Parent Visa Process...

[gemmmard]

Hey all,

 

I'm not sure how much joy you guys have with migration agents and assistance in moving down here to Australia, but to be honest the ones that I approached here in Perth didn't seem to be confident on the in's and out's of the specific visa that we wanted to apply for, the 'Contributory Aged Parent' visa.

 

I ended up working through the whole process myself, the many forms, and additional information required, and we were lucky enough to have the process completed in less than three months, with Mum and Dad being awarded their Residency Visa on the 1st of October.

 

I wouldn't say that it was an easy or enjoyable process, but I've learnt a great deal about it all and would be happy if anyone has questions about either the Parent Visas, or indeed Visas in general I'd be pleased to help if I can.

 

Cheers!

[annjean]

I'm sure there will be lots of people interested in this, great news for your parents, congratulations.

[STEVE P]

Hi well done on the visa and would be very interested to know how much it cost and if any limitations on such as Medicare etc,

Thanks

[gar374]

I have questions. Fingers crossed.

 

So my mum and her husband moved out to Perth about 8 years ago now but are not permanent residents. I don't know the ins and out's but I know they are deffo not PR.

 

John (mums husband) has a daughter out there and two sons still in the UK. But when we move out there next year my mum will have 50% of her kids as permanent residents in Aus. She thinks there may be something that means she can then apply for PR. He's retired and she only works a couple of days a week, but I'd imagine will be retiring soon. They own their house.

 

Is my mum on the right lines or is it all hogwash? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

We've not made any enquiries yet as we've not even got our visa yet, but since you offered!!!!

 

Cheers

Gareth

[DyLeB]

I have questions. Fingers crossed.

 

So my mum and her husband moved out to Perth about 8 years ago now but are not permanent residents. I don't know the ins and out's but I know they are deffo not PR.

 

John (mums husband) has a daughter out there and two sons still in the UK. But when we move out there next year my mum will have 50% of her kids as permanent residents in Aus. She thinks there may be something that means she can then apply for PR. He's retired and she only works a couple of days a week, but I'd imagine will be retiring soon. They own their house.

 

Is my mum on the right lines or is it all hogwash? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

We've not made any enquiries yet as we've not even got our visa yet, but since you offered!!!!

 

Cheers

Gareth

Still don't think they will pass the family balance test as step children are taken in to consideration so still 3 not in Australia.

 

 

Children included in the balance of family test

All children, including step children and adopted children, of both parents are counted in the balance of family test, unless the limited circumstances listed below apply.

 

 

Note: A step-child is a child:

 

 

 

https://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/balance-family.htm

Edited October 21, 2014 by DyLeB

[gar374]

Ah, ok. Thanks.

 

I guess they could adopt a few Aussie kids.

[Rani932]

Hi, thats great news for your mum & Dad.

I am trying to work out which is the best option for a long term - 6-12 month visa for my parent. At 84, I dont think a 3 month visit is good. Having looked at DIAC it looks like subclass 600 from UK ( which says 3 months) but somewhere it also states 6-12 months but I cant quite work out if there is a separate subclass. Has anyone had any experience with this?

 

What alternative is there for an elderly parent to come stay long term with her child in Oz ( given the age & also not meeting the family test)?

Thanks

[DyLeB]

There is an aged parent visa, also DIBP has just reopened the cheaper aged parent visa.

 

Try go matilda registered migratin agent think it would be useful for you to get some professional advice to your situation also they have some fact sheets.

 

http://www.gm-parent-visas.com/factsheets/

[Northpomms]

Hi there

great news on your visa success! We are just at the beginning of the process as my husband and 2 little ones would love to emigrate. We are debating if we should use an agent as the process looks extremely complicated. We are hoping to get the visa through my hubby's job as his job trade is on the sol. He has a few meetings with agencies next month when we are over for a visit. Any help or support you could give would be greatly received as there are just o many visas out there is difficult to know exactly what we need. Do you know roughly how long this visa would take and which is the. Best visa to get for a family wanting to work and live in Australia?

thanks

[cocolevi]

Hi there

great news on your visa success! We are just at the beginning of the process as my husband and 2 little ones would love to emigrate. We are debating if we should use an agent as the process looks extremely complicated. We are hoping to get the visa through my hubby's job as his job trade is on the sol. He has a few meetings with agencies next month when we are over for a visit. Any help or support you could give would be greatly received as there are just o many visas out there is difficult to know exactly what we need. Do you know roughly how long this visa would take and which is the. Best visa to get for a family wanting to work and live in Australia?

thanks

 

You can always just speak to an agent to find out what visa you could apply for, no strings attached

A lot of people on here recommend Go Matilda.

