Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 173)

Eligibility

You must be the parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen.

At least half of your children must be born in Australia, or more of your children must be born in Australia than in any other country.

Length of stay

2 Years.

Summary

Subclass (173) – This is a temporary visa with an initial fee of $2,850 paid to the Australian government and $1,425 paid to spouses. Before the visa can be granted, the second installment of $29,130 must be paid. The processing time for this visa is approximately 3 to 3.5 years. The applicants are granted a temporary visa for two years. They must pay an extra $19,420 and apply for the permanent visa subclass 143 before this visa expires.

In all situations, the second payment is only requested once each applicant has passed health and character examinations and the AoS (Assurance of Support, see below for AoS details) has been registered with the Australian government. A second installment will never be paid if a visa is not issued. Second installments are never refundable.

Fees for the subclass 173 > subclass 143 pathway are as follows:

The process

Processing Time:

Sponsor

You’ll need to be sponsored. Typically, it will be your child who must be:

• 18 years of age or older.
• An established Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen

This visa can be sponsored by more than one sponsor.

Sponsors have financial and other obligations.

Balance-of-family test

You must pass the family-balance test. That is to say that:

• At least half of your children are permanent residents of Australia.
• More of your children live in Australia permanently than in any other country.

Health

The health criteria must be met.

Character

The character criteria must be met.

Debts

You must have repaid or agreed to reimburse any outstanding debts owed to the Australian government.

Cancelled visa

If you have had a visa cancelled or refused while in Australia, you may be ineligible for this visa.

What you can do

This visa allows you to :

• Live, work, and study in Australia for up to two years (you will not receive government support).
• Enroll in Medicare, Australia’s health-care insurance programme.
• You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you wish for the next two years from the date the visa is issued.
• Submit an application for a permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143).

This visa cannot be extended or reapplied.

Location

When you apply for this visa, you can be in or out of Australia.

When the visa is decided, you must be outside of Australia.

How long the visa lasts

The visa is valid for two years.

The visa period begins on the day you enter Australia on the visa.

Extending your stay

This visa cannot be extended or reapplied for.

If you desire to stay permanently in Australia, you can apply for a Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) before your subclass 173 visa expires.

Family

In your application, you may include your partner as well as your or your partner’s child or step-child. Family members granted this visa have the same rights and obligations as you and are allowed to do the same activities as you.

Your obligations

You and your family members must abide by Australian laws as well as the terms of your visa. Your visa criteria can be found on VEVO.