About This Visa 

This visa will allow you to live in Australia with your child permanently, provided they are an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia.

​

Whilst this visa has the lowest application fee out of all the Parent Visas, applicants must be prepared to wait in a queue for their visa to be processed, as waiting times for approval can take up to 30 years.

​

Who Can Sponsor Me?

Being a sponsorship based visa, applicants must be sponsored by their child, or spouse of one of their children. It is preferred that your sponsor is above the age of 18 and is a settled Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, however, there are circumstances where a child under the age of 18 can be your sponsor.

The Government also permits community organisations to sponsor your application provided:

• Your child and the organisation has a relationship

• The senior representative of the organisation agrees to sponsor you

• The organisation is lawfully established in Australia

• The organisation has been operating in Australia for at least one year

• The organisation is financially stable

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Balance-of-family test

The balance-of-family test measures your ties to Australia. You meet this requirement if either:

• at least half of your children live permanently in Australia

• more of your children live permanently in Australia than in any other country.

You must meet this requirement to be granted this visa. It cannot be waived, even in compelling or exceptional circumstances.

​

Application Requirements

To qualify and gain permanent residency through the 103 visa, you will need to meet the following requirements:

• Have an eligible sponsor (see above) who is willing to provide support for at least two years

• Be eligible to obtain a two year Assurance of Support – a legal document that assures the Australian Government that you will not rely on the government for two years, after you enter Australia on the visa

• Meet the health and character requirements

• Meet the balance-of-family test by having

  • At least half of your children residing permanently in Australia; or

  • The majority of your children residing permanently in Australia

​

Benefit of this VISA

The Parent visa will grant you permanent residence in Australia. It will allow you and your eligible family members:

• The right to stay in Australia indefinitely.

• Work and study rights in Australia.

• The opportunity to enrol in Medicare – Australia’s scheme for health-related care and expenses.

• Apply for Australian citizenship once you become eligible.

• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence.

• Travel to and from Australia for up to five years.

• Social security payments after certain waiting periods have passed.

​

Assurance of Support (AoS)

The assurer must:

• give sufficient financial support so that you or any accompanying family members do not have to rely on any government support, and

• reimburse the Australian Government for any recoverable social security payments, this includes payments made by Centrelink to you and any others covered by the Assurance of Support

• pay a refundable security bond before the visa is approved

The Assurance of Support is required to remain in place for two years from the date you and any accompanying family members arrive in Australia.

​

An Assurance of Support (AoS) is a legal undertaking by the sponsor, family relative, an organisation, or any other person who may be eligible to be an assurer, to repay certain social security payments to the Australian Government which has been paid to a person or their family members applying to migrate to Australia during their AoS period.