2014-Dec 12: Parent Category applicants claiming they have no dependent children because their children are not totally or substantially reliant on them for financial support

Visa Pak 192 - Information about Parent Category applicants claiming they have no dependent children because their children are not totally or substantially reliant on them for financial support

Visa Paks

12 December 2014

Parent Category applicants claiming they have no dependent children because their children are not totally or substantially reliant on them for financial support

Parent Category instructions at F4.1.15 b. and F4.20.5 make it very clear that applicants under Parent Category must not have any dependent children, and if any applicant(s) in the application have dependent children, the application will be declined.

For the purposes of Parent Category the definition of ‘dependent child’ is that at F4.5.5. The current definition, effective 16 May 2014, means that children up to 17 years of age are presumed to be dependent if they are single; while children aged 18 to 20 years of age are presumed to be dependent if they are single and have no child(ren) of their own. However, children aged 21 to 24 who are single and have no child(ren) of their own are only dependent children if they are totally or substantially reliant on their parent(s) for financial support, whether living with them or not.

Parent Category applicants who have children aged 21 to 24 who are single and have no child(ren) of their own, are claiming they do not have dependent children, because their children are not totally or substantially reliant on the parent applicants for financial support, but are reliant instead on another adult, often an older sibling for such support.

Parent applicants claiming not to have dependent children for the reason above will meet instructions at F4.20.5 subject to thorough verification confirming the veracity of the claim made.

Action

In assessing whether or not a parent applicant(s) meets instruction at F.4.20.5; immigration officers should conduct thorough verification of the situation being presented including, but not limited to, interviewing the child and applicant(s) separately and requesting financial statements or any other documents which show financial support from another adult (which has been sustained for a reasonable period of time preceding the lodgement of the Expression of Interest and which demonstrates that the support is capable of being sustained for the foreseeable future i.e. until the child is no longer ‘dependent’).