Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa for Sponsors
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Overview
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About this sponsorship
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Eligibility
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Step by step
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When you are a sponsor
Stay
Up to 3 or 5 years
Cost
AUD420.00
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.
The increase for Sponsored Parent (Temporary) sponsorship processing times can be attributed to targeted efforts to finalise older on hand cases.
With this visa the applicant
- can visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years
- can visit up to a maximum period in Australia of 10 years
- is not able to work in Australia
See all conditions
Check your eligibility
Things to note
- You must apply online to become an approved Parent Sponsor.
- You must be an approved Parent Sponsor before a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) application can be lodged.
- After you are approved as a Parent Sponsor, the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) application(s) must be lodged within 6 months of the sponsorship approval or 60 days if you have been given Permission to Apply in Australia.
Scope of sponsorship
Your household is limited to one sponsorship at a time.
Your sponsorship can cover up to 2 parents per household at a time.
You can sponsor:
- one or both of your parents, or
- one, or both, of your partner’s parents, or
- one of your parents and one of your partner’s parents
You cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until your current approved sponsorship ends.
Cost for the sponsor
The sponsorship application fee is AUD420.00.
Location
You can be in or outside Australia, when you lodge your sponsorship application.
Sponsor obligations
You must agree that you will:
- provide financial support and accommodation for the sponsored parent while they are in Australia. This obligation ends if the sponsored parent is granted a permanent visa
- tell us if things change and if certain events occur. You need to let us know, for example, if you are charged with a crime or the sponsored parent dies. This obligation ends the day after you cease to be a sponsor
- pay back all outstanding public health debts incurred by the sponsored parent in Australia. This obligation ends when you have paid the debt back or have an approved arrangement in place to pay it back. You must pay the debt back even if the sponsored parent leaves Australia
You will need to make your commitment to the obligations when completing the sponsorship application.
If you don't comply with your sponsorship obligations, we might cancel your sponsorship and/or your parent’s visa.
How long sponsorship lasts
Your sponsorship will end:
- if your permanent visa is cancelled
- if you die
- if you withdraw your sponsorship
- if the prospective visa applicant does not apply for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa within 6 months after approval of the sponsorship
- the day the granted Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa ends
You cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until your current approved sponsorship ends.
Some Parent Sponsor obligations will continue after the sponsorship ceases, including the obligation to pay any outstanding health debts incurred by the sponsored parent in Australia, even after their visa has ceased or they have left Australia.
Withdraw sponsorship
You can withdraw your application to be a Parent Sponsor at any time before we decide on the application.
To withdraw your application, advise us in writing and include:
- your full name
- your date of birth
- the file reference number or Sponsorship Transaction Reference Number (TRN) we gave you when you applied
- a statement that you want to withdraw your Parent Sponsor application
You must lodge the request in ImmiAccount.
We will not refund the sponsorship application fee if you withdraw your application.
Removing an online application from ImmiAccount does not withdraw it. You must tell us in writing that you no longer want to be a Parent Sponsor.
Be suitable to sponsor
To be eligible as a Parent Sponsor, you must be at least 18 years of age and be the child of the prospective visa applicant (or the child’s spouse or de facto partner).
You must also be:
- an Australian citizen, or
- an Australian permanent resident usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years or eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years, and
- you have not been unlawful or held a bridging visa (other than a bridging visa A, B or C) during the last 4 years
If you are sponsoring your Partner’s parents, your Partner must also be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Have met any previous sponsorship obligations
You must have met and complied with any previous sponsorship obligations
Have no debt to the Australian government
If you owe the Australian Government money, you must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back.
Pass the income test
You must pass the income test. To pass the income test, your taxable income for the most recent completed taxable income year prior to the date of lodgement of the sponsorship application, must be at least equal to, or greater than AUD83,454.80.
If you can't pass the income test yourself, you can combine your taxable income with your partner and/or another child of the prospective visa applicant who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. If combining income, your taxable income must be at least 50 per cent of the taxable income amount specified to pass the income test.
Meet our character requirement
You must meet our character requirement. See what you need to provide us on Step by step page.
Agree to share information
You must agree to share information with the prospective visa applicant and government agencies where necessary.
Agree to comply with sponsorship obligations
You must agree to comply with sponsorship obligations
Step 1
Before you apply
Before you apply, check both you and the prospective visa applicant are eligible. Make sure you can meet your sponsorship obligations.
