# further Options for Parents Visit Visa extensions



## sharoon (Dec 20, 2016)

Dear All, 

I am a newbie here in this forum and looking forward for a support and guidance from all of you. 

I secured my 189 on 26th August 2016 and my first Date of Entry is in April 2017. I am the only child of my Parents and was very worried about my Parents on Leaving them behind and move to Australia. So i thought and decided to apply for a visitor visa for my Parents without making an Entry into Australia so that i can take them Along. 

I applied for my Parents in October 2016 and had couple of communications with the Case Officer here in Islamabad. At one stage they asked me to provide medical insurance as they mentioned that my parent might be eligible for a longer stay Visa, which i provided from Allianz on auto debit facility. 

Couple of days back i received a decision on my Parents case and they were granted visa but that was on a single Entry and for three months with only two condition 

"No Work" 8101
"Max three Months Study" 8201

Their max date of entry in Australia is June 2017, so I am planning for them to travel in End of May 2017.

From their communications before the visa grant and their requirement for 12 months of Health Cover, i was expecting a longer stay visa. 

Now I have to travel to Australia with my spouse and 2 kids before April 2017. What are the possibilities for my parents to stay longer (best would be permanently) with me in Australia, with the Legal and the right path. 

I know that from July 2017 they are launching 5 years visa for Parents, Can they Apply for that or alternatively can they apply for temporary parent visa or the PR for Parents and obtain the bridging visa. 

your guidance would be highly appreciated. 

Best Regards.


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## Maggie-May24 (May 19, 2015)

If there is no condition 8503 "No Further Stay" on their visa, perhaps they can apply for a new visitor visa with a longer duration after they arrive in Australia. While the new visa is being processed, they would be given a bridging visa which would let them remain in Australia while the visa application is being processed.

They cannot apply for a parent visa just yet a you would need to have held your PR visa for 2 years and already be settled in Australia.


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## FireBlade (May 7, 2012)

sharoon said:


> Dear All,
> 
> I am a newbie here in this forum and looking forward for a support and guidance from all of you.
> 
> ...


Often first time visitors won't get longer duration visas straight away. I know it will be painful, but best would be to have them travel for 3 months and then apply once they are back for longer duration visa (which you mentioned in your post). Another option is subclass 600, which is multi-entry with max 12 months stay in 18 months

Of course you can also apply for current visa extension once they are in Aus, but please keep open mind that extension might not be for very long too


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## sharoon (Dec 20, 2016)

FireBlade said:


> Often first time visitors won't get longer duration visas straight away. I know it will be painful, but best would be to have them travel for 3 months and then apply once they are back for longer duration visa (which you mentioned in your post). Another option is subclass 600, which is multi-entry with max 12 months stay in 18 months
> 
> Of course you can also apply for current visa extension once they are in Aus, but please keep open mind that extension might not be for very long too


Thank you FireBlade and Magie-May24, Can they apply for extension as soon as they land in AUS or couple of weeks before their visa expires?


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## Maggie-May24 (May 19, 2015)

They can apply whenever they'd like after arriving in Australia. Waiting until near the end of their visit would extend the time they can be here though.


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## sharoon (Dec 20, 2016)

Maggie-May24 said:


> They can apply whenever they'd like after arriving in Australia. Waiting until near the end of their visit would extend the time they can be here though.


Thank you Maggie, you are right that will allow them a more stay while a decision is being made on their visa extension.


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## Arafin (Jul 30, 2016)

where do we ask for 3 years long stay visit visa? In 600 visa there is only 3, 6 and 12 months options. No option for 3 years.
Cheers,,


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

Arafin said:


> where do we ask for 3 years long stay visit visa? In 600 visa there is only 3, 6 and 12 months options. No option for 3 years.
> Cheers,,


https://www.border.gov.au/visas/Pag...y/visit family or friends&=true#tab-content-1

Under the section: Visa Applicants - who could get this visa:


*Due to the length of the permanent Parent (Migrant) visa (subclass 103) queue, and the desirability of family reunion, we might grant a more generous Visitor visa. You will be considered for this if you request a length of stay in Australia of up to 12 months and you identify yourself as a parent or step-parent of:

an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
an eligible New Zealand citizen.*_

We will consider these applications on a case-by-case basis. We can grant visas that last up to:

five years for parents outside Australia who are in the Parent (Migrant) visa (subclass 103) queue
*three years for parents outside Australia who have had a previous Australian visa and complied with the visa conditions, and either:
have not applied for a Parent visa*
have applied for a Parent visa (subclass 103) but are not yet in the Parent visa queue
*18 months for parents who have not previously travelled to Australia and either:
have not applied for a Parent visa*
have applied for a Parent visa (subclass 103) but are not yet in the Parent visa queue.

