Good news for Parents wanting to come to Australia?

Good news for Parents wanting to come to Australia?

Immigration last week have added 'Parent of an adult Australian' to the Immediate Family member definition.

So what does this mean?

Before you start booking flights for your parents it is worth noting that until 1st November we are not clear on how this will work in reality.

At present you can travel to Australia if you are an immediate family member of an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident (permanent visa holder) and a New Zealand citizen who is usually resident in Australia.

You are only considered to be an immediate family member if you are:

• a spouse
• a de facto partner
• a dependent child
• a legal guardian
• a parent of an adult Australian (available from 1 November 2021).

The first things to say is that parents will still require a visa to enter. Not such an easy task depending where they live in the world. Also the federal government (DHA) issue the visas and decide on who will be granted one, not the particular states. (hello NSW)

Parents will also require an approved exemption in addition to the visa. They must apply for a travel exemption if they do not hold a visa, hold a temporary visa, other than a temporary Partner (subclass 820 or 309) visa or a temporary Child (subclass 445) visa or hold a Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa. 

So overall last week can be seen as good news for parents overseas wanting to come and visit. However, best to wait until 1st November before telling your folks about it....

If you require any further information about Parent or other visa subclasses.
Please contact Andrew on [email protected]

Andrew EP Mcauley
MARN: 1278335