Migrant communities have campaigned for years for long-term visas to allow families to reunite with their grandparents but many migrants say they feel excluded by the unrealistic conditions of the new visa class.
Inderdeep and Harpreet Sandhu had hoped their parents could come to Australia from India under the new temporary parent visa, so they could spend more time with their three children.
But Harpreet says now it's here, it's not what was promised.
This new visa is temporary and costs between $5,000 and $20,000.
It is limited to only one set of parents who must have their own health insurance, and it requires an annual family income of at least $83,000.
The Sandhus say they don’t meet the income threshold.
Inderdeep Sandhu is in remission after a battle with breast cancer and has had to quit her job.
A long-term campaigner for extended parent visas, Arvind Duggal, says migrant communities deserve fairer terms, calling the new visa "un-Australian and unethical."
Immigration Minister David Coleman told SBS News,"The new visa will help thousands of Australian families, and it’s been successfully introduced by the Government despite ongoing opposition from the Labor Party."
