Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa

Stay

Up to 3 or 5 years

Cost

Up to 3 years AUD6,070.00

Up to 5 years AUD12,140.00

Processing times

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

With this visa you

• can visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per visa
• can apply for further visas to visit up to a maximum period in Australia of 10 years
• cannot  in Australia

See all conditions

Check your eligibility

You must

• have an approved Parent Sponsor before you can lodge an application for this visa
• apply online for this visa
• lodge your visa application within 6 months of the sponsorship approval, or 60 days if we give you permission to apply in Australia. Permission to apply in Australia is only approved in limited circumstances.

Help with your visa

If you are getting help with your visa, before you pay someone, read information on who can help with your visa application.

With this visa you can

How long you can stay

Stay longer

Applying for another Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa

Include family

Sponsorship

Cost

Apply from

Processing times

Travel

Your obligations

Visa label

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With this visa you can

• reunite with children 
• visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per visa
• re-apply for further Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas to visit up to a maximum period of 10 years in Australia

You cannot  in Australia while you hold this visa.

How long you can stay

This is a temporary visa. This visa does not lead to permanent residence. You cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold this visa.

You can apply to stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years at a time, with a cumulative maximum stay of 10 years.

If you held a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa and were outside Australia on 1 July 2021, your visa period was automatically extended by 18 months under the COVID-19 visa concessions. If your visa was extended under this concession, the additional 18 months will not count towards your cumulative 10 year maximum stay.

You can stay for the period or date(s) specified on the visa grant letter.

Your visa will end:

• on the date specified on the visa grant letter
• we cancel it
• if your sponsor withdraws their sponsorship and you do not find a new Parent Sponsor
• if we cancel the sponsorship.

Stay longer

You cannot stay in Australia longer by extending this visa. If you wish to remain in Australia, you must apply for and be granted another visa.

Applying for another Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa

If you are applying for another Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, you must lodge your application from outside of Australia. This applies unless we have issued you with Permission to Apply in Australia (but not in immigration clearance).

If you apply for another Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa whilst outside of Australia, you will not be eligible for the grant of this visa unless you have been outside of Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since your relevant departure day.

You can calculate your relevant departure day based on your location when your last Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa ceased:

• If you were in Australia – your relevant departure day is the first day you left Australia after your visa ceased.
• If you were outside of Australia - your relevant departure day is the last day you left Australia while the visa was in effect.

If you have held Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas for the cumulative maximum 10 year period, you will not be eligible for a further Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa. You must either depart Australia or apply for and be granted another kind of visa that will allow you to remain in Australia.

Include family

You cannot include family members in your visa application.

Sponsorship

You must have an approved Parent Sponsor to apply for this visa.

Your sponsor’s household is limited to one sponsorship at a time.

Your sponsor’s sponsorship can cover up to 2 parents per household at a time.

Your sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until their current approved sponsorship ends.

Cost

This visa costs from:

• AUD6,070.00 for a visa of up to 3 years; or
• AUD12,140.00 for a visa of up to 5 years.

You pay for this visa in 2 parts called instalments.

Pay the first instalment when you apply. Pay the second instalment when we ask you to.

You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates biometrics. For more information see Fee and charges for other services.

To work out what this visa will cost, you can use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs.

Apply from

You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa, unless you have Permission to Apply in Australia (but not in ).

Permission to Apply in Australia may be approved in exceptional circumstances. This may include where the parent cannot depart Australia, for example, because of:

• the parent having an accident or a serious illness (medical evidence must be provided) or
• a natural disaster preventing travel to the parent’s home country.

 

You can be in or outside Australia, but not in , when we decide your application.

Processing times

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

Your application might take longer to process if:

• you do not fill it in correctly
• you do not include all the documents we need or we need more information from you
• it takes us time to verify your information

Travel

You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.

Your obligations

You must obey Australian laws and meet all visa conditions.

Visa label

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

Be eligible to apply

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• be the biological, legal (including adoptive) parent, step-parent or parent in-law of the Parent Sponsor
• be at least 18 years of age

There is no balance of family test or Assurance of Support requirements for this visa.

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Have a sponsor

You must have an approved Parent Sponsor to apply for this visa.

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Have met any previous visa obligations

You must have met and complied with any previous visa obligations.

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Meet the health requirement

You must meet our health requirement.

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Meet the character requirement

You must meet our character requirement.