Get help with your application
You don’t have to use a migration agent to apply. But if you want to, see how to find a registered migration agent.
Anyone can help you fill out forms or give you general help with your application. But you must let us know if you want someone to:
- receive your correspondence
- provide immigration assistance and act for you
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 true information.
Residence and citizenship documents
Provide evidence that you are either:
- an Australian citizen
- an Australian permanent resident usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years immediately before the day the application is made
- an eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years immediately before the day the application is made.
To prove your residency and citizenship, provide:
- your citizenship certificate
- copies of the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry date
- your valid visa (for permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens)
- evidence you are settled in Australia
We use the information in the application to make our decision.
Attach all relevant information requested in ImmiAccount when you lodge your application.
Sponsor documents
Prove your relationship to the prospective visa applicant. Give us evidence that you are related to the visa applicant, such as copies of:
- birth certificate
- marriage certificates
- death certificates
- adoption certificates
- family status certificates or family books if officially issued and maintained
Translate
Have all non-English documents translated into English.
Provide original 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.
Financial documents
Provide us a copy of your Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office for the most recent completed taxable income year prior to the date of lodgement of the sponsorship application.
If you intend to meet the income test by combining your income with your spouse or de facto partner, or another child of the parent you are seeking to sponsor, or both, you must also provide us with a copy of their Notice of Assessment for the most recent completed taxable income year prior to the date of lodgement of the sponsorship application.
You must black out your tax file number on the Notice of Assessment(s) before providing them to us.
Character documents
Provide:
- an Australian police certificate. We only accept complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. We don't accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police
- a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16
Police certificates are valid for 12 months for immigration purposes.
You must also provide written consent for us to disclose any convictions for relevant offences to the visa applicant.
Step 3
Apply
Apply online in ImmiAccount
- Login or create an ImmiAccount.
- Complete an Application for Family Sponsorship
- Attach documents.
- Pay the sponsorship application fee. We will not process your application until you pay.
- Note the Sponsorship Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
Complete applications might be processed quicker. Incomplete applications might be delayed or refused if there is insufficient information to show you meet the requirements.
Permission to Apply may be approved in exceptional circumstances
Permission to Apply in Australia allows a prospective visa applicant (the parent) to apply for the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa while in Australia, but not in immigration clearance.
Permission to Apply in Australia may be approved in exceptional circumstances. This may include where the parent is unable to depart Australia, for example, due to:
- 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.
A request for Permission to Apply in Australia will generally not be approved if for example, but not limited to:
- it is not convenient to the parent or the Parent Sponsor for the parent to depart Australia
- the parent has sold assets in their home country in anticipation of remaining in Australia.
Parent Sponsor applicants can use the Application for Family Sponsorship when applying in ImmiAccount to request Permission to Apply in Australia, include details outlining the exceptional circumstances, and attach supporting documentation.
If the prospective visa applicant has Permission to Apply in Australia, the visa application must be lodged in Australia within 60 days of sponsorship approval.
If the visa application is not lodged within 60 days of sponsorship approval, the 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. To find out how, contact us.
If Permission to Apply in Australia is not approved, the prospective visa applicant must:
- apply for the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa from outside Australia within 6 months of sponsorship approval or
- make an application for and be granted a different kind of visa to remain in Australia.
Step 4
After you apply
We will let you know when we have received your application and documents. We will let you know if you need to provide more information.
Status updates
We will not give you updates on your application’s progress within normal processing times. We will let you know if you need to provide anything further.
You can check if we need more information from you in ImmiAccount.
Attach more information
If you did not attach all documents when you applied, attach them as soon as you can in ImmiAccount.
We might also ask you to provide more information. We will contact you.
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
Things you need to let us know about after you have applied include:
- changes to your phone number, address or passport
- changes to your marital or de facto status
- the birth of a child
- if you are charged with a crime
See how to tell us if your situation changes.
Withdrawing your sponsorship application
You can withdraw your application to be a Parent Sponsor at any time before we decide on the application.
To withdraw your application, advise us in writing and include:
- your full name
- your date of birth
- the file reference number or Sponsorship Transaction Reference Number (TRN) we gave you when you applied
- a statement that you want to withdraw your Parent sponsor application
You must lodge the request in ImmiAccount.
We will not refund the Sponsorship application fee if you withdraw your application.
Removing an online application from ImmiAcount does not withdraw it. You must tell us in writing that you no longer want to be a Parent Sponsor.
