Melbourne-based Amandeep Singh says the long wait for his mother’s Australian visa has been a major challenge for both him and his mother, who lives alone in India.
“Being an only child, I am the sole carer for my mother. Waiting more than 30 years for her to join me is deeply unfair, and it’s time the government made changes and reformed the system to reflect current realities,” Singh said.
Amandeep’s story is not unique.
New lodgements and backlog
The Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA) allows parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents to apply for specific visa categories.
These Parent visas include several subclasses, such as the Parent (Subclass 103), Contributory Parent (Subclass 173 and 143), and Contributory Aged Parent (Subclass 884 and 864) visas.
All Parent visa applications are subject to capping. Credit: teekid/Getty Images
"2025-26 is the fourth year that the planning level for Parent visas has been set at 8,500 places (6,800 for Contributory Parent and 1,700 for Non-Contributory Parent), almost doubling from the 4,500 places allocated in 2021-22," the department said.
"The number of queued Parent visa applications as of 30 June 2024 was 82,410 and as of 30 June 2025 was 90,155," it added.
"There were 23,345 lodgements in 2023-24 for Parent visas, and 18,434 in 2024-25," the department confirmed.
The visa processing time
Parent Visa waiting periods are already long, but they have recently stretched even further.
According to the latest update from the DHA, applicants can expect to wait at least 15 years for Contributory Parent visas and a staggering 33 years for Parent and Aged Parent visas.
SBS Hindi had earlier reported that processing times for visas finalised last year averaged around 14 years for Contributory Parent Visas and 31 years for non-contributory Parent and Aged Parent Visas.
"The demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available. As a result, processing times for these applications are lengthy," the DHA told SBS Hindi.
Migration agent Rajwant Singh says the government must increase the number of parent visa places to help reduce processing delays.
“The government should consider the country’s growing population and adjust parent visa allocations accordingly,” he says.
But former immigration official Abul Rizvi holds a different view.
“I’m not convinced that allocating more parent visa places would ease the backlog. In fact, it could attract even more applications,” he argues.
(Disclaimer: The information given in this interview is of a general nature. Contact a migration expert for clear advice on your situation.)
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