Many people are working in Australia according to Visa 482 (Skills in Demand) asks the question: “I have a stable job in Australia, so can I sponsor my parents to come to Australia under Visa 143?”. The short answer is: No.

Visa 482 is a temporary residence visa, so the person holding the Visa 482 is not yet in the group of people who can sponsor their parents under the Contributory Parent Visa 143. However, this does not mean that there is no route. With many people going in the 482 → 186 direction, calculating a parental sponsorship plan should be done early. __________

Australian Permanent Resident (PR).

Eligible New Zealand citizen.

• The official information page of the Australian Department of Home Affairs stipulates that eligible children must be settled Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens.
• Thường trú nhân Úc (PR).
• Công dân New Zealand đủ điều kiện (eligible New Zealand citizen).

Trang thông tin chính thức của Bộ Nội vụ Úc quy định người con đủ điều kiện phải là settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident hoặc eligible New Zealand citizen.

Meanwhile, Visa 482 is a temporary work visa. Therefore, only having Visa 482 is not enough to become a sponsor for the parent’s Visa 143 application. This is also consistent with the general principle of the family sponsorship program: PR holders can sponsor qualified relatives according to regulations.

So what should you do if you hold a 482 Visa?

For many people working in Australia on a 482 Visa, one direction that can be considered is: 482 → 186 → PARENT SPONSOR. Visa 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) is a permanent residence visa, allowing the visa holder to live and work long term in Australia.

In particular, with the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream, the Australian Department of Home Affairs currently stipulates that the applicant must usually have at least 2 years of full-time work in a qualifying sponsored job in the 3 years before the application date, and must also meet other conditions of the 186 stream.

When Visa 186 is issued, you become an Australian permanent resident. From that point, you can consider options for sponsoring qualifying relatives, including parents.

After having PR, are parents sure to get Visa 143?

No. Having PR is just one of the important conditions for a child to be a sponsor. The parent’s 143 Visa application must still meet the specific requirements of the Parent Visa category. One of the important conditions is the Balance of Family Test – Family balance test. According to current regulations, a child is considered an “eligible child” if he is:

• Australian citizen; or
• Australian Permanent Resident and ordinarily resident in Australia; or
• Eligible New Zealand citizen and permanent resident of Australia.

Children who are in Australia on a temporary visa are not counted as Australian permanent residents for this test. Essentially, parents must meet the rule regarding the number of children residing in Australia compared to the number of children in other countries.

For example:

Family with 3 children

• 2 people are Australian citizens/PRs and permanent residents in Australia
• 1 person lives in Vietnam

→ Can meet the Balance of Family Test.

But if:

• 1 person is in Australia
• 2 people are overseas

→ Does not meet this test.

Visa 143 has a long waiting time

A very important point that families need to calculate is Visa 143 processing time. The Australian Department of Home Affairs says the demand for Parent Visa is greater than the number of places allocated each year. Therefore, Parent Visa applications are subject to queuing mechanisms and quantity limits, leading to potentially very long processing times. Therefore, preparing a plan while still in the Visa 482 stage can help families be more proactive about: 482 → 186 → qualifying for sponsorship → preparing parent documents → submitting Parent Visa when eligible.\

What about Visa 870?

Some families may think of the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa – subclass 870 as an option for parents to go to Australia during the waiting period. However, it should be noted:

Visa 870 does not allow the person holding 482 to sponsor their parents. The Visa 870 sponsor must be:

• Australian Citizen;
• Australian permanent resident; or
• Eligible New Zealand citizen.

Visa 870 is a temporary visa, allowing parents to stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years at a time, with a maximum total period of up to 10 years according to Visa conditions. Therefore, if the child currently only has a 482 Visa, they cannot use the 870 as the child’s sponsor.

The route should be calculated early

If you are in Australia on a 482 Visa and the long-term goal is to bring your parents to Australia, you can imagine the plan in stages:

PHASE 1

482 Visa -> Maintain qualifying visa and work status, and check the possibility of moving to permanent residence.

STAGE 2

Visa 186 -> When meeting the conditions of subclass 186 and being granted PR

STAGE 3

Eligible to consider sponsoring parents -> Check:

• Balance of Family Test.
• Residence status of children.
• Family relationship.
• Health and personal conditions.
• Guarantee conditions.
• Assurance of Support if applicable.
• Cost and waiting time.

STAGE 4

Choose the appropriate Parent Visa option. Can consider Visa 143, Visa 870 or other Parent Visa categories depending on family circumstances.

The most important thing: Don’t wait until you have PR to start researching

If your goal is 482 → 186 → sponsoring your parents, preparing information about your family right from stage 482 can help avoid the situation of finding out that you do not meet an important condition until you have PR. In particular, check out the Balance of Family Test early. Because you have PR does not mean your parents are automatically eligible for Visa 143. The application still must meet the Parent Visa’s own criteria.

Note: “Can be considered” does not mean that the parent’s application is certain to be granted a visa. Parents must still fully meet the requirements of the selected Parent Visa type. If you are holding a 482 Visa and your long-term goal is 482 → 186 → sponsoring a parent, don’t count your application alone.

Consider your family’s route from the beginning: Visa 482 → PR → qualify for sponsor → check Balance of Family Test → select Parent Visa → prepare documents. Early preparation is especially important because Parent Visa is a high-demand visa group and the number of slots is often limited.

Information is for reference only according to regulations of the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Visa conditions, policies and processing times may vary. Actual documents need to be evaluated based on the specific circumstances of each family.

Source: Department of Home Affairs