An online petition has been launched against the Australians governments’ proposal on the new parent visa. “We have to fight this. It’s a disgrace.” The members of the Indian community in Australia have termed it as a disgrace.

According to the new parent visa it will allow migrants to seek a three year visa for their parents for a fee of $5,000, a five year visa for $10,000 and a ten year visa for $20,000. This has yet to be passed in the parliament.

This step could gather hundreds of millions in visa fee for the government if as many as 15000 people were granted this visa each year.

Apart from this the children have to bear the health care expenses of their migrant parents and with sponsors would be legally required to pay for their private health insurance.

The proposal was slammed by the Indian community in Australia

Most of members of the Indian community are angered as well as disappointed by the new conditions and provisions that were revealed by Assistant Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.

One of the residents from Melbourne, Ankit Mistry was expecting the new visa around July 2017. Now unable to bring his parents to Australia for a long stay, mentioned that the new provision is “too expensive.”

An Adelaide resident, Mr. Arvind Duggal who initiated the ‘Long Stay Visa for Parents’ campaign that saw national participation before the federal elections, said in Hindi:”The new visa is blackmail. We are being blackmailed into shelling out thousands to be able to live our parents. This is a lot of money plus the health care insurance.”

Daniel Connell another member of the campaign said:” We have to fight this. It’s a disgrace.”

One of the community leaders in Melbourne Jasvinder Sidhu told in Hindi:” We are not happy with this change as it is exploitative and a joke with migrant communities. After the citizenship related changes this is another blow. It is also a breach of election promises which the Federal Government made because the bond money now has become fees.”

“There is an active element of discrimination because after paying, $10,000 for a five year twice there is no provision for renewal. During these ten years, the fees comes at $20,000 plus private health insurance would cost over $50,000 as the highest level of cover for aged parents cost $400 at least a month.

In short this is worse than the current provision of the parent visa or permanent parent visas.”

People are expressing their anger on social media

The new provisions are highly criticized by online forums.

Melbourne resident Ritesh Chugh wrote:” This is an absolute joke!! Pulling the mickey of the migrants and their parents via this proposal. Unfortunately naivety prevails. We will get altogether and voice against this proposal before it gets through.”

One of the other members of the community, Riken Pandejee has started a change.org petition challenging the change in the fees of long term stay visa for parents.

In one of the online group Vishal Patel wrote,” Coming to Australia and becoming citizen of Australia shouldn’t mean we run our back on our aged parent. Australian government wants all migrants to adapt Australian values and speak fluent English...Fine but they don’t want to accept migrants as integral part of the community. They just want to use them as cash generating vehicles.”

During the next week budget this new provision would be announced as planned by the government.

The current system is complex and prone long delay, as per the communities that were pressuring the government for reform in the parent visas. In the response to the calls of the migrant communities the government decided to make it further intricate.