Good luck x

Edited October 22, 2014 by cocolevi

[Rani932]

Thanks for this, will give these guys a call

[kpnuts]

Hey all,

 

I'm not sure how much joy you guys have with migration agents and assistance in moving down here to Australia, but to be honest the ones that I approached here in Perth didn't seem to be confident on the in's and out's of the specific visa that we wanted to apply for, the 'Contributory Aged Parent' visa.

 

I ended up working through the whole process myself, the many forms, and additional information required, and we were lucky enough to have the process completed in less than three months, with Mum and Dad being awarded their Residency Visa on the 1st of October.

 

I wouldn't say that it was an easy or enjoyable process, but I've learnt a great deal about it all and would be happy if anyone has questions about either the Parent Visas, or indeed Visas in general I'd be pleased to help if I can.

 

Cheers!

 

I am interested in the period of time it took for your parents visa to be granted?

 

I am about to submit an application for a 143 Contriburory Visa. The immigration site suggests that there is currently an 18 month waiting list before visa grant. If your parents did it within 3 months thats great and wonder what date you actually submitted the visa papers?

 

I will be in AU for 3 months from Jan to April 2015 and will then be returning to the UK to start packing etc to await visa grant anticipating a removal date about May 2016. Sounds like we could be in for a shock and get a grant much earlier?

[odies]

I may be wrong but I am reading this thread and thinking these visas are holiday visas only. The main parent visa is 143 contributory parent visa or 173 temporary contributory visa.which take up to 20 months to get or the aged visa which they have just allowed again which has a 15 year plus time scale. Assuming everyone has the balance of family etc etc. But as I say please tell me if I am wrong as I am just spending a fortune to get to oz and waiting with lots of patience

[Steely]

We decided after looking around to engage Go Matilda, and to date, we are glad we did, as the cost in the scheme of things with the Parents visa, is for us worth paying knowing that an expert is working for us. beside, I hate reading and completing official forms :-)

[gemmmard]

Hi there Gareth.

Would be happy to help if possible mate!

The tricky one may be that your Mum's partner has 2/3rds of his kids outside Australia - I know that they're very strict on that part of the process. In saying that with your Mum having the 50% here she may be able to apply as the main applicant and take it from there.

http://www.immi.gov.au is actually a really good resource these days, and if you can get into town, head to the Immigration office on Wellington Street - use their phones and ask the direct questions (trying to call the IMMI line from home or mobile is a nightmare!!!)

Your Mum could almost definitely apply for the Parent / Aged parent (if she's over 65) visa being here in Perth on her own, but best check with IMMI if they want to send in a joint application.

In terms of the visas available for both, when my folks applied they have suspended the standard (cheap!) visas and we had to go down the Contributary (Sp.) Visa route (circa $50k AUD) each applicant) and were then disappointed to hear that the cheaper visas seem to have now been reinstated after the motion was knocked back in parliament.

The cheap visa will only set back your Mum about $5k AUD, but the process can take 15 years (you get put on a Bridging Visa in the meantime which means your Mum can stay in Australia). The Contributary Visa is said to take up to 18 months, but we applied on round about the 10th July (a week after my folks arrived in Australia - busy week!) and was granted on the 1st of October (Dad's Birthday!)

It depends on how much you want to pay, and how you want to progress.

Please don't hesitate to ping another message across if this doesn't help and we can talk more mate.

Cheers.

Mark

One more thing - at the end of the visa process, whichever way you decide to go, they will need to provide full police checks for the UK and Australia and pass a full medical - something that might be trickier as our parents get older... (no insult intended!)

[gemmmard]

I think there are a few visas being discussed here, my Parent completed the Contributory (learn how to spell that word!) Aged Parent Visa that is sub class 864, but there are similarities across the various Parent Visas, so happy to offer any help I can guys!

[gemmmard]

Hey there!

So, my folks arrived in Perth on the 1st July (after many extended holidays) and we sent of the visa paperwork round about the 10th July (manic time trying to cover all the requirements of the forms and certified documents!!!)

Within the first month they had to arrange medicals and then police checks for the UK and Australia (point to note, if you're Scottish you have to also provide a Scottish police check as we're are on a different system (of course!)

