An approved Assurance of Support is a requirement to be met prior to the granting of all permanent residency visas under Australia’s parent migration program. But what is an Assurance of Support? How much does it cost? And who can provide it?

An Assurance of Support – or AoS – is a legal commitment by a person (called the Assurer, who need not be the Sponsor, and does not need to be a member of the visa applicant’s family) to provide financial support to a person who is applying to migrate to Australia (the Assuree).

It is also a commitment to repay to the Australian Government certain welfare payments administered by Centrelink if amounts are paid by Centrelink to the Assuree during their AoS period.

An AoS lasts for:

• 10 years for Contributory Parent visa holders
• 2 years for Non Contributory Parent visa holders

The AoS period begins on:

• the date of visa grant, if the applicant is in Australia, or
• the date the visa holder arrives in Australia, if the applicant was outside Australia when the visa was granted.

For parent visas a financial bond is required as part of the process. This is a term deposit lodged with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in order that a bank guarantee can be issued in favour of the Commonwealth of Australia.

The amount to be placed on deposit depends on whether the AoS is provided for a Contributory or Non Contributory Parent visa, and whether the Assurer is an individual or by a corporation:

For Contributory Parent visa applications (subclasses 143 and 864):

* Assurer is an Individual: A$10,000 for the main visa applicant, plus A$4,000 for all secondary visa applicants
* Assurer is a Corporation: A$10,000 per visa applicant

For Non Contributory Parent visa applications (subclasses 103 and 804):

* Assurer is an Individual: A$5,000 for the main visa applicant, plus A$2,000 for all secondary visa applicants
* Assurer is a Corporation: A$10,000 per visa applicant

Where the Assurer is an individual s/he must also pass an income test, which is confirmed by Centrelink at interview prior to the lodgment of the AoS bond.

The threshold level of income is a function of the following:

* The number of assurers, and
* The number of children of the assurer/s, and
* The number of adults to be supported under the AoS.

The Assurance of Support income test for individuals is discussed in detail with worked examples here.

At the current time:

* The New Start Allowance (NSA) for a single person with dependent children is A$14,869.40
* Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A plus the Part A supplement per child aged under 18 is A$2,251.51

E&OE – please check these amounts directly with Centrelink

Incorporated bodies are not required to meet an income requirement. However, when considering the AoS the person assessing must be satisfied that the incorporated body has not been set up for the sole purpose of providing an AoS.

For example, in most circumstances an incorporated body will be required to provide reliable and verifiable evidence (e.g. tax returns, correspondence from a registered tax accountant, a statement from ASIC) of consistent trading activity for at least two financial or calendar years prior to the date of AoS application to ensure the incorporated body has the capacity to support the Assuree.

If an incorporated body is set up immediately prior to the AoS application and/or the incorporated body has not been trading or is not trading, the AoS will not usually be accepted.

Note also that an Assurance of Support is not required when applying for the grant of a temporary Contributory Parent visa under subclasses 173 or 884; for such visas the AoS process is then required when applying for the permanent residency visa under subclass 143 or 864 respectively.