Getting my parents over

[Guest Amanda F]

My parents come over to visit every year and would love to stay with us forever. As I have 2 brothers in the UK they cannot come. How long can they stay for. Can they stay for a year on a visitors visa then renew it???? I would love them to come for a couple of years seeing as they can't move here.

 

Is it likely that the balance of family rule will ever change?

 

thanks to any advice given

[snifter]

I doubt the balance of family rule will ever change for last remaining relative.

 

They can get a year long tourist visa but iirc they have to leave at the end of it, they can't renew it. And would probably have to show proof of funds or some such to show they can support themselves while here. And things like medical insurance might be needed.

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/600.aspx

 

Or perhaps one of these may be possible? Parent or relative? Long wait or costly I think though.

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/Live/Pages/Live.aspx

 

There used to be another temp visa type but I can't see that listed anymore.

[Gollywobbler]

My parents come over to visit every year and would love to stay with us forever. As I have 2 brothers in the UK they cannot come. How long can they stay for. Can they stay for a year on a visitors visa then renew it???? I would love them to come for a couple of years seeing as they can't move here.

 

Is it likely that the balance of family rule will ever change?

 

thanks to any advice given

 

Hi Amanda

 

I doubt whether Australia will relax the Balance of Family test or that it will make many other changes to Parent migration, since the now hideously expensive Contributory Parent visa is now nearly 12 years old and has proven to be so popular in spite of its cost. My widowed mother is dead now but she held a Contributory Parent visa that was granted in 2006, when they were reasonably-priced.

 

I've lost touch with the details of Australia's visa system but I wonder whether (Aussie) Retirement Visas are still possible? If your parents are very wealthy, RVs might be a goer PROVIDED that RVs would also suit your parents tax-wise. I'd consult Alan Collett of Go Matilda about this possibility because in addition to being an experienced Registered Migration Agent, Alan is also a Chartered Accountant both in his native UK and in Australia, where he now lives. Alan is ferociously good at tax-planning etc in both jurisdictions, so I'd definitely want him aboard if I were considering a Retirement Visa for myself.

 

There used to be a visa for Australia which involved the new immigrant investing over $1m AUD and establishing a business of his/her own in Australia. The quid pro quo was Permanent Residence in Australia but I can't remember the name of this little-used visa. There was a Briton who was in his 70s, I believe. He bought a block of flats in Brisbane, I heard. One would need to remind Alan Collett about this none-too-young Brit in order to jog Alan's memory. Australia has scrapped a number of different visas in recent years because 148 different visas was about 100 too many and I don't know what happened about the one I have in mind.

 

Another possibility for your parents would be to think outside of the box. In their shoes, I'd be looking at an MM2H visa for Malaysia instead of Australia. The flight between Kuala Lumpur and Adelaide is usually only about 8 hours and Air Asia do the route cheaply, I believe. I think the time-zone difference between KL and AEST is only about 3 hours because there is not much difference in the longitudes of KL and Canberra respectively. MM2H is shorthand for the "Malaysia My Second Home" visa, which is a bit of a mouthful so everyone just calls it MM2H. Also, East Malaysia (think Kuching, Kinabalu etc) is closer to Australia than West Malaysia.

 

Cheers

 

Gill