TTerra

Hi there,

My parents are migrating to Australia on a Tourist Visa and will apply for an Aged Parent Bridging Visa whilst on shore which will allow them to live permanently in Australia whilst their Visa application is being processed which can take many years. They want to ship over their household goods to Australia to set up home. My question is, if they ship their goods will they have to pay Customs Duty and GST? They won't have a permanent residency visa on arrival however, they will have a Bridging Visa which allows them to live in Australia indefinitely. They will only be importing personal goods such as furniture, clothing etc, all which have been owned for 12months+

Appreciate any guidance on this.

Thanks

brits1

Hi, I may be wrong here but is a tourist visa only for 3 months maybe 12 months if your lucky.

TTerra

Hi there, Yes you are correct. An ETA Tourist Visa is valid for a year and you can stay for max 3mo at a time within that year. However, my parents will enter the country on a Tourist Visa and then straight away apply for a Bridging Visa which is granted within about 3 weeks. They have already done all their paperwork offshore via a Migration Agent but they cannot lodge it until they arrive in Australia.

Pollyana

Be careful with your understanding of the terminology - the bridging visa does not give them permission to live here permanently, its only until a decision is made on the Aged Parent Visa. Its not permission to stay indefinitely.

TTerra

Thanks Pollyana. I did say ......."will allow them to live permanently in Australia whilst their Visa application is being processed which can take many years. Currently it's taking 10+ and even up to 30 years to be granted or for a decision to be made. I've been working with a Migration Agent since the start of Covid.

Brisbane_18

Would be very interested in how this all worked out for you. Are your parents on the bridging visa you spoke about.

Pollyana

They wouldn't apply for the Bridging Visa, they would apply for the Aged Parent Visa. The Bridging Visa A is then put in place in the background, but they wouldn't go onto the Bridging Visa until their tourist visa expires. Although its put in place once the application is made, it doesn't come into play until the tourist visa is no longer valid. I should have commented on that originally, but missed it for some reason.

I guess the OP might get notified of your interest if they are still subscribed to the thread, but they haven't been on the forum since last August.