Sponsored Parent Visa (Subclass 870) (Temporary)
The applications for the subclass 870 of the new parent visa opened on April 17th, 2019. This 870 visa is for parents who want to stay in Australia temporarily for a period of 3 years or 5 years without having to leave Australia during this time. Unlike other visas for parents, this subclass 870 is free from the test of the Balance of Family. However, it is still necessary for the parent to have a biological, stepchild or adopted child living in Australia with permanent residency or citizenship. Or, the child has to be eligible for New Zealand citizenship; also, the child has to have proof of staying for 4 years in Australia. All these criteria and more decide the eligibility of a child to be a sponsor before his or her parents can apply for the respective 870 visa. The child has to provide proof of a minimum income along with police checks.
With this 870 visa, parents don’t attain any work rights. This is why they need to show a sufficient amount of funds to provide for themselves during the period of their stay. Also, the acquisition of 870 temporary visa for parents doesn’t offer an opportunity for permanent residency. Eligible parents obtain a 10-year period to spend time in Australia with this visa. There is no limitation regarding the maximum or minimum age for the applicants who are parents.
The concession on a visitor visa for the parents of children who are permanent residents and citizens in Australia won’t be available anymore. So, they can’t stay for longer days than decided. The capped nature of this 870 visa puts it in a limited availability zone. The maximum visa grants can be 15,000 in a year, after which, the July month of the next year begins the visa granting procedure under the 870 subclass.
When applying for a visa that is up to 3 years, you need to submit $5,000 as the application fee. For duration up to 5 years, the fee goes up to $10,000. There is no clarity on whether this amount is asked for every applicant or for every couple. The submission of this fee happens in 2 parts, in which, the first part has to be submitted with the application and the second part before the 870 visa is granted.