Applying for 482 or student visa while waiting on parent visa

[partnership]

I am 57 hubby is 59 and our son and grandchildren are in Queensland. They are citizens. We would like to move over there and I understand that the only permanent Visa we can get is the contributory parent Visa that is taking 6 years to process now. We have not applied yet but hope to soon. 

If we lodge the application what options do we have to go to live and work in Australia? Could we go on a student Visa or a sponsored 482 Visa? Is there a clause in the parent Visa to say you cant apply for another Visa?

The temporary parent Visa- if we applied for this we cannot work. How much would we need to live fairly comfortably and pay rent in Brisbane? When I am 60 I will get a work pension so need to know if it would be enough to live on over there while waiting on the permanent Visa.

[Marisawright]

38 minutes ago, partnership said:

I am 57 hubby is 59 and our son and grandchildren are in Queensland. They are citizens. We would like to move over there and I understand that the only permanent Visa we can get is the contributory parent Visa that is taking 6 years to process now.

Unfortunately, the information on the Immigration website is misleading.  If you apply for the Contributory Parent Visa today, you will be waiting approximately 15 years for the visa to be granted.

The 6 years refers to the time it HAS taken for visas that are being finalised now, i.e. people who applied back in 2016.   There has been a massive blowout in the queue since then and they are not increasing the quota to cater for it, in fact they've reduced it most years.

[partnership]

23 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Unfortunately, the information on the Immigration website is misleading.  If you apply for the Contributory Parent Visa today, you will be waiting approximately 15 years for the visa to be granted.

The 6 years refers to the time it HAS taken for visas that are being finalised now, i.e. people who applied back in 2016.   There has been a massive blowout in the queue since then and they are not increasing the quota to cater for it, in fact they've reduced it most years.

Thanks for this. Might be best to wait til he is pension age and apply onshore at this rate. Will do a consult with an agent. Just want to explore other options as well.

[Marisawright]

11 hours ago, partnership said:

Thanks for this. Might be best to wait til he is pension age and apply onshore at this rate. Will do a consult with an agent. Just want to explore other options as well.

I didn't answer your original question. There is no rule against applying for more than one visa, so you can apply for the parent visa and then while you're waiting, you can get other visas  (visitor visas, student visas, whatever).  The only rule is that you can't HOLD more than one visa at the same time.

As you say, the other option is to wait and apply onshore.  Just be aware of what one agent said to me, that it's their job to tell clients what visa they can get, and things like the practicality of living on that visa, financial implications etc are none of their business.  Make sure you research what it will be like to live on a bridging visa for the rest of your life.

For instance, if you want to buy a home, you'll be up for fees and surcharges from the FIRB of around $45k, because you'll be classed as a " foreign investor". 

Then there's extra health costs, for instance the difference between paying $30 or $40 per presciption item on reciprocal Medicare, which you'd be getting free in the UK as a pensioner.   Once over 70, the great majority of people are taking medications such as blood pressure pills, cholesterol pills even if they are fairly healthy, and that can mount up quickly.  

No pensioner benefits, no aged care subsidies, and your British state pension is frozen at the rate you're getting when you leave the UK. No access to the Australian pension.

Plus there is the inconvenience of having to apply for permission (a BVB) every time you want to leave Australia, even just to go on hoilday. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Marisawright

[partnership]

12 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I didn't answer your original question. There is no rule against applying for more than one visa, so you can apply for the parent visa and then while you're waiting, you can get other visas  (visitor visas, student visas, whatever).  The only rule is that you can't HOLD more than one visa at the same time.

As you say, the other option is to wait and apply onshore.  Just be aware of what one agent said to me, that it's their job to tell clients what visa they can get, and things like the practicality of living on that visa, financial implications etc are none of their business.  Make sure you research what it will be like to live on a bridging visa for the rest of your life.

For instance, if you want to buy a home, you'll be up for fees and surcharges from the FIRB of around $45k, because you'll be classed as a " foreign investor". 

Then there's extra health costs, for instance the difference between paying $30 or $40 per presciption item on reciprocal Medicare, which you'd be getting free in the UK as a pensioner.   Once over 70, the great majority of people are taking medications such as blood pressure pills, cholesterol pills even if they are fairly healthy, and that can mount up quickly.  

No pensioner benefits, no aged care subsidies, and your British state pension is frozen at the rate you're getting when you leave the UK. No access to the Australian pension.

Plus there is the inconvenience of having to apply for permission (a BVB) every time you want to leave Australia, even just to go on hoilday. 

Thanks Marissa that is part of my post. How much income is required, what is cost of health insurance etc. We are from Ireland and my pension won't be frozen, do I pay tax in Ireland or Australia? Is there reciprocal agreement so some health is covered. We would not buy until permanent or would get son to buy. 

[Marisawright]

28 minutes ago, partnership said:

Thanks Marissa that is part of my post. How much income is required, what is cost of health insurance etc. We are from Ireland and my pension won't be frozen, do I pay tax in Ireland or Australia? Is there reciprocal agreement so some health is covered.

Ah, in that case you need to check things carefully, because most people here will answer based on the UK.

I just checked and the bad news is that Ireland's reciprocal agreement will cover you for the first 12 months after you arrive, and that's that.  After that, you will have to pay full medical costs for everything -- doctors, specialists, hospital treatments, prescriptions. 

That means you will need to pay for Overseas Visitors Health Insurance, which is substantially more expensive than the health insurance available to Australian residents.  I believe @ramot had to do the same for some years (on a different visa) so might be able to give you an idea of the annual fee per person.

32 minutes ago, partnership said:

We would not buy until permanent 

Remember, if you wait and apply onshore in a few years'  time, the waiting time for the Parents' Visa will be at least 15 years, by which time how old will you be?