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Have enough money

You must have, or have access to, enough money to support yourself while you are in Australia.

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Have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily

You must intend to:

• stay only temporarily in Australia
• do only the things the visa allows you to do.

If you have already lodged a permanent parent visa application, you may visit Australia, but not remain in Australia permanently while the application is being decided. This is a temporary visa only. You will not have the right to permanent residence. You cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa if you have applied for or hold this visa.

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Health insurance

You must have and maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance from an Australian Health Insurance provider to cover any unforeseen medical treatment you might need while you are in Australia.

See what we consider adequate health insurance.

Learn more about health insurance for overseas visitors.  

Reciprocal healthcare agreements

Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Find out more from Services Australia about reciprocal healthcare agreements.

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Have no debt to the Australian government

If you owe the Australian Government money or you have a public health debt, you must have paid it back or have arrangements in place to pay it back.

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Meet all these criteria? Check how to apply in our step by step guide.

Step 1

Before you apply

Before you apply, check you are eligible. Check that you have an approved Parent Sponsor. You can't apply for or be granted this visa if you do not have an approved Parent Sponsor.

Check your passport

You must have a valid passport. We will only grant the visa if you have a valid passport.

Get help with your application

Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be:

• a registered migration agent
• a legal practitioner, or
• an exempt person.

You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter.

Step 2

Gather your documents

Provide evidence to support your application.

Provide accurate documents

Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide accurate information.

Identity documents

We need proof of your identity. If you cannot prove your identity:

• we will refuse your visa application
• we might not grant you another visa for 10 years

Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.

Also provide:

• a national identity card, if you have one
• proof of change of name

Documents that prove a change of name include:

• a marriage or divorce certificate
• change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
• documents that show other names you have been known by such as a birth certificate showing the names of both parents or custody documents issued by the relevant court of law.

Permission to Apply in Australia

We will tell your approved Parent Sponsor if you have Permission to Apply in Australia (but not in immigration clearance) if we approve their sponsorship.

This advice will be provided in a Permission to Apply letter.

You must attach a copy of this letter to your visa application.

Genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily

Give as much evidence as possible to show that you intend to visit Australia temporarily. This may include items that indicate your ties to your home country, your financial position and your planned activities while you are in Australia. A non-exhaustive list of examples include:

• Proof you have enough money for your stay and to leave Australia, for example:
  • Itemised personal bank statements showing a 3-month period
  • Tax records
  • Pension or other regular income streams
• Evidence of any previous international travel
• Your ability and reasons to return home, such as:
  • Any significant financial ties, such as a house, a business or other major assets in your home country
  • Evidence of ties or commitments to your home country, including any family
• A letter stating your reasons and plans for visiting Australia. The letter could state:
  • The purpose of your stay and any plans
  • Who you are intending to visit while in Australia and their relationship to you

Character documents

Provide an Australian police certificate if you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since you turned 16.

We only accept complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. We do not accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.

Also provide:

• an overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16
• military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country

Complete and provide the following forms:

• Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment (596KB PDF)

Health exams

Check ImmiAccount if you need to do any health examinations. If health examinations are required, you may wish to do them before lodging your application so that we can process your application more quickly.

Tell us you are getting help

To nominate someone to:

• receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
• provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

Prepare your documents

Translate

Have all non-English documents translated into English.

Provide original copies and translated documents in your application. 

Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters .

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. But on each translation, they must include their:

• full name
• address and telephone number
• qualifications and experience in the language they are translating

These details must be in English.

Note: You do not need to have any documents certified.

Scan or photograph

Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in colour.

The scans and photos must be clear.

If a document is more than one page, save it all as one file.

Attach

Attach a document only once, even if you are using it to show more than one thing.

Learn more about attaching documents.

Step 3

Apply for the visa

NOTE: You cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold this visa.

You must apply:

• online
• from outside Australia within 6 months of Sponsorship approval

If you have Permission to Apply in Australia in Australia, you must apply within 60 days of sponsorship approval. If you do not apply within 60 days, your approved Parent Sponsor may apply again for Permission to Apply in Australia, if the sponsorship is valid and there are exceptional circumstances for applying while in Australia.

If we do not approve the Permission to Apply in Australia request, you will have to:

• apply for the visa from outside Australia within 6 months of sponsorship approval, or 
• apply for and be granted a different kind of visa to remain in Australia.

