Every number in a government budget represents a real human story.

In the 2026–27 Federal Budget, the Australian Government quietly cut 1,440 Parent Visa places — reducing the annual allocation from 8,500 down to just 7,060. A 17% cut. Without warning. Without consultation. Without compassion.

Behind every one of those 1,440 places is a family. A mother in Punjab waiting by the phone. A father in the Philippines who hasn't held his grandchildren. A son in Sydney who watches his parents age on a video call, helpless.

These families did everything right.

They migrated legally. They built businesses, paid taxes, raised families, and contributed to Australian communities. They were told: bring your skills, build your life here. They did. And now they are being told their parents must wait even longer — indefinitely — in a queue that already stretches years, sometimes decades.

The wait was already unbearable. This makes it worse.

Australia's Parent Visa queue is one of the longest and most expensive in the world. Families pay tens of thousands of dollars. They wait years. Some parents die before their visa is granted. And instead of easing this pressure — as families desperately hoped this Budget would do — the Government has made it harder.

1,440 fewer reunions. 1,440 more broken hearts. 1,440 reasons to act.

 
We are calling on the Minister for Home Affairs to:

✅ Immediately reverse the 1,440 place reduction in Parent Visa numbers

✅ Increase the annual Parent Visa allocation to a minimum of 15,000 places

✅ Introduce urgent interim measures for applicants who have waited more than 5 years

✅ Commit to a transparent roadmap to clear the parent visa backlog within a defined timeframe

✅ Consult with multicultural communities before making future changes to family visa programs

 
This is not about politics. This is about people.

Australia was built by migrants — people who sacrificed everything to give their children a better life. The least we can do