Parent Visa Contributory Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 864 & 884)

Contributory aged parent visas are for the aged parents.
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Contributory Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 864 & 884)

Contributory aged parent visas are for the aged parents. There are two sublcasses of this visa category, subclass 884 and 864. The applicants of this visa want to live in Australia permanently or temporary. The parents will be sponsored by their eligible children. They are the ones who are Australian citizens or a permanent resident of the country.

There are various requirements that you will need to fulfill in order to get this visa. Various benefits come along by getting this visa. It not only helps you in reuniting with your children in Australia but also allows the holder to work and study rights in the country.

The process for this visa can be complex. Hiring a professional help may be needed to avoid delays in processing.

Types of Contributory Aged Parent Visas

There are two types of contributory aged parent visas-

  • Visa Subclass 864 
  • Visa Subclass 884

Benefits of Contributory Aged Parent Visa Australia

The Contributory Aged Parent Visa Subclass 864 has many benefits for the parents eligible to apply for it. These are as follows:

PR and Citizenship

With this visa, parents will get a PR in the country. Hence, once the visa is granted, the applicants can stay in the country indefinitely. Parents will be eligible for citizenship. They need to meet all the requirements associated with it.

Reuniting with children

This visa will allow reunite with your children in Australia. Therefore, with this visa, the mental and emotional well being of children is looked after. It will provide the parents a big support of their children in the old age.

Sponsorship

One important advantage of this visa is that the parents can be sponsored by their children. These children are permanent resident in the country or hold a citizenship Australia. In a sponsorship, the sponsoring child is responsible for taking care of the financial needs of their parents. This will help to ease out parents’ responsibilities upon arriving.

Live, work and study in Australia

This visa allows the parents to work in the country without any restrictions. The holders of this visa can enroll for different types of trainings and courses to improve their skills. They become financially independent.

Health benefits

Contributory Aged Parent Visa gives access to the parents for free and subsidized medical under the Medicare benefits. Aged parents need an ongoing support of medication and frequent doctor visits in old age. Therefore, this benefit is a very important one.

Social Security Benefits

Once the parents get a PR in the country, they will be eligible to access the social and the welfare benefits. With subject to certain conditions, the visa holders may also be eligible to old age pension which will help them to cover their living expenses.

No Renewal Needed

Holders need to renew this visa as it grants a permanent residency status. The parents can stay in Australia for as long as they want.

Travel Restrictions

There will be absolutely no travel restrictions visa holders for parent visa 864. They can travel freely to and from Australia.

Safety and security

An ongoing renewal of the visa will no longer be required as the contributory aged parent visa provides its holders with a permanent residency. To stay in the country for a longer duration provide the sense of stability to the parents and the children living in Australia.

Requirements for Contributory Aged Parent Visa Australia

This visa has various eligibility requirements . These are as follows:

Balance of Family test

The holders of this visa should meet the requirement for the balance of test. According to this please half of the children should be Australian citizens or the permanent residents of the country. This test is to ensure that the applicant will have a significant foot holding in the country through their children.

Age requirement

This is an aged parent visa; prime requirement for this is that the parents should have reached the age of pension in Australia. Men and women need to be of this pensionable age of 67 years.

Sponsoring by children

The applicant of the contributory aged parent visa should be sponsored by their eligible children in Australia. The sponsoring child will undertake the responsibility of providing the applicant with initial support and settlement. The sponsor has to be more than 18 years old.

Health and character requirements

You will have to give a police clearance certificate. This is to prove that the applicant does not have any criminal record.

Also, the applicants should get a medical examination before applying for this visa. This is important to determine if they will pose any significant burden to the Australian healthcare system.

Visa refusals or cancellations

If any previous visa of the applicant has been refused or cancelled due to some reason then this will affect their eligibility for the parent visas in Australia.

Financial requirements

Sponsoring children of the parent have to produce evidence that they have sufficient income and financial resources to help their parents settling down in the country. Sometimes, sponsor may have to enter into a sponsoring agreement.

Cost and fees

The contributory aged parent visa has a higher application cost as compared to other types of visas. The fee for this visa is paid into parts:

  • Initial fee for the application is paid time of lodgment.
  • The second instalment has to be paid after the visa is granted. This amounts to a significant cost. Since the visa is a contributory visa, this means that the applicant has to contribute to the social system of Australia.