Step 5
Application outcome
We will let you know our decision in writing.
If we approve the sponsorship, we will advise you:
- the Sponsorship Transaction Reference Number (TRN)
- the date the sponsorship is approved
- your sponsorship obligations
If we don't approve the sponsorship, we will advise you:
- why we refused the sponsorship application
- your review rights
- the time limit for requesting a review of the decision
We will not refund the sponsorship application if we refuse the application.
Your obligations
As an approved Parent Sponsor you agree to meet your sponsorship obligations.
If you do not meet your obligations
If you do not meet your obligations, we can consider:
- cancelling the sponsorship. This means any sponsored parents will need to find another sponsor or depart Australia
- barring you from sponsoring any further parents for a period of time
How long your sponsorship lasts
Your sponsorship will end:
- if your permanent visa is cancelled
- if you die
- if you withdraw your sponsorship
- if the prospective visa applicant does not apply for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa within six months after approval of the Parent Sponsor
- the day the granted Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa ceases.
You cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until your current approved sponsorship ends.
Some Parent Sponsor obligations will continue after the sponsorship ceases, including the obligation to pay any outstanding health debts incurred by the sponsored parent visa holder in Australia, even after their visa has ceased or they have left Australia.
Withdraw your sponsorship
Your household is limited to one sponsorship at a time.
You can request in writing to withdraw your sponsorship after it is approved. However:
- if a visa has not yet been granted to a sponsored parent, they will need to find a new sponsor or we will not approve their visa application
- if a visa has already been granted, their visa will cease
When a sponsorship is withdrawn, unless a new Parent Sponsor is approved for an existing sponsored parent(s), they must either leave Australia or apply for and be granted a different kind of visa to remain in Australia.
Where a new Parent Sponsor 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 you want to withdraw your sponsorship, contact us.
Make changes to a sponsorship
Your household is limited to one sponsorship at a time.
Your sponsorship can only cover up to 2 parents per household at a time.
Approved Parent Sponsors are able to change their approved sponsorship arrangements if they wish to add or replace a sponsored parent.
To vary your sponsorship you need to lodge a new sponsorship application in ImmiAccount for approval as a Parent Sponsor. Use your existing Sponsorship Transaction Reference number (TRN) in the application form.
Adding a parent
If you are already an approved sponsor for 1 parent, you can apply to add another parent to your sponsorship.
The parent can be a new parent to the sponsorship or a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa holder (if their sponsorship has been withdrawn or their sponsor has died).
Removing a parent
If you are already a sponsor for 2 parents and you wish to remove a parent, you will need to withdraw your sponsorship for the parent you wish to remove. That parent must either leave Australia or apply for and be granted a different kind of visa to remain in Australia.
If you remove both parents from your sponsorship, your sponsorship will end. You will then need to re-apply to become an approved Parent Sponsor to sponsor any new parents.
Replacing a parent
If you are already a sponsor for 2 parents, and you wish to replace a parent, you will need to withdraw your sponsorship for one parent first, and then apply to add a new parent to your sponsorship.
You can request to vary your approved sponsorship through ImmiAccount. We will approve or not approve your request.
Sponsoring two new parents
If you wish to sponsor two new parents, you must withdraw your sponsorship for both parents. Your sponsorship will end. You must then apply for a new sponsorship.
Tell us if things change
Things you need to let us know about after you have applied include:
- changes to your phone number, address or passport
- changes to your marital or de facto status
- the birth of a child
- you are charged with a crime
See how to tell us if your situation changes.
Lodging a visa application
A Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa does not lead to permanent residence. A parent cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when they have applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa.
If the prospective visa applicant is applying from outside Australia, the visa application must be lodged within 6 months of sponsorship approval.
If the prospective visa applicant is applying in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, the prospective visa applicant must have Permission to Apply in Australia. If the prospective visa applicant has Permission to Apply in Australia, they must apply within 60 days of sponsorship approval.
If the prospective visa applicant does not apply for the visa within 60 days of sponsorship approval, the Parent Sponsor may apply again for Permission to Apply in Australia, while we are processing the sponsorship application or before lodgement of the visa application, if the sponsorship is valid. To find out how, contact us.
If we do not approve the request, the visa application must be lodged outside Australia within 6 months of sponsorship approval. Otherwise, the prospective visa applicant must make an application for and be granted a different kind of visa to remain in Australia.
