Sponsored Visas: Assurance of Support (AoS) Made More Difficult

Source: www.australiavisa.com

AoS is a legal commitment to provide financial support to a migrant applicant so that the Australian government will not carry any financial liability. The assurer, who does not need to be the sponsor, is also bound to repay the Australian government for any welfare payments made to the assuree during the stipulated AoS period. There may be a need to provide a financial bond as well. Sponsored Visas

Read: Assurance of Support (AOS)

Assurance of Support (AoS) affects a number of visas, including:

Parent visa (subclass 103)
Aged Parent visa (subclass 804)
Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143)
Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864)
Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114 and 838)
Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115 and 835)

The above visa subclasses have a mandatory AoS requirement. There are other sponsored visas that may still be affected by the AoS on discretion of the Department of Home Affairs.

Effective 1 April 2018

12 month AoS is required for Community Support Programme entrants
Potential assurer must be in Australia at the time of making the application
A person with outstanding debt to the Commonwealth is not eligible to provide an AoS
The income threshold for an assurer has increased (next issue)

The Community Support Programme (CSP) was introduced on 1 July 2017 and allows humanitarian entrants (Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202)) to be sponsored by individuals, community organisations and business groups through Approved Proposing Organisations. Sponsors for CSP entrants are responsible for providing adequate support to CSP entrants for the first 12 months in Australia. AoS was previous discretionary for CSP entrants but is now mandatory.

Security values

Current security values are as follows:

Contributory Parent visas with a 10 year AoS is AUD$10,000 for the main applicant and AUD$4,000 for each secondary applicant
Other visas including the Non Contributory Parent visa with a 2 year AoS is $5,000 for the primary visa applicant and $2,000 for any adult secondary applicant
Corporations and unincorporated bodies providing a 10 year AoS for a Contributory Parent visa is AUD$20,000 for a maximum of 2 adult assurees
Corporations and unincorporated bodies providing a 2 year AoS for Other visas including the Non Contributory Parent visa is AUD$10,000 for a maximum of 2 adult assurees

Effective 1 April 2019, AoS values for a mandatory 2 year AoS and mandatory 10 year AoS will increase as follows:

Contributory Parent visas with a 10 year AoS is AUD$15,000 for the main applicant and AUD$6,000 for each secondary applicant
Other visas including the Non Contributory Parent visa with a 2 year AoS is $7,500 for the primary visa applicant and $3,000 for any adult secondary applicant
Corporations and unincorporated bodies providing a 10 year AoS for a Contributory Parent visa is AUD$30,000 for a maximum of 2 adult assurees
Corporations and unincorporated bodies providing a 2 year AoS for Other visas including the Non Contributory Parent visa is AUD$15,000 for a maximum of 2 adult assurees

This is an unfortunate and hugely significant upward leap and will be difficult for many to achieve.

Assurer eligibility

The assurer must be at least 18 years of age, an Australian resident and in Australia
Cannot be an assurer if the individual has previously given assurance for two visa entrants, whether in a single AoS or two separate AoS and the AoS remains in force
Cannot be an assurer if the individual has previously given assurance for one visa entrant and that AoS remains in force, and that AoS has not yet been accepted or has been rejected
Cannot be an assurer if the individual has previously given assurance for two visa entrants, whether in a single AoS or two separate AoS and those assurances have not been accepted or either one or both have been rejected
The assurer cannot give assurance jointly with another individual if it exceeds three assurers
The assurrer cannot give assurance if they have outstanding debt to the Commonwealth

Corporations and unincorporated body assurer eligibility

Must be either a State agency, unincorporated association or a body corporate
Has been in operation for at least two years
If an unincorporated association, have an address in Australia, operate in Australia and intend to maintain an address and operate in Australia whilst the AoS remains in force
If a body corporate, be incorporated in Australia and intend to remain incorporated in Australia whilst the AoS remains in force
Cannot be an assurer if the body has previously given assurance for two visa entrants, whether in a single AoS or two separate AoS and the AoS remains in force
Cannot be an assurer if the body has previously given assurance for one visa entrant and that AoS remains in force, and that AoS has not yet been accepted or has been rejected
Cannot be an assurer if the body has previously given assurance for two visa entrants, whether in a single AoS or two separate AoS and those assurances have not been accepted or either one or both have been rejected
Cannot give assurance jointly with another body or individual

Prevent delays

It is vital to provide the DOHA with decision ready AoS documents will help prevent delays in the grant of your visa. Incomplete AoS applications may also result in a refusal of a visa. You must submit the following: