Hi
There is no reason why a Parent cannot visit Australia using any one of a variety of tourist-visas during the processing period for a Contributory Parent application. The only requirement is that the Parent must be able to satisfy the conditions applicable to the specific tourist visa concerned - eg ETA (976) or e-676 - not available to applicants aged 70 or over - or the paper sub-clbutt 676 tourist visa which is valid for a year. Details of the paper 676 visa are on www.australia.org.uk along with Form 48R and the Medical Certificate required for applicants aged 70 or over. If the Parent already holds a sub-clbutt 686 (long stay) tourist-visa, he or she can use that instead.
Whichever tourist visa is used, the POPC MUST be notified of the Parent's arrival in Australia within 14 days of arrival. The notification must be in writing and must provide an address where the Parent-applicant can be contacted whilst in Australia.
It neither speeds up or slows down the application process. The main application simply chugs along as normal. If the Parent happens to be in Australia when the POPC is ready to call for the Meds (or if the MOC requires input from a specialist doctor) all that can be done in Australia without any problem.
Although the Parent must be outside Australia at the time when the CP visa is granted, there is no requirement for them to return to their country of origin for the purpose. A visiting parent in Perth could go to Singapore in order to be outside Australia when the visa is granted, and the visa can then be evidenced in Singapore and validated within the same 24 hour period by catching the next flight back to Perth.
Hope this clarifies matters
Gill
