Long-Stay Parent visa explained: All you need for the Sponsored Parent visa

What are the conditions of the new Long-Stay Parent visa? Allow us to explain the detail of the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870), including what to expect in duration, cost, healthcare and processing times.

Immigration Minister David Coleman says there are more than 97,000 people seeking various kinds of permanent parent visas to come to Australia. Source: Pixabay

A Long-Stay Parent visa (technically known as the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870)) allows the parent of an Australian citizen or permanent resident to visit Australia and stay for up to 10 total years, the Department of Immigration says. 

Applications to become an approved sponsor for this visa opened on April 17, 2019, while applications for the sponsored parent will open from July 1, 2019.

How long can they stay? Can they work?

With this visa, a foreign parent of an Australian permanent resident or citizen: 

• can visit Australia for up to three or five years consecutively
• can visit up to a maximum period in Australia of 10 cumulative years
• cannot work in Australia

How much does it cost?

This visa costs from:

• $5,000 for a visa of up to three years; or
• $10,000 for a visa of up to five years

These fees are paid in two instalments. Further information about visa fees and charges can be found here.

The department says that the applicant may also have to pay for other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Applications to become an approved sponsor for this visa opened on April 17, 2019, while applications for the sponsored parent open on July 1, 2019. Source: Getty Images/ Pixabay/ Home Affairs/ SBS

The annual applicant cap

Up to 15,000 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas may be granted each program year - from 1 July to 30 June, the Department of Immigration says.

Who can apply for the visa?

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• be the biological, adoptive, step-parent or parent in-law of the Parent Sponsor
• be at least 18 years of age
• meet the health requirement
• meet the character requirement
• There is no balance of family test or Assurance of Support requirements with this visa. 

What are the sponsor's requirements?

The sponsor must: 

• be at least 18 years of age
• be an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen
• meet the character requirement
• have an annual income of at least $83,450. This annual income can also be the combined income of a de-facto or married couple. 

How long will it take to be processed?

Processing times are not yet available for this visa, the Department of Immigration says. 

It is expected processing times will be available approximately three months after applications open on 1 July 2019, the department says. 

"Because this is a new visa, usually processing times are very short at the beginning, and then processing times become longer, Alessia Comandini, Migrant Agent and Lawyer from Comandini Migration Services tells SBS Italian.

Source: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

Does the Long-Stay Parent visa grant access to Medicare?

No. The Long-Stay visa does not grant access to Medicare. The applicant will need to purchase private health insurance for the entire length of their stay. 

In some cases, reciprocal health care agreements with the home country ensure Medicare coverage for a limited period of time. For Italians in Australia, this period is up to six months. 

Which parent visas do give access to Medicare?

The Parent (Permanent) Visa Subclass 103 and the Aged Parent Visa Subclass 804 also do not grant access to Medicare. 

As explained on the Department of Human Services website, "if you’re an applicant for a Contributory parent visa, you can get a Medicare card if you hold a:

• temporary visa subclass 173 or 884, or
• temporary visa subclass 173 or 884 and have applied for permanent visa subclass 143 or 864.

"If you’ve applied directly for the permanent Contributory parent visa subclass 143 or 864 without holding the temporary Contributory parent visa first, you’re not eligible until your permanent Contributory parent visa is granted, unless you’re eligible under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement," explains the website.

Can parents who have already applied for a permanent parent visa also apply for the Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870)?

Yes, parents who have already applied for a contributory or non-contributory permanent parent visa can apply for the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa to spend some time in Australia while their application for a permanent visa is being processed. 

The Department of Immigration says, "if you have already lodged a permanent parent visa application, you may visit Australia, but not remain in Australia permanently while the application is being decided. This is a temporary visa only."  

Comandini explains: "The applicant for a visa subclass 870 must show the intention to remain in Australia for a limited period of time and, because this is a temporary visa, the department clarifies that it won't allow [the applicant] to necessarily remain in Australia until a permanent visa is granted - which is what a bridging visa does."

"Also, if for example an applicant has applied for a contributory parent visa offshore, they will have to be offshore when the visa is granted."

Source: Pixabay

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