The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has just recently announced plans to introduce a new “Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa” in 2017.
This new visa will allow citizens and permanent residents of Australia to sponsor their parents to stay in Australia for up to five years. The announcement is welcomed by those who have criticised the current visa options available to parents of Australians as limited, inconvenient, and unfair.
The government cited the pressures faced by migrant communities resulting from the separation of grandparents and grandchildren as one of the motivating factors for introducing the new visa.
Both applicants and immigration advocacy groups have long criticised the current visa structure as unnecessarily strict. The overprotective nature of the existing policies and their implementation have prevented many parents, who are genuine temporary entrants, from coming to Australia to visit their children and grandchildren on the grounds that they may break the terms of their visas. Many of these applicants have property and full time employment in their countries of residence, so it seems unclear why they would leave this behind and stay in Australia permanently.
These new measures should see more successful applications for genuine applicants, quicker turn-around times for results, and a means for migrant families to enjoy more time together without the stress and difficulties posed by the current framework.
If you would like further information on the new temporary parent sponsored visa and how to apply, please get in touch with us today.
