• 03 Apr 2018

What do you mean we can outsource our Babysitters?

Putting aside the usual problems with having your parents around for long periods of time, grandparents are an excellent source of babysitting labour – they're trustworthy, love their responsibilities and free! 

But if your parents are overseas, did you know you can apply for a visa to bring them into Australia to help you? 

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, there are 3 main categories of visas open to you: a Visitor Visa, a Parent Visa or the Contributory Parent Visa. 

The Parent Visa and the Contributory Parent Visa have long processing times (30 years in the case of Parent visas so perhaps consider the Visitor visa as a short-term solution .

If you sponsor your parents for a Visitor Visa then the Department of Home Affairs may consider granting a visa that lasts up to 5 years (for those parents already in the Parent Visa queue); 3 years (for those parents who have visited Australia before) or 18 months (for parents who have not previously been to Australia). The minimum is around 3 months and in some situations that may be all you need!

The old saying is still true today – "it takes a village to raise a child".