Australia’s $50,000 parent visa takes so long to process that applicants die waiting

Wait times for visas to bring parents to Australia are so long that more than 1,500 applicants died before receiving their visa over a 21-month period to 31 March, new Department of Home Affairs data shows.

For applicants of non-contributory parent visas, which provide permanent residency for a fee of just under $9,000, the wait times are now an estimated 33 years. Contributory parent visas have waiting times of about 15 years but cost almost $50,000 each.

Singh, who has been a migration agent in Melbourne for almost a decade, says some clients’ parents have died while waiting for their parent visas to be processed.

Someone interviewed by The Guardian said Australia was his first choice to raise his family and build a career. But as the father of two faces years of uncertainty over when his parents will be able to settle permanently in Australia, he says he has considered moving abroad.

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, this week delayed a speech at the National Press Club where he was due to reveal a migration overhaul. But Labor is still expected to introduce new rules to cut net overseas migration and push some temporary residents to leave Australia. The proposed reform includes preventing spouses, children and parents of Australian citizens from applying for visas while in the country as tourists, the ABC reported.