The Parent Category Visa Finally Reopens

Today the immigration minister Michael Woods announced what many migrant families have been waiting years for. Finally, the Parent category visa will reopen. From 14 November anyone who already have expressions of interest in the queue will be notified that the application process will begin.

A ballot for new expressions of interest will begin from 12 October, with the first selection taking place in August 2023.

The number of these visas granted each year would increase from 1000 to 2500, with a lower income threshold of 1.5x the median wage for one sponsor supporting one parent, and 2x the median wage for joint sponsors.

This compares to the previous threshold of 2x the median wage for a single sponsor or 3x the median wage for joint sponsors.

Siblings would also be able to co-sponsor applications, and joint applications would be able to apply for up to six parents, with the income threshold increasing by 0.5x the median wage per parent.

“Resuming selections from existing Expressions of Interest queue is a priority, and I know how important this is to many migrant families,” Wood said.

He said moving to a ballot system would mean people “will avoid a lengthy queue and they will be eligible for selection for two years after submitting their expression of interest”.

This will be welcome news for the hundreds of migrant families who have been waiting to restart this process.