*The visa will have three extra visa conditions:

Maximum 12 month stay in 18 months: You cannot stay in Australia for more than 12 months on any visit or for more than 12 months in any 18-month period.*
Health insurance: You must maintain fully comprehensive health insurance while you are in Australia. You could be asked to provide evidence of 12 months health insurance cover when you apply. Reciprocal health arrangements are not adequate to meet this requirement.
No further stay: You cannot apply for a new visa while you are in Australia. You must leave Australia no later than the date on which your visa ends, except in extremely limited circumstances. ​
_


If your parents have not visited before, it is possible that only a shorter visa than 12 months might be approved.

*In any case, visitor visas can not be used as defacto residence visas. Note that even a 3 year visa, which may be possible if parents have visited Australia previously, will still require that they leave Australia for at least 6 months after each period of 12 months in Australia.*

There is no guarantee that they would be able to keep on getting additional visitor visas of the same duration.


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## parth1310 (Jul 30, 2017)

kaju said:


> https://www.border.gov.au/visas/Pag...y/visit family or friends&=true#tab-content-1
> 
> Under the section: Visa Applicants - who could get this visa:
> 
> ...


Interesting information.


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## Arafin (Jul 30, 2016)

So, my mum, who is single now, qualify for 3 years visa then.
She complied previous visitor visa and has not applied for parent visa. 
But how do we choose the selection for 3 years? In 600 visa application, there is no option for ticking 3 years. How do we make our intention clear to the case office?
Do we just write it in the cover letter?


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

Arafin said:


> So, my mum, who is single now, qualify for 3 years visa then.
> She complied previous visitor visa and has not applied for parent visa.
> But how do we choose the selection for 3 years? In 600 visa application, there is no option for ticking 3 years. How do we make our intention clear to the case office?
> Do we just write it in the cover letter?


Yes, that would be fine. 

After all, they do say (this is directed at your mother): 

_Due to the length of the permanent Parent (Migrant) visa (subclass 103) queue, and the desirability of family reunion, we might grant a more generous Visitor visa. 

*You will be considered for this if you request a length of stay in Australia of up to 12 months and you identify yourself as a parent or step-parent of an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.*_

What they need to see is that the applicant's child (you) is a permanent resident, and that your mother has already visited. Of course, she'll still need to be outside Australia for at least 1 of the 3 years in total if she gets the 3 year visitor visa. 

Although they do say they can do this, and give you the requirements, do be aware that it is not automatic or guaranteed - they do say "it will be considered".


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## parth1310 (Jul 30, 2017)

Arafin said:


> So, my mum, who is single now, qualify for 3 years visa then.
> She complied previous visitor visa and has not applied for parent visa.
> But how do we choose the selection for 3 years? In 600 visa application, there is no option for ticking 3 years. How do we make our intention clear to the case office?
> Do we just write it in the cover letter?


I think they will consider a 3 year validity in your case as suggested by Kaju. Mentioning your intentions in a cover letter can be done. Cross checked this information a couple of minutes ago with a friend who hosted his parents last month; they got the 3 year validity.


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## NB (Mar 29, 2017)

kaju said:


> Yes, that would be fine.
> 
> After all, they do say (this is directed at your mother):
> 
> ...


Is having visited earlier a condition to it ?
Would transit through Australia with a 771 be considered as visit ?

Cheers


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

newbienz said:


> Is having visited earlier a condition to it ?
> Would transit through Australia with a 771 be considered as visit ?
> 
> Cheers


Yes, having visited is a pre-condition for a visitor visa (for a parent) to get a visitor visa longer than 12 months, the other conditions still apply of course. 

Without the parent/s having already visited Australia (and no, a transit visa does not count) the initial visitor visa approval could be for any period from 3 to 12 months.


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## parth1310 (Jul 30, 2017)

kaju said:


> Yes, having visited is a pre-condition for a visitor visa (for a parent) to get a visitor visa longer than 12 months, the other conditions still apply of course.
> 
> Without the parent/s having already visited Australia (and no, a transit visa does not count) the initial visitor visa approval could be for any period from 3 to 12 months.




Curious to know, do you think this generous consideration may change once the new temporary sponsored Parent Visa is introduced?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## NB (Mar 29, 2017)

parth1310 said:


> Curious to know, do you think this generous consideration may change once the new temporary sponsored Parent Visa is introduced?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The proposed reforms envisage reductions of 99 visas to just 10 and if it goes through, then everything will be bulldozed and practically all visas will have new conditions 

Most likely these temporary visas would not exist at all

Cheers


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## NB (Mar 29, 2017)

kaju said:


> Yes, having visited is a pre-condition for a visitor visa (for a parent) to get a visitor visa longer than 12 months, the other conditions still apply of course.
> 
> Without the parent/s having already visited Australia (and no, a transit visa does not count) the initial visitor visa approval could be for any period from 3 to 12 months.


