Child subsidies- Newly arrived residents

[Ben 1]

Hi,

My partner and I are due to have a baby in November (v.excited) and we were granted PR in February 2019, having been here for 4.5 years. We have recently discovered that there is a waiting period for getting child subsidies such as paternity pay (2 years from date of getting PR). One of our friends suggested there is a clause though if you have a child in Aus when parents have PR, as the child is then a Australian citizen from birth and therefore classed as an Australian dependant. 

Does anyone one know anything about this and where can I find this clause information online, really hoping we can still can get some support from the government.

Thanks in advanced.

Ben

[boo-yaa 435]

I'm in the same situation to yourself in terms of the waiting period. PR granted in Match 19 and been here for 4 years.

I trawled through the guides and couldn't find any such clause.

http://guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/3/1/2/40

Let me know if you have any luck...

 

[Ben 1]

@boo-yaa

 

Apparently the the best thing to do is go to centre link and they will put you through to their hotline (don’t call yourself you never get through) and they will take you through it.

Although this is all through a friends friend who is in the same situation. 

 

I just want to find the document to reference and confirm.

 

Ben

 

[Chrisso gray 1]

We’ve just found this out ourselves we got our PR  6 weeks ago nothing is stated in black and white on there website about this,me and the wife are devastated by the time we get help our child will be in school anyway they also didn’t get back to us about this we had to chase them

[Ben 1]

Hey, 

So we rang Centre link and they put us in touch with Human services. Essentially they said it depends on your visa (still a little confusing, we are a subclass 186).

They weren’t actually aware of the new law, they told us that nearly arriving residents are for people only just arriving in the country now (we have been here on a 457 for almost 4years before getting PR). 

They also said you can apply online for everything, but the only thing you need is the CRM code (centre link record membership) which you need to go to Centrelink to get

They said we could apply for the following:

1. Paid parental leave 

2. Partner pay

3. Family tax benefit (package you receive after the baby is born, so if not eligible they will back pay when you are - you only have to wait one year if you don’t receive any benefits). We were told to apply for part A.

You can apply for the above benefits 3 months before baby is born (all online). So you will know for certain then.

With the CRM you need the following to show Centrelink:

 

1. Passport 

2. Visa papers

3. Bank acc details 

 

Who they put us in touch with:

human services.gov.au

Although I still feel like it could swing both ways, however fingers cross it doesn’t apply.

Ben

[Chrisso gray 1]

Hey Ben

we came over on exactly the same visas as you guys,all we are trying to claim is the childcare subsidy do you know if this is possible it is soooooo frustrating especially when some of the the people in Centrelink aren’t aware of the rules my wife was on the phone for 2 hrs last night.

[RoEire 40]

Hi Guys!

Wading in on this one as well. We're in the same situation - were awarded our PR in May, I was here on a 457 before, so all in all have been paying taxes here for nearly 4 years. I understand this new rule was to target people coming straight in through direct entry & claiming benefits without contributing beforehand but surely they could add a clause excluding people who have paid tax for X amount of years!

We're in the process of trying for a baby & I'm bewildered as to what (if anything!) we can apply for. I'm the main income earner, so I'm not sure how we can afford it if I have to be off work for maternity leave. No family here, so would end up having to put the poor tot into childcare early, which again makes it probably no better off financially!

Centrelink have been no help, are just as confused themselves & I seem to get a different answer anytime I ask.

Has anyone been able to get any further light shed?

 

Thanks so much!

[AJ 1,874]

Dont know about paid maternity leave etc or waiting periods.  Only thing I can confirm is that you should get the Childcare subsidy as you a PR, this is not means tested either, so you can reduce your childcare cost by quite a bit.

[Ben 1]

Thanks AJ. It’s good to know. I 

[RoEire 40]

On 25/09/2019 at 15:39, AJ said:

Dont know about paid maternity leave etc or waiting periods.  Only thing I can confirm is that you should get the Childcare subsidy as you a PR, this is not means tested either, so you can reduce your childcare cost by quite a bit.

Thanks AJ! Will do some research on that one.

[AJ 1,874]

8 hours ago, RoEire said:

Thanks AJ! Will do some research on that one.

Here you go!

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy

 

I said its not means tested, it is really but you can have a high income and still be entitled to at least 50% of your fees subsidised, there is a table on this link will show you

 

Edited September 26, 2019 by AJ

[MD1988 0]

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone can shed some light on the Parental Leave entitlements? Awaiting PR and been on a 457 for 3 years- am I subject to the 2 year waiting period. Finding it really difficult to get a clear answer on this. For those of you who applied- were you eligible after all? Many thanks!

[Ben 1]

Hi MD, in short you can’t get anything in terms of the parental pay and have to wait for the two year period to expire from our experience. Center link will confirm this. There is a means tested subsidy that you might be eligible for which is the part b. The only thing you will get is a nice baby hamper bag with bits for the Bub at the hospital. 
 

 

[MD1988 0]

Hi Ben, thanks for the response.

So I'm assuming you guys with newly acquired PR status didn't get the parental pay when you had your baby? Which sucks if that's the case. I'm abit overwhelmed by all of this. I called Centrelink and the lady there said to apply regardless as applications decided on a case by case basis, which confused me even more. 

[bicek 55]

I don't know if anyone can advise, but I've searched online and it just doesn't seem clear to me. 

I am an Australian citizen and my husband has just been granted his 309 visa so will be a PR when we move to Australia (hopefully later this year). 

I will be returning with 3 children, one of which will be 4 months old. I will not be working because I will be caring fulltime for our newborn, and hoping to qualify for some sort of child subsidies/benefits. 

I understand my husband (newly PR) will have to wait 1 year to qualify for some benefits, and up to 4 years to qualify for others. That's understandable. But given that you apply for some of these things (particularly related to shared children) as a couple, would we be considered for the child specific subsidies because I'm an Australian citizen? Or disqualified because my husband is newly PR? I just can't quite make sense of it. If anyone can advise I'd be very grateful. 

[Marisawright 10,271]

5 hours ago, bicek said:

I will be returning with 3 children, one of which will be 4 months old. ...would we be considered for the child specific subsidies because I'm an Australian citizen? 

I don't know what the Australian situation is, but I do know that in the UK, being a citizen makes no difference.  It's how long you've been resident in the country that matters. It's one of the things that catches people out when they decide to go home.  No idea if that applies in Australia but it's worth being aware of.

Edited January 20, 2021 by Marisawright

[bicek 55]

15 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I don't know what the Australian situation is, but I do know that in the UK, being a citizen makes no difference.  It's how long you've been resident in the country that matters. It's one of the things that catches people out when they decide to go home.  No idea if that applies in Australia but it's worth being aware of.

I don't think that's the issue in Australia, from what I've read online. I believe I qualify. My confusion is the fact that we are an Aussie and a PR that will be applying for child subsidies as a package deal type thing. So my question is really more whether one knocks the other out. 

[Jon the Hat 1,094]

On 20/01/2021 at 17:30, bicek said:

I don't think that's the issue in Australia, from what I've read online. I believe I qualify. My confusion is the fact that we are an Aussie and a PR that will be applying for child subsidies as a package deal type thing. So my question is really more whether one knocks the other out. 

I doubt being married to a PR holder reduces your rights as a citizen to claim for your kids who are also citizens.