Helena Simonova migrated to Australia from Moscow three years ago to live with her children.
The 71-year-old says that since she has lost her husband, she felt very lonely and missed her grandkids. So, she moved to Australia where both her daughters live.
"I came here on a Contributory parent visa and became a permanent resident," Ms Simonova says.
Highlights
- Migrants on permanent parent visas can't access Australian age pension at least for the first ten years after permanent residency
- If they need financial assistance during the first ten years, they can get a special benefit. But instead of Centrelink paying for it, it's taken out of the $10,000 bond paid by their sponsors
- If the assistance exceeds the bond amount, the additional amount is recouped from the sponsors
Her daughter who sponsored her visa and paid a $10,000 bond, known as 'Assurance of Support' worked in retail. And after the closure of the store where she worked, she is dependent on Centrelink allowance that is barely enough to feed her own family.
As a parent migrant, Ms Simonova cannot access the age pension for at least ten years since her arrival in Australia.
"I knew that I would not receive any help from the government during this period and I was OK with this. My children were ready to support me, but the pandemic has changed everything," she told SBS Russian.
Though she still gets a pension from Russia, it's not enough even to cover the basic expenses such as, electricity, water and gas etc.
"Yes, I have a Russian pension, but since the ruble dropped, it is about $200 a month. Many older people, like me, take regular expensive medication. It is impossible to live on such an amount and I was wondering whether I could access my bond in these extraordinary circumstances," she says.
The bond that Ms Simonova refers to is paid to the Government and held independently of Government by Commonwealth Bank.
Queensland Registered Migration Practitioner Yulia Moiseeva explains that the bond is a commitment by an Australian resident child who sponsors a migrating parent to financially support them.
"When the Department of Home Affairs is considering the visa application, they assess the financial situation of a sponsor or assurer," Ms Moiseeva said. "Then this person takes responsibility for the full financial support of a parent."
The Department of Social Services told SBS Russian that parent migrants cannot access welfare payments for the first ten years after becoming a permanent resident. Any financial help given to them is deducted from the bond paid by their sponsoring child.
People in queues outside the Centrelink office in Southport on the Gold Coast. Source: AAP
"Parent visa holders who need financial assistance during the 10-year qualifying residence period for the age pension may be paid Special Benefit," a spokesperson for the Department said.
"Special Benefit is paid at the same rate as the JobSeeker Payment through Services Australia but, rather than taxpayers footing the bill, the money paid to the parent visa holder is recouped from the bond."
Ms Moiseeva says the Government's special COVID-19 financial measures do not address this issue that she says many parents might be facing.
Helena Simonova says having some savings of her own, she can survive for some time. But the prospect of the COVID-19 lockdown and its economic impact dragging on, she is anxious about her future.
To qualify for the Australian age pension, she has to be a permanent resident for a total of ten years with at least five years of continuous residency, which is a wait for another seven years for Ms Simonova.
She says her savings aren't going to last that long and hopes for the better days to return soon so her children can go back to work and support her.
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