Hi guys, I have lived in Australia for 15 years. My mum is still in the UK but as she gets less independent at age 75 I would like her to come and live with me in Oz.

She would qualify for the balance of family visa but I believe there is a considerable processing time - is it possible to bring her to Oz on a tourist visa and then apply for a balance of family visa with a view to her residing in Oz on a bridging visa for the remainder of her life?

Is that how it can work? She may only have 10 good years left and I would like her to spend them with me, but I fear the balance of family visa may not be granted in that time and want to check that the bridging visa offers her enough stability in her final years.

Obviously we would ensure she has private health so she is no burden to the Australian government in any way.

Has anyone done this?
Many thanks for any experience or opinions on this

Yes, it's possible for a parent visa. But, there are lots of implications. For example, she will face having a medical in years to come and if she fails that would have to return to the UK. I would get some advice from a registered migration agent.

It's not just the visa which could be the issue - have you asked her if she is absolutely busting to move away from her own social network to relative isolation on the other side of the world with an income that wont increase with time (pensions are frozen at point of leaving)? Be careful that she may say yes just to appease you but is it what she really wants? She would be living on a bridging visa for the rest of her life - and that can be restrictive and, as has been said, she runs the risk of having to leave should she fail a medical if and when the time comes for one.

I am your mum's age and quite recently relocated back to Australia to our own home and a place I had lived since 1979 - it wasnt easy. None of my friends from before my sojourn in UK were really active so I have had to work hard to develop a new social network and that takes time and energy and, tbh, it is a very peripheral network, nothing like the long standing one I had in UK with friends from my relative youth. I also had a chat the other day with a woman our age who relocated from the coast to our city because her kids are here and insisted she moved and even though having lived here before she was finding it hard to make new connections and is a bit ticked off that she was forced into leaving. Both of us are very independent, still driving, mobile etc but we are fortunate in that regard. If we werent mobile then living in a suburb without a network can be very demoralising. I've also found that re-establishing ourselves has been a very expensive experience and your mum will be shocked at the cost of medical care which private health insurance wont cover - GP visits, prescriptions, specialist visits, optical and dental costs etc.

Whilst of course it might be easier for you for your mum to relocate to the other side of the world there are other options - you could do as we did when my parents were almost 90 and we relocated to support them. With our own home in Australia and retirement age it was perfectly do-able although I dont think any of us thought it would be almost a decade but we kept them in their own home which they insisted upon and it worked out really well. Alternatively, you could look at helping your mum to rationalise on her own situation and maybe look at supported accommodation options in her own area where her friendships and connections can be maintained and she can retain her independence but get support should she need it. I have several UK friends who are in lovely places maintaining their independence but secure that if they should need additional support it can be provided within the same environment.

Elderly parents on the other side of the world are a huge issue especially if you are an only child and I've certainly been there with the angst for some years before we finally moved over. If you can visit her regularly that will help and you can use your visits to ensure that she is safe and well supported but it can be cruel to take her away from her life even if it makes yours easier. Good luck, it's not an easy proposition!!!

Can I ask what is the 'bridging visa' please and where can I find information on the medical requirements for a retirement visa?
So sorry to be rude and hijack your thread but your question was so relevant to my husband and his parents.

There is no retirement visa any more. There are various parent/age parent visas. You would be well advised to contact a MARA agent to check out what options may be available.
A bridging visa is one where the applicant arrives in Australia on a short term visa eg tourist, and then, when onshore, applies for a visa which will allow them to remain longer term. Once they have applied, they are then on a bridging visa which covers them until such time as they may (or may not) be granted a permanent visa. A bridging visa has limitations - like they are generally not allowed to leave the country unless they apply for another specific type of bridging visa. The waiting time for any of the parent visas these days runs into many many years so a lot of people never get their permanent residency, they just live in limbo in their declining years with the prospect of being sent home should they actually be required to complete a medical but fail that medical. Best option is to go for a contributory visa offshore and then wait until you get to the head of the queue in your home country and then arrive with no restrictions on a permanent visa - waiting time heading for 10 years these days.