The Australian Government has invited the public to provide their views on the development of a new visa for parents of Australians. This invitation is in response to the government’s election commitment of 21 June 2016 that indicated it would enhance existing visa arrangements to enable sponsored parents to visit their family in Australia for a continuous period of up to five years, if re-elected.
Purpose
The Australian Government believes that parents should have the opportunity to visit children and grandchildren who live in Australia as long as parents and their sponsors can satisfy community expectations and that their stay in Australia does not have an undue cost impact on the Australian community. While several visa options are already available for parents to spend time with their family in Australia, community feedback indicates that a fresh approach should be considered.
Additionally, the introduction of such a visa is a significant shift from current visa options for parents. It raises a number of issues around our communities and the nature of services to support these visitors. The government is seeking community input to help shape the development of the visa.
Providing a submission
Written submissions in response to the discussion paper are open to the general public.
If you would like to make a written submission on the development of a temporary stay parent visa, or on issues raised in this discussion paper, send an email to: temporary.parent.visa@border.gov.au.
All submissions should be received by midnight, Monday 31 October 2016 (AEDT).
Submissions received after this deadline might not be considered.