Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 173)
More About Balance of Family Test
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The following information may assist you in working out if you will pass the balance of family test.
The balance of family test requires that at least half of your children live permanently in Australia, or that more of your children live permanently in Australia than in any other country.
In order to count as living permanently in Australia, your children must be:
- Australian citizens
- Australian permanent residents who are usually resident in Australia
- eligible New Zealand citizens who are normally resident in Australia.
See: Family Definitions
The test is designed as an objective measure of a parent's ties to Australia. No assessment is made about the nature of the parent and child relationship.
Children included in the balance of family test
All children, including step children and adopted children, of both parents are counted in the balance of family test, unless the limited circumstances listed below apply.
Note: A step-child is a child:
- of applicant's current partner
or - aged under 18 and a child of a former partner of the applicant, or a former partner of the applicant's current partner, and the applicant or the applicant's partner has a legal responsibility to look after the child.
Children not included in the balance of family test
Children are not counted in the balance of family test if they:
- are deceased
- are removed from their parents' legal custody by adoption or court order
- are registered by the UNHCR as refugees and live in a camp operated by UNHCR
- live in a country where they suffer persecution or human rights abuse and cannot be reunited with their parents in another country.
Children counted as resident in Australia
For the purposes of the balance of family test, a child is resident in Australia if they are one of the following:
- an Australian citizen
- an Australian permanent resident who is usually resident in Australia
- an eligible New Zealand citizen who is usually resident in Australia.
See: Family Definitions
Children not counted as resident in Australia
Children who are outside Australia are considered to be residents of the country other than Australia where they usually live.
Children who are in Australia on a temporary basis are considered to be residents of the country where they previously lived before traveling to Australia. If the child has no legal right to return to that country, they are taken to reside in their country of citizenship.
Children whose whereabouts are unknown, or cannot be verified, are considered to be residents of their last known country of usual residence.
Balance of family table
The table below gives some examples of families with different numbers of children. It shows how the location of the children's permanent residence affects the balance of family test.
| Total number of children | Number of children usually resident in Australia | Number of children usually resident in countries other than Australia | Passes balance of family test | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country 'A' | Country 'B' | Country 'C' | Country 'D' | |||
| 1 | 1 | Yes | ||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Yes | |||
| 3 | 1 | 2 | No | |||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | No | ||
| 4 | 2 | 2 | Yes | |||
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | No | |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | No | ||
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | No |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Yes | |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | Yes | |||
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | No | ||
For further examples of the balance of family table you should read the Parent Migration booklet.
See: Booklet 3 Parent Migration
Before lodging an application, please read all related requirements.
See: Eligibility