Australia has a range of parent visas which allows eligible parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents to move to Australia and live permanently with their children.

These parent visas include the subclass 103 Parent Permanent visa and the subclass 804 Aged Parent Permanent visa. These parent visas have a low processing priority with the Australian government and based on current planning levels the Department of Immigration and Border protection (DIBP) website advises anyone considering applying for either a subclass 103 Parent visa or a subclass 804 Aged Parent visa that they can expect an approximate 30 year wait before visa grant consideration.

Given the government’s attitude to the subclass 103 Parent visa and the subclass 804 Aged Parent visa most prospective parent visa applicants consider the more expensive contributory parent visa options on offer.

The contributory parent visa options include the subclass 143 Contributory Parent Permanent visa, the subclass 173 Contributory Parent Temporary visa, the subclass 864 Contributory Aged Parent Permanent visa and the subclass 884 Contributory Aged Parent Temporary visa. The contributory parent visas and the contributory aged parent visas cost 7 to 8 times the cost of the non contributory Parent visa and the Aged Parent visa and current indicative processing time is between 36 and 38 months.