Apply online in ImmiAccount

 1. Login or create an ImmiAccount. 2. Complete Application for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa 3. Attach documents. 4. Pay the application fee. We will not process your application until you pay.

Complete applications might be processed quicker. Incomplete ones might be delayed or refused if there is insufficient information to show you meet the requirements.

Step 4

After you apply

We will let you know when we have received your application and documents.

Status updates

We will not give you updates on your application’s progress within normal processing times. You can check your application progress in ImmiAccount. We will let you know if you need to provide anything further.

You can check if we need more information in ImmiAccount.

Travel

If you are outside Australia, do not arrange to travel to Australia until we let you know, in writing, that we have granted you the visa.

Attach more information

Attach any documents you did not provide with your application into ImmiAccount.

We might also ask you to provide more information.

Mistakes on your application

Let us know as soon as you can if you made a mistake on your application.

Attach a completed Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF) to your application in ImmiAccount.

Tell us if things change

Tell us if things change after you apply but before we've made a decision.

Things you need to let us know about include:

• changes to your phone number, email, address or passport
• changes to your marital or de facto status
• the birth of a child
• if you are convicted of a crime

See how to tell us if your situation changes.

Biometrics

We might ask for biometrics. We will let you know if you need to provide them.

Health exams

We will let you know if you need to do any other health examinations.

Pay the second instalment

You must pay a second instalment before we will grant the visa. We will send you an invoice when it is due. If you do not pay the invoice, we will refuse your application.

Help with your application

Let us know if you no longer want someone to:

• receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
• provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

For more information see Who can help you with your application.

Withdrawing your visa application

You can withdraw your visa application at any time before we decide on the application.

To withdraw your application, advise us in writing. Follow the instruction to withdraw your visa application.

You must attach the completed form to your application in ImmiAccount.

We will not refund the visa application fee if you withdraw your application.

Step 5

Visa outcome

You can be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when we decide your application.

We will let you know our decision in writing. If we grant you the visa, we will let you know:

• your visa grant number
• the date your visa starts
• your visa conditions

Keep a copy of our decision.

If we refuse your visa we will let you know in writing. We will tell you:

• why we refused the visa
• whether you have a right to a review of the decision

We will not refund the application fee if we refuse your application.

Coming to Australia

In Australia

Leaving Australia

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Coming to Australia

Before you travel

You must have:

• a valid visa to enter Australia
• a valid passport or other travel document

At the border

Completing an Incoming Passenger Card

All people arriving in Australia must complete the Incoming Passenger Card.

Using the SmartGate

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use  SmartGate

In Australia

What you must do when you have this visa

You must obey all Australian laws.

Tell us if things change

See what to do if your situation changes.

Change of Parent sponsor

If your approved Parent Sponsor withdraws their sponsorship you will need to find a new sponsor or your visa will cease.

The new sponsorship application must be lodged within 35 days of the original sponsorship withdrawal and the new sponsor must meet the sponsor eligibility requirements.

Where a new sponsorship is approved, the previous Parent Sponsor will still need to pay any outstanding health debts incurred by the sponsored parent in Australia while they were the parent sponsor.

If a new sponsorship is not approved, you will need to either apply for and be granted a different kind of visa to stay in Australia or make arrangements to leave Australia.

Death of a sponsor

If your approved Parent Sponsor dies, a new sponsorship application can be lodged to be your new Parent Sponsor. This must be done within 90 days of death of the approved Parent Sponsor.

The new sponsor must meet the sponsor eligibility requirements.

What you can do on your visa

To see your visa expiry and conditions use VEVO. 

Travelling on your visa

You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.

Visa label

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

Proving you have a visa

To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.

No work condition

You are not allowed to work in Australia while you hold this visa.

You can undertake the following unpaid work:

• providing care for grandchildren or other minor relatives in a domestic environment
• undertaking volunteer work in a non-commercial capacity such as assisting a charitable organisation
• assisting at a local school where the sponsor’s children or other minor relatives attend

However, you cannot undertake any unpaid work:

• in a commercial environment
• in a family business

Leaving Australia

Before you leave

Check your travel documents

You must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia.

Ensure your visa is still valid

Check your conditions and the expiry of your current visa in VEVO

See what you can and must do if your visa has expired or is about to expire. 

At the Border

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate

After you leave

Proving you have been to Australia

Request your international movement records to get proof of your travel in and out of Australia.