| Help grow the Australian economy by migrating to | | | | member of society. You will be eligible to receive |
| Australia as a contributory parent. This visa is for | | | | subsidized health care via Medicare and the |
| parents of natural, adopted or step children who have | | | | Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. |
| settled in the country as a citizen, a permanent | | | | Centrelink – the agency that delivers social security |
| resident or as an eligible New Zealand citizen. | | | | payments and other services – can start giving you |
| You must pass the balance of family test, wherein at | | | | access to social security benefits after the 2-year |
| least half of your children permanently reside in | | | | waiting period. For those who have lived in Australia |
| Australia or you have more children permanently living | | | | permanently for at least ten years, they may avail of |
| in Australia than in any other single country. | | | | age and disability benefits. |
| Furthermore, you need a sponsor to be able to apply | | | | As a contributory parent, you are expected to be able |
| for this visa. He or she needs to provide | | | | to find work to support yourself while in the country. |
| documentation that as a sponsor, he/she will provide | | | | Otherwise, your sponsor or Assurer of Support, as |
| accommodation, support and financial assistant to you | | | | declared during your Australian visa application, should |
| and your dependents for at least 2 years. Your | | | | be able to offer you assistance for the first two years |
| sponsor will usually have to be your child. If your child is | | | | of your stay. |
| under 18, you may also be sponsored by your | | | | If you suffer from extreme hardship during the |
| child’s spouse, a close family relative or guardian of | | | | two-year waiting period before you are able to avail of |
| your child, a close family relative or guardian of your | | | | social security payments, you may become eligible for |
| child’s spouse or a community organisation. An | | | | special benefits. Centrelink will not allocate special |
| Assurer of Support may also be required. | | | | benefit payments to you because you are unable to |
| Like most Australian parent visas, this lets you work | | | | find a job. It has to be justified as hardship caused by |
| and study in Australia to become a contributing | | | | an uncontrollable and major change in your life. |