s only child as long as the first requirement applies you can ignore this one.
For those parents with two or more offspring, then the family balance test states that one of the following criteria must apply. At least half of their children must either be [A] Australian citizens or [B] Have permanent residency in Australia. A third criteria will be accepted and that is if the majority of their children are citizens or permanent residents of Australia versus any other nation. Note that stepchildren are included in the test as well.
Additional Requirements
These could apply depending on your parents’ specific circumstances or which visa is being applied for.
The first additional requirement is valid if your parents are applying for a Contributory Aged Visa, then the main parent who is making the application must be aged over 66 years of age. However, if your other parent is under 66 years of age, which is entirely possible, then they are allowed to be included on the application as the secondary applicant, or they can apply for a normal Parent visa in their own right.
The second additional requirement is known as the ‘Health and Character’ requirement. This basically means that before any visa application will be considered or a visa granted, all parents need to undertake a medical assessment which will also include a chest x-ray and an HIV test.
As for the character assessment, this will include checks for criminal records relating to convictions for serious crimes, security checks and checks for any previous breaking of immigration laws.
Applying For Parent Visas
If you and your parents meet all the requirements we have outlined then they can apply for a parent visa or an aged parent visa depending on their age. This can be done if they are already in Australia, for example on a tourist visa. They can also apply from overseas. For parents over 66 years of age who apply for an aged parent visa, a bridging visa might be issued. Bridging visas are not applicable to those parents aged under 66.
One Final Note
Whilst all the above is accurate at the time of writing, you need to be aware that immigration requirements and rules are in constant flux, so before you and your parents start any applications for parent visas, double-check the current rules on the government’s immigration website.