DK News: Visa Extensions for Parents of Australians

Hey Desi Kangaroos' Fans ! We thought you might be interested in this news........read on .........

The Gillard Government will extend tourist visas for parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents to enable them to visit their family in Australia for longer, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, announced today.

“I know that many people are patiently waiting in the queue for a parent visa so we want to provide more generous tourist visas to enable regular extended family visits,” Mr Bowen said.

“The Government will grant five-year tourist visas with a 12-month stay on each entry to suitable applicants who have applied for a parent visa outside Australia.

“The Government will also consider tourist visas of up to three years with a 12-month stay on each entry for people not currently in the parent visa queue.

“These changes recognise the valuable role parents play in assisting their children and grandchildren in Australia and the social benefits such visits provide.”

The changes are expected to be in place by the end of this year.

“Tourist visa grants will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will enable parents to spend more time in Australia with their families while they wait for a parent visa,” Mr Bowen said.

“To be granted a tourist visa, applicants must meet Australia’s health and character requirements, have access to adequate funds, have health insurance to cover any healthcare costs during their stay, and intend a genuine visit to Australia.”

Tourist visa holders will be subject to a visa condition limiting applications for further visas while they are in Australia. As with all tourist visa holders, they will be expected to spend some time outside Australia between visits to their families.

Federal Member for Greenway and Co-Chair of the Sub-Continent Ministerial Consultative Committee, Michelle Rowland has welcomed the Federal Labor Government’s moves to extend tourist visas for parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents.

Ms Rowland said she represented a large multicultural community who had been calling for these changes for some time.

“In Greenway I represent a very diverse community, with a large population of people from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and this issue surrounding parent visas has been an extremely important one,” Ms Rowland said.

“I am very happy Minister Bowen has announced these changes and I know they will be welcomed in my community.”

Ms Rowland said this has been an issue she has raised directly with Minister Bowen.

Chairperson of Sub Continent Friends of Labor Mr Harish Velji said that the group is very pleased with results.  He added that this shows the effectiveness of Sub Continent Friends of Labor. He further thanked Ejaz Khan, Prabajot Sandhu, Balraj Sangha, Jay Hosur and Moninder Singh for  highlighting and bringing this issue  for the discussion. He also thanked Member for Greenway Michelle Rowland for raising it directly with the Minister.