Sponsor Requirements for Visa Subclass 870
If you are an Australian Citizen, a permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you will be happy to know that since 1st March 2019, Minister Coleman made an announcement that for someone who is an Australian Citizen, a PR, or an eligible New Zealand citizen they are able to invite their parents to Australia being the sponsor using a new subclass of visa. This is known as Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa subclass 870 or for short sponsor parent 870 visa.
This will be good news for someone who really misses their parents, but can’t go to the home country where their parents live.
Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa Subclass 870 is made due to the response of some communities about the limited number of parent places in Australia Visas. This visa will allow the parents to have a temporary stay, which they can use this visa to visit their children, grandchildren, and any other family as well. To apply for this visa, the parent should be the biological, adoptive, or step-parent of the sponsor.
Usually, if you want your parents to come to Australia either for a temporary or permanent stay, you should apply for a contributory parent visa. This temporary visa is valid for two years and provides access to Medicare and full work rights. A temporary contributory parent visa cannot be extended or renewed.
Or if you invite your parents using a visitor visa, it will just let them stay for a short time. But, with this sponsored parent visa subclass 870, they will be able to remain in Australia for a longer period of up to five years at a time without departing. Despite this longer stay, it is still a temporary visa and it won’t allow them to stay permanently like other Permanent Visas.
Based on the announcement of Immigration, this sponsor parent 870 visa has a limited quota. It states that up to 15.000 sponsored parent (temporary) visas can be granted each year from 1 July to 30 June. This is quite a big amount for children who want their parents to come to Australia.
To apply for this visa, the sponsor must meet the criteria first. Just like a partner visa, there has to be a sponsorship application granted first before the applicant (the parent) can lodge their visa. The visa applications must be lodged within six months of sponsorship approval.
Sponsor Criteria For Sponsor Parent 870 Visa
So what are the eligibility criteria for the sponsor? To be eligible for applying the sponsored parent (temporary) visa, the sponsor must have the following criteria:
- the sponsor/parent relationship requirements (ie: a parent must be the biological, adoptive, or step-parent of the sponsor and a step-parent can only apply if they are still in a married/de facto relationship with a biological parent of the sponsor)
- be aged at least 18 years of age
- be an Australian citizen/permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been usually resident in Australia for four years
- have met any prior sponsorship obligations
- have no adverse information unless it is reasonable to disregard the information
- have no debts to the Commonwealth or public health debts unless appropriate arrangements have been made for payment
- a minimum household income threshold (based on the income of the sponsor, or the combined income of the sponsor and their spouse/partner and/or another child of the parent)
- provide police clearances for any country they have spent more than 12 months cumulatively in during the past 10 years
- authorize information to be shared with the visa applicant.
If you are a sponsor, you will have to meet obligations as well, including:
- Providing financial support and accommodation for their parent in Australia
- Keeping records and providing them to the Department if asked. For example evidence of income. This obligation ends two years after the day the person ceases to be a sponsor
- Advising the Department when certain events occur. For example, if they are charged with a crime. This obligation ends the day after the person ceases to be a sponsor
- Paying outstanding public health debts incurred by their parents in Australia. The obligation ceases if the relevant health authority advises the debt has been repaid, or acceptable repayment arrangements have been made. However, this obligation will continue if there are outstanding health debts, even after the parent who incurred them has departed Australia.
Subclass 870 Visa Validity
Where a sponsor breaches the visa, the Department of Home Affairs might cancel your sponsorship and bar you from being a sponsor. Canceling means the applicant should find another sponsor or depart from Australia. Barring will also prevent a sponsor from sponsoring further parents for the next application.
In regards to the sponsorship validity, this sponsorship will cease if the sponsor’s permanent visa is canceled, if the sponsor dies, if the sponsor withdraws their sponsorship, if the sponsored parent does not apply for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa within six months of the sponsorship being approved, and the day that the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa ceases.
Can the sponsor sponsor another visa applicant while they’re already sponsoring the sponsored parent (temporary) visa? The answer is yes. The sponsor will also be able to sponsor other types of another visa, such as a working visa, sponsored family visitor visa, or a partner visa.
If the sponsor wants to sponsor another parent, the other parent must also be a parent or step-parent of the sponsor or their spouse/partner. But, if the sponsor is already sponsored by 2 parents, they will need to withdraw their sponsorship for one parent and that parent must either leave Australia or apply for and be granted a different visa before an application for sponsorship variation can be lodged.
How Much Does Sponsor Parent 870 Visa Cost?
This visa costs $5,000 for a visa for up to three years and $10,000 for a visa for up to five years. There will be a sponsorship cost as well which is $420. As this is a new visa pathway in immigration, the applicant or a sponsor might get confused. ONE derland Consulting has been very experienced in managing the submission of parent visas, including this new visa subclass.
Read also: FAQ Parent Visa Subclass 870
Don’t worry! We are ready to bring your parents on board!
We understand that applying for a visa to Australia is certainly very complex due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our visa specialists at ONEderland Consulting will help you assess your visa options. We have 98% success rate and one of the most recommended migration agencies in Australia. Read our 4.9* score customer reviews.
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