The Department of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs announced that on the Senate passed the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2016 on November 28.
The bill includes provisions to introduce a new visa that will allow parents to visit their families in Australia for a continuous period of up to five years.
A Government's spokesperson told SBS Italian that the visa will be likely to be available for parents and grandparents of Australian citizens and permanent residents, although a final decision on the matter is yet to be made.
"This new visa will help families reunite and spend time together," Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said. "It will provide a new pathway for parents and grandparents to visit their families in Australia, which will deliver great social benefits to the Australian community.
According to immigration agent Alberto Fascetti, while it is premature to assess the cost/benefits balance of the new visa, it could represent a positive option for Australian citizens wishing to bring their parents into the country for an extended period. In particular for those who acquired citizenship after migrating to Australia.
"So far the best option was a tourist visa which had the option of multiple entries every three months for a maximum of one year," Mr Fascetti said. "Now it is possible to plan a longer stay of up to five years, without the need to exit the country every three months."
According to the Department of immigration's press release, the new Temporary Sponsored Parent visa will assist families to reunite while ensuring that taxpayers are not required to cover additional costs.
Measures have been put in place to strengthen the visa framework requiring Australian sponsors to act as a financial guarantor for any outstanding public health costs incurred by the visa holder whilst in Australia.
"This new visa will ensure family reunions are possible for many migrant families across Australia, while protecting taxpayers with strict guidelines to ensure all public health debts including hospital and aged care fees are recovered by the Australian Government," Mr Coleman said.
Applications for the Temporary Sponsored Parent visa will open in the first half of 2019.
According to a Department of immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs' press release, the bill passed without the support of the Federal Opposition.