I personally never had visited Australia previously till last year

Yet when I applied for a tourist visa with just 3 months validity, I was issued a 2 year validity visa 

Just curious how and why they did it 
Maybe because I applied from NZ and had several transit visas earlier ?

Cheers


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## parth1310 (Jul 30, 2017)

newbienz said:


> I personally never had visited Australia previously till last year
> 
> Yet when I applied for a tourist visa with just 3 months validity, I was issued a 2 year validity visa
> 
> ...


Quite possible. Your travel history may have been one of the factors considered back then.


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

newbienz said:


> The proposed reforms envisage reductions of 99 visas to just 10 and if it goes through, then everything will be bulldozed and practically all visas will have new conditions
> 
> Most likely these temporary visas would not exist at all
> 
> Cheers


Things will certainly change, but I think it's a quite safe assumption that the new Temporary Parent visas will still exist, as will regular Parent Visas - although there will be very much fewer visa classes, there will simply be subsets within those classes. 

The reason for this visa class in the first place was the political pressure being applied by Australian residents that wanted their parents here, and could not afford contributory parent visas, or did not want to wait perhaps decades for a normal Parent Visa to be approved, as only 1500 are granted a year at present.

Parents generally cost the Australian taxpayer a huge amount of money when they are here - hence the new visas.


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

parth1310 said:


> Curious to know, do you think this generous consideration may change once the new temporary sponsored Parent Visa is introduced?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No, I don't.


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

parth1310 said:


> Quite possible. Your travel history may have been one of the factors considered back then.


Definitely. 

Australia wants people on Visitor Visas to stay, and spend money. They can't work, so they are ideal for the economy! 

But the risk of overstaying, and any cost to the community, means that the support required for their stay, and their travel history (successfully having visted, and left without overstaying before!) is a major consideration when deciding whether to grant Visitor visas for longer periods.

Within reason, you will often get the longest period possible after such an assessment, but each Case Officer has a degree of latitude in what they decide.


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## parth1310 (Jul 30, 2017)

kaju said:


> No, I don't.


But in such a scenario some potential applicants may stick to the current visitor visas instead of opting for the new parent visa due to the massive price tag that will come with it; depriving the DIBP of potential revenue.


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## kaju (Oct 31, 2011)

parth1310 said:


> But in such a scenario some potential applicants may stick to the current visitor visas instead of opting for the new parent visa due to the massive price tag that will come with it; depriving the DIBP of potential revenue.


DIBP doesn't decide migration levels, or whether a visa type is a good idea or not. Those are political decisions made by the Parliament of Australia. 

The new temporary Parent visa was an easy call for Parliament, as there is a very low prospect of significant costs to the Australian community, and pressure for additional Parent visas from parts of the Australian community - however, this visa won't be a good answer for everyone, and there will still be strong demand for other alternatives.

Although the main issue for many applicants is getting an unbroken stay for their Parents (and that likely won't ever happen on a Visitor visa), at least that Visitor visa is much cheaper, and can be used as something of a stop-gap measure if parents are either waiting endlessly on the queue for a normal Parent Visa, or if the family is saving for a contributory Parent Visa.

Don't forget that the temporary Parent Visa is still quite expensive, can only be extended once, requires Health Insurance which may be extremely expensive (conceivably much more so than for other temporary visas, as the chances of it being used are much higher), and hard to get, especially for Aged Parents. Remember, people get sick, often more seriously and more often, as they age. After 10 years on a temporary Parent Visa, (if they don't fail the medicals at the 5 year renewal point, as some will) what then? You can't get another, so we're back to Visitor and/or Contributory Parent Visas anyway. And if they failed the Medicals at that point, they won't get those either.

I see the Temporary Parent visa as a short-term option if you want a parent with you full-time, and can afford it - but only for a few years - it might give you the chance to save up for a Contributory Parent visa. If you and they can deal with partial absences, a Visitor Visa can be good for the first few years too, and be much cheaper. 

Of course, you need to be in Australia for 4 years before you can sponsor a parent for a Temporary Parent visa anyway, so initially if you want your Parents with you quickly, this visa is not an immediate option. 

Clearly a Contributory Parent Visa right from the time possible is the best option, although you need to meet the balance of family test and have 2 years as a PR - it's easily the best option, especially in terms of those with declining health which can't always be predicted - this will cause some people to not be able to keep getting Visitor visas, or a renewed Temporary Parent Visa) but the price is very high.


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