SPONSORED PARENT VISA SUBCLASS 870 (TEMPORARY)

Subclass 870 is a temporary Visa suitable for the parents of Settled Australian Permanent Residents, Australian citizens, and Eligible New Zealand citizens. This Visa is not a pathway to Permanent residency in Australia. The duration of the Visa can either be three years or five years, depending on the Visa fee you are willing to pay.

Sponsored Parent visa Subclass 870 and Covid-19 concessions:

This Visa needs to be applied offshore in most cases, but recently concessions have been granted for the parents who are Onshore at the time of lodgement of an application. Please check with your migration agent regarding the current status of the concession.

Advantages of Sponsored Parent Visa Subclass 870

• No balance of family test is required.
• Low cost as compared to other parent Visas.
• Quick processing times as compared to other parent visas.
• Can reapply for this Visa to stay for further (5) five years.
• Parents are not required to depart during the validity of the Visa. They are free to travel in or outside Australia as many times as they like.
• It is an alternative Visa to Visitor visa which is generally a short-stay visa. This is also an alternative to other types of Parent Visa that are expensive and have long processing times.
• Adoptive Parents or Step-Parents can also be sponsored under this Visa.

Disadvantages of Sponsored Parent Visa Subclass 870

• It’s a temporary visa for (3) three to (5) five years. There is no Permanent Residency (PR) pathway after this Visa unless alternative visa types are considered.
• Can reapply only once and cannot apply after a total (10) ten years of stay on this Visa.
• It’s a two-step process. First, the sponsor needs to be approved, and then if approved, the final Visa can be lodged.
• You cannot include other family members in your application. However, your other family member may apply similar or another Visa depending on the eligibility criteria.

Visa fee, Cost, and duration of Subclass 870

At the time of your Visa lodgement, you will have to pay Visa fee according to the number of years you want to apply for the Visa. The duration of the validity of Visa depends on the Department, and you might not be granted the length of stay you wanted.

The sponsor application fee is AUD 420.00
You would be required to pay AUD AUD 5090.00 for three years or 10180 for five years visa fee at the time of the lodgement of the subclass 870 application. You will have to pay the fee in Installments.
For a three (3) year visa, the first installment amount is AUD 1020.00 and the second installment of AUD 4070.00 is payable before the grant of the Visa.
For a five (5) years visa, the first instalment is AUD 1020.00 and the second installment of AUD 9160.00 is payable before the grant of the Visa.
This visa fee is for each individual if you are a couple, for example, the mother and father of the eligible sponsor.

Please refer to the below table for clarity about the Visa fee.

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Cost comparison between Subclass 870 and other types of parent Visas.

People generally think this is an expensive Visa; however, we feel that this is the most cost-effective Visa for parents who wish to reunite with their children for a more extended period and do not require a permanent residency.

You may wish to visit the hyperlink for a complete comparison of costs for all types of Parents Visas.

Processing Time for Subclass 870

Processing time for Subclass 870 is between four to five months, depending upon how well and complete the application is prepared and lodged. Incomplete applications with mistakes or not fulfilling the Department may cause unnecessary delays and may cause a visa refusal.

Extension and renewal of the Visa

This Visa is either for three years or five years, and you have the option to reapply for this Visa for a further five years stay as long as the total Visa duration does not exceed more than ten (10) years combined. Parents must leave the country minimum of ninety days (90) before a second Subclass 870 is granted.

Requirements & Eligibility Criteria for Subclass 870

• The first step is to apply for “Approved Parent Sponsor” before applying. The sponsor could be the child or the partner of the child who wishes to sponsor the parents.
• The sponsor must meet the Eligibility criteria and the sponsor’s obligations.
• The sponsor must have a taxable income of AUD 83,454.00 as an individual Or can also show the combined income of the sponsor and the sponsor’s partner.
• The applicant must establish the Sponsor/Parent relationship.
• If outside Australia, the final visa application must be lodged within six (6) months after approval of the “Approved Parent Sponsor.”
• You must lodge the final Visa application within sixty (60) days if you are inside Australia and have permission to lodge.
• The Visa Subclass 870 must be applied online by the applicant or from the Migration agent’s portal.
• Must have suitable Health insurance all the time.
• Must have met all previous Visa conditions if applicable.

• Provide police clearances for any country they have spent more than 12 months cumulatively in during the past (10) ten years
• You must meet the Health requirements.

• You must meet the character requirements.
• You should have enough money to support your stay.
• Should have genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily and not permanently as a permanent resident.
• You should not have any debt towards the Australian Government.
• You must provide all documents that are required to be submitted with the Visa application.

Restrictions after the Visa is granted

• Condition 8103: You will have no work rights to work in Australia.
• You should not be disruptive and engage in violence.
• You must hold adequate health insurance throughout your stay in Australia.
• You must leave Australia before the expiry of the Visa.
• Notify the Department of a change of details like name, address, phone number, email address, or passport change.
• Must not engage in any criminal conduct.
• You can not include other family members in your Visa application.

Travel Permissions

You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you like while the Visa is valid.

Visa Label for sponsored parent visa subclass 870:

The Department will digitally map or link your Visa to your passport. The Visa label is not required on your passport.

The end of Subclass 870 Visa:

Your parent visa can end because of one of the following reasons:

• If the validity dates specified on your Visa is expired.
• It is canceled by the Department of Home affairs due to any reason.
• If the sponsorship is withdrawn and the new sponsor is not found.
• If the sponsorship is canceled by the Department of home affairs.

The number of places for Subclass 870 Visa

The Australian Government has a quota system for subclass 870 visas. Every year 15,000 places are reserved for this Visa allowing parents to reunite with their children living in Australia.

Sponsor ship refusal or Visa Refusal

There are many factors that need to be considered to avoid Sponsor approval application or Visa refusal, including but not limited to:

• Accuracy of the information
• Completion of the documentation as per the Department’s requirements.
• Incomplete documents.
• Not fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
• Not fulfilling the character, health, and financial requirement.
• Location criteria at the time of lodgment or at the time of decision.
• Any other reason that the Department may consider your application.

This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission of the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult a registered migration agent to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.

The above information is not intended to be exhaustive, and further eligibility criteria may apply. For more information, please inquire with one of our Registered Migration Agents. The contents on this Website should be read in conjunction with our Website Disclaimer.