The Morrison government last week announced the new , also known as the subclass 870 Visa, ahead of the federal election slated for later in the year.
The visa, which is available to apply for on April 17, provides parents and grandparents with a new pathway to reunite and spend time together through having the opportunity to visit Australia for a continuous period of up to five years.
There is also the opportunity to apply for a second visa for another five years after a short period outside Australia, meaning parents and grandparents will be able to spend up to 10 years in Australia.
However, the announcement has received some negative feedback from members of the Chinese community due to affordability.
Kirk Yan, the director of Sydney-based immigration service Newstars Education and Migration, told SBS Mandarin that his clients weren't as enthusiastic about the announcement as he expected.
Under a new visa, parents could stay for up to 10 years but would never be allowed to settle in Australia. Source: (Courtesy of gwaar/Flickr CC )
"The charge for the visitor visa is only $141 with visitor insurance arranged and health examination required, however the cost for the new visa will be $420 for a sponsorship fee plus $5000 for 3-year validity and $10,000 for five-year validity," Mr Yan said, adding that additional visitor insurance would add at least $1000 more per year.
Mr Yan launched a survey after the announcement on WeChat, the Chinese social media platform.
The majority of the 400 respondents, who are based in Australia, said they would not apply for the new visa.
"69 per cent of respondents say even if they meet the criteria, they won't apply for the new sponsored visa for their parents, with only 7 per cent of respondents saying they will apply and another 23 per cent undecided pending more details released from the government," Mr Yan said.
New temporary Sponsored Parent visa to be available from April Source: AAP
Old vs New
Anticipation for the new visa has been heightened over recent years due to long parent visa application waiting periods.
The current Contributory Parent Visa 143 has a backlog at almost 50,000 applications - with the allocation of 7175 a year, it could take up to seven years before a visa decision is handed down.
Additionally, applicants would pay almost $50,000 per person including the visa charge and secondary contributory fee.
Meanwhile, the Non-contributory Parent Visa 103 could have a waiting time of 25 to 30 years to process, based on the volume of applications decided each year.
It's also worth noting that, both the Contributory and Non-Contributory Parent Visa holders would not have access to any social warfare for at least ten years after the visa is granted.
Mr Yan said a driving force for Parent Visa applications was baby arrangements. It was common for young Chinese migrants, who are both employed, to seek support from their parents for babysitting.
"I heard many stories in the immigrant community, who are forced to postpone their pregnancy plan or sending young born babies to the home country to be taken care of by their grandparents," Mr Yan said.
"It would mean a lot for them and the community. If the government could either make the new sponsored parent visa more affordable or try to reduce the processing time of the parents' visa."
WeChat Source: SBS
Federal politics
In the statement about the new visa, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said: "The new visa will deliver great social benefits to families across Australia."
“Up to 15,000 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas may be granted each year, ensuring reunions are possible for many families. This will make a big difference to many Australian families.”
On March 1, Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered a message in Chinese on his WeChat account to introduce the Parent Visa 870.
Mr Morrsion said the sponsorship fee would ensure that taxpayers don't carry any burden for the new parent visa holder in regards to Medicare and aged care.
It wasn't the first time that politicians used WeChat to target voters from the Chinese community.
Labor politicians including leader Bill Shorten, MPs Chris Bowen, and Tony Burke, as well as former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, have WeChat accounts.
Despite's Mr Morrison's efforts on WeChat, Mr Yan's survey found that 52 per cent of respondents said they would not vote for the Liberal Party due to the parent visa addition.