Outstanding debts

The parent has to ensure to pay outstanding debts to the Australian government. This has to be done before the lodgement of the application. In case there are any, you should pay them with immediate effect before filing for the visa application.

Meeting all these eligibility requirements mayor may not guarantee you a visa, but it will definitely increase your chances of approval.

Application Process for Contributory Aged Parent Visa Australia

There are several steps involved in the Contributory Aged parent visa subclass 864. The details of steps are below:

Step 1

Checking your eligibility: Before you decide filling the application visa you must in sure that you meet all the eligibility requirements:

  • Balance of family test: At least half of your children should be permanent residents of the country what citizens of Australia.
  • Age: You should be at a pensionable age according to the Australian government laws which is 67 years for most applicants.
  • Health and character requirements: Your medical examination should be complete as well as you should not be holding any criminal record whatsoever.
  • Sponsorship: Should have an eligible child who can act as your sponsor.

Step 2

Gathering the documents: You will need your documentation beforehand to support your visa application. These are as follows:

  • Eligibility of your sponsor: Your sponsoring child should be a permanent resident of the country or a citizen of Australia.
  • Balance of family test: You should be able to provide evidence that at least half of your children are living in Australia.
  • Character requirement: You will need a character certificate from your country of origin .
  • Proof of relationship with the family: Family records to show the relationship between you and your children.
  • Health examination: Your medical examination should be complete so as to provide evidence to the fact that you will not be a liability on the Australian Healthcare system.
  • Financial proofs: It is the duty of the sponsors to demonstrate that they will take care of the financially.
  • Age proof: You will need a copy of your birth certificate to prove your age.

Step 3

Lodging an EOI: Sometimes submit an expression of interest through skill select application. This will demonstrate about your interest in moving to Australia to reunite with your children.

Step 4

Filling the visa application form: After all the documentation is ready and evidence is available, you will then fill in the visa application form for this parent visa.

You can fill in the form online by creating an ImmiAccount. You will then upload all the documentation online along with the supporting evidences.

Step 5

Application fee payment: The final step is to pay the visa application fee. It consists of an initial fee. This is followed by a second installment that is to be given after the visa is granted.

After this you will wait for your visa processing. Ensure that you are able to provide any additional documentation in case the department of home affairs asks for it.

Contributory Aged Parent Visa Processing Time in Australia

Contributory aged parent visa Australia can have different processing time depending upon the complexity of the application. Usually the processing times are somewhere between 6 months to 18 months. Timings can change depending upon the rush because of the number of applications in line and some other factors. Sometimes, you may need additional documentation in some complicated cases. Due to this, the processing time of the visa application may increase.

Therefore, after submitting your visa application it is important that you keep check on the department of home affairs website. This is to get the up to date information and see that your application is in which stage.

Pathway to Permanent Residency and Citizenship

Contributory aged parent visa 864 and 884 visa serve as a route to permanent residency in Australia. The parents have to be of a pensionable age as per the Australian government rules, in order to join their children. The visa holders then become permanent residents of the country. They can study and work in Australia indefinitely. They will also have access to the health care facilities.

After a period of time they can apply for the citizenship. Important points to be able to apply for this visa and then for a citizenship are:

  • The age requirement of 67 years for men and women.
  • Fulfilling the balance of family test requirement.
  • And the applicants should be able to contribute significant amount to the Australian Healthcare system. For the same reason the visa fee is quite high for this contributory parent visa.

To be able to apply for the citizenship, the permanent resident must be holding this visa for a considerable amount of time. She/he should be able to meet residency and other eligibility requirements. The applicants should be holding the permanent residency status for at least four years. And before applying for this visa they should physically present in Australia for at least 9-12 months.

The main benefit of this visa is that it’s processing time is faster than the other parent visa and after the approval the applicant will get a permanent resident status.

The contributory aged parent visa is the best route for the parents of children settled in Australia. The child/sponsor plays an important role in this visa. This visa has a faster processing time than any of the other parent visa types. It is an excellent option you want to reunite with your children while enjoying your old age in Australia. As a holder of this visa, you will have access to all the facilities that come along with a permanent residency status.

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Frequently Asked Questions

You can stay in the country permanently with this visa.

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