Australian visa rules change for contributory parents

June 25 2009 by Ranjan Chakraborty

Australia visa: Contributory parents

In order to stop immigrants using the ‘split visa strategy’ to save money on visa application fees, the Australian immigration department has made some changes to the contributory parent visas (CPs).

Currently, one parent can apply for the CP Australian visa and sponsor the other parent’s spouse visa after living in Australia for two years. This prevents the second parent having to pay the A$32,725 visa application fee, which is due to increase to A$34,330 on 1 July.

However, from 1 July the rules are to be changed for parents who move to Australia. From this day a CP visa holder cannot sponsor their spouse if they were in the relationship before their CP visa was granted.

The department of immigration’s website explains that the split visa strategy, ‘clearly undermines the government’s policy intention of ensuring that those parents who migrate under the Contributory Parent visa category make a contribution by means of the VAC to partially offset the significant costs of parent migration to the broader community.'

Contributory parent migrants are also subject to the provision of a ten year ‘assurance of support’ (AoS) and payment of a bond.

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