As long as the paperwork is submitted correctly it seems that the they're being processed in 3 - 6 months (after asking a few agencies as we did our research)

The big thing is that once the process starts they give you a month to get medicals / police checks provided back to IMMI and then when it's time to pay the final instalment of the Visa they give you a month for that too.

I believe that if you miss this deadline then all that happens if your visa process gets suspended until the paperwork / payment is received and then the visa is reactivated. It might mean a bit of a delay by being put at the back of the queue but best to confirm that for sure with IMMI.

Good luck to you, and if you'd like to ask more, fire away!

Mark

[margaret111]

Well done to you we are hoping to apply for this visa when our daughter has been in oz 2 years which is 2015 could you tell me how much it costs?

[kpnuts]

Well done to you we are hoping to apply for this visa when our daughter has been in oz 2 years which is 2015 could you tell me how much it costs?

 

As of June 2014

 

First visa applicant $3,520.00

Second visa applicant $1,185.00

First applicant contribution $43,600.00

Second applicant contribution $43,600.00

Assurance of Support Bond - First applicant - $10,000, Second applicant - $4,000

 

Total $105,905.00

(£62,300.00 @ an exchange rate of £1 = $1.7AUD)

For permanent Contributory Parent (including Contributory Aged Parent) visa

applicants, This bond will be held for the 10-year AoS period.

 

For permanent Parent (including Aged Parent), Aged Dependent Relative and

Remaining Relative visa applicants, an AoS bond of AUD5000 is required for the

main applicant. This bond will be held for two years. The AoS bond amount for

any adult secondary applicant is AUD2000.

 

 

Hope that helps - happy saving!!!

[Bev]

Hi, congratulations on your parent visas!

We have a son in Perth who's been a resident for 6 years and a daughter who's on a visa but applying for residency in may. We've recently become grandparents and visit often, we've decided to apply through an agent, both my husband and I are in our 50s.

 

We know its going to be a costly process, we both work long hours and have little time to do the paperwork ect ourselves, roughly how much do you think you saved by not going through an agent?

[keironparsons]

I have made the application myself and hope to save about £5k in the process. I completed 3 forms, visa application, sponsors form and an authority for my daughter to receive and deal with any issues. As she is in AU it will hopefully prevent any postal delays although from what I have read on many posts, the whole process is completed on line.

 

I thought the forms were very straightforward and easy to complete. Perhaps if you think you have a fight on your hands, an agent might be best place to give advice.

[gemmmard]

Hi there Bev.

To be honest the money that we saved in the process by not using an agent was only $3,500 - $4,000 AUD, but my biggest concern was actually finding an agent that knew what needed to be done. I visited a couple here in Perth and each charged a nominal fee for an initial consultation ($100 - $150 AUD) but provided no confidence that they really knew the process (I seemed to more at times with my research...)

I won't name the companies here, as it's not fair, and may have been down to a specific person, or my own viewpoint.

In the end I had the confidence that I had completed everything as required (with a few calls to the IMMI department along the way to make sure!) and we were lucky enough to have the visa awarded within 12 weeks essentially!

I have heard positive things about 'Go Matilda,' who are mentioned in this thread as well, and they would no doubt be able to help you with the process.

Good luck and I hope that you get all sorted out to be here full time with your family!

Cheers,

Mark

[Lou8670]

Wow Mark, you're parents visas were processed quickly by applying onshore! My MIL has applied offshore as she doesn't want to sell up until she knows she has her visa. She applied on 2 September 2013 and is still awaiting her case officer. I reckon it'll be 18 months from lodgement to her visa being issued. My biggest concern is the medical as she has 2 ticks in the wrong boxes; one would be fine but two and they'll refer her to the medical board. It's frustrating as she can do something about at least one of them. Keeping all my fingers and toes crossed for her.

[kpnuts]

Mark

 

Very interested in this visa being granted within 3 months? Is this an Aged Contrib Parent Visa? Were they already on a bridging visa? Have they spent many years travelling and staying with you in AU? This may have counted towards any waiting time.

[gemmmard]

KPnuts,

Correct, it was the Aged Contributory Parent Visa. They were only here on a visitor visa, I think the 6 month visa. They've been here probably 9 months or so in the last 3 - 4 years, but that's all. Don't think that 'time served' made a difference, we were maybe just lucky!

Lou8670 - hope that your MIL gets through the process and it all falls well for you and the family!

Good luck to all with whatever visa you're looking at.

Cheers,

Mark