Policy Pause for Onshore Parent Visas – Important Update!

The Australian Department of Home Affairs is planning a significant policy change that will impact onshore Contributory Aged Parent (subclass 864 and 884) and onshore Aged Parent (subclass 804) visa applicants. Here are the details:

📌 Background on the Policy Change

This change affects situations where the primary applicant has passed away before their visa application is assessed, and the secondary applicant (usually the "spouse of the original primary applicant") was not "aged" at the time of application. Under current policy, secondary applicants who were not aged at the time of application can still remain in the queue. When the application is eventually considered, if the "new" primary applicant (previously the secondary applicant) is not yet aged, the application will be refused.

📌 Proposed Policy Change

The Department intends to change this rule, requiring secondary applicants to meet the "aged" criteria at the time they take over as the primary applicant. If the primary applicant dies and the secondary applicant is not aged at the time they step in, they will no longer be allowed to become the primary applicant. This change poses a risk of rejection for many secondary applicants who do not meet the aged criteria at the time of substitution.

📌 Pause on Implementation

Recognizing the sensitivity of these cases involving elderly applicants who have lost their partners, the Department has decided to pause the implementation of this policy change. This pause allows time to consider more enduring solutions, especially for applicants currently in Australia. During this period, the Department will not take further action on these cases.

📌 Next Steps

We advise affected applicants seeking advice on this policy change not to withdraw their applications for now. The Department has assured that no immediate action will be taken on these cases while they consider further solutions. Applicants will have time to address this issue.

We hope this information is helpful to everyone. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out.