Coalition promises 5-years continuous stay visa for parents

In the final weeks of the marathon election campaign, both major political parties have tried to woo the migrant communities with their Long-Stay-Parental-Visa policies.

Settlement Guide: parent visas cost time and money

S Source: Getty ImagesBelterz (Getty ImagesBelterz)

The Coalition has promised a continuous five-year visa for parents of Australian residents, currently offered to only to those applicants on a case-to-case basis who have lodged a concurrent permanent parental visa application.

If re-elected, the Coalition will remove the requirement for these parents to have lodged a concurrent permanent parental visa application.

“The Coalition recognises that many Australians, including our growing South Asian and Chinese communities, face particular pressures through the separation of children from parents and grandchildren from grandparents,” Peter Dutton said.

“We want to help families reunite and spend time together, while ensuring that we do so in a way that does not burden Australia’s health care system,” he added.
Parenting
Source: Nitin
In  order to apply for the enhanced parental visitor visa, the applicants will have to buy private health insurance from an Australian insurance provider, and they or their sponsoring family will be required to pay a bond.

Unveiling its ‘Long Stay Parental Visa’ policy, the Labor last week promised a parental visa that would allow parents of migrants a continuous stay of three years. Labor’s proposal also has the conditions a mandatory private Australian insurance policy and a $5000 bond for each applicant.
Currently, visiting parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents are allowed a continuous stay of up to 12 months.

Some members of the migrant communities had to launch a campaign in order to get political attention to their longstanding demand of a long-stay-parental-visa.
An online petition that had over twenty thousand signatures was rejected by Immigration minister, Peter Dutton last year.

Arvind Duggal who spearheaded the campaign said that there are some ambiguities in the statement.

“I have contacted Peter Dutton’s office to seek clarifications on a few points, such as the period of continuous stay allowed, reapplying time and the bond money.”

Labor’s policy requires applicants to exit the country for just four weeks upon expiry of the three-year visa.

However, independet candidate for Senate, Karthik Arasu says this visa is going to be very heavy on the pocket for the appliacnts.

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2 min read
Published 22 June 2016 11:57am
Updated 15 August 2016 11:31am
By Shamsher Kainth

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