Five year subclass 870 Sponsored Parent Temporary visa

Commencement of the five year subclass 870 Sponsored Parent Temporary visa

The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) subclass 870 visa 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.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said the new visa 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.”
Measures have been put in place to strengthen the visa framework, and require Australian sponsors to act as a financial guarantor for any outstanding public health costs incurred by the visa holder whilst in Australia, including hospital and aged care fees. This ensures taxpayers are not required to cover additional costs.

Costs (Visa Application Charge)

The Visa Application Charge for the 870 parent visa will be:

General Information

The sponsor (child) will be required to act as a financial guarantor for any outstanding public health costs incurred by the visa holder
The visa application process will involve two stages
- with sponsors and parent applicants being assessed separately, and
- with approval of the child-sponsor required before a visa application can be made by the sponsor’s parents.
Parents will be eligible for this new visa if:
- their child is approved as a sponsor;
- they meet identity, health requirement and character requirements, and
- do not owe outstanding debts for public health services they have received in Australia.
Applicants will be required to obtain and maintain health insurance for the entire period of their stay in Australia.
Step-parents will be eligible only if they continue to be in a married or de factor relationship with a biological parent of the sponsoring child.
The “Balance of Family Test”, which has previously applied to other kinds of parent visas, will not be a criterion of the new temporary parent visa.
There will be no English language requirement for the grant of the visa.
It will be possible to “renew” this visa. However, the maximum period of stay that will be allowed under this program will be a total of 10 years.
Holders of the visa will not be able to engage in paid work. They will be allowed to assist with childcare and to undertake unpaid volunteer activities. They will also be allowed to undertake informal, short-term study.