spottydog

Mum moved over on a permanent contributory parent visa last year and as she only has a UK state pension and tiny private pension I was wondering if there is anything she can claim without impacting the bond.

She is in Sydney and we have the NSW Seniors Card to give her the $2.50 transport but is there anything else I can investigate to give pensioner discounts/low income benefits or does everything else have to wait until the bond is returned?

swmbo63

I think you will find the answer is no.

Pomster

I thought the whole point of this visa was to ensure the holder would not be a drain on Aus resources (and can prove this by lodging the bond)...so can't see how they would be entitled to anything...

quoll

Nope - the whole idea is to be independent of benefits on this visa.

scrudu

Same with my parents. They don't seem to be entitled to a pensioners card, as the fact they are receiving an Irish pension doesn't count. You apparently only receive this card if you are receiving an Australian pension. This affects the cost of medical treatments etc. They only scheme we've found is the seniors card which is valid NSW only - you have to apply for one for each state!

They can apply for benefits if needed and draw down the bond, which seems to make more sense than leaving it stuck in a bank account earning low interest for 10 years. Only dilemma is that once that runs out, the bondholder is eligible to pay any costs!

NickyC

Can't they get the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card?

You don't need to be getting an Australian pension to qualify and it allows you to get cheap scripts.

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...rs-health-card

Sorry - just realised that you can't get it until you've been here for two years. However, your parents can apply when the two years is up.

scrudu

Interesting - according to this subpage - http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...waiting-period
I note the word "MAY", so I'm not sure how they decide whether you can be exempt or not.

NickyC

I think 'family member' here means partner or dependent child.

scrudu

Oh That's a pity, but sounds in line with the rest of the benefits schemes. Not sure what the $90K they paid to Centrelink gets them exactly.

NickyC

The right to live and work here without having to wait 15 years for the cheap visa?

Access to Medicare?