Your Family Circumstances Can Affect Eligibility

Most Parent Visa applicants must pass the Balance of Family Test. This is used to determine whether a parent has a sufficient connection to Australia through their children.

Generally, you must either have at least half of your children living permanently in Australia, or have more of your children living permanently in Australia than in any other single country.

The test generally looks at:

• The number of your children
• Where each child permanently lives
• Whether at least half of your children are in Australia
• Whether more children live in Australia than any other country

The way your children are counted can be important, so your family circumstances should be assessed carefully before relying on the test.

Financial Assurance May Be Required

Some Parent Visa subclasses require an Assurance of Support. This is a commitment intended to help ensure that the visa applicant does not rely on certain Australian social security payments during the relevant assurance period.

Depending on the visa, the assurance may need to be provided by the sponsor or another eligible assurer. It can involve financial obligations, so understanding what is required is an important part of preparing the application.

An Assurance of Support may involve:

• Providing financial assurance to the Australian Government
• Meeting the relevant income requirements
• Paying a refundable bond where required
• Maintaining the assurance for the specified period

You Must Meet Australia’s Health and Character Standards

Parent Visa applicants must satisfy Australia’s health and character requirements before a visa can be granted. Health examinations may be required, while applicants aged 16 or over generally need to provide police clearances and satisfy the relevant character criteria.

These checks form part of the visa assessment and can affect the outcome of an application.

Applicants may need to provide:

• Required health examinations
• Police certificates or clearances
• Character information requested by the Department
• Additional documents if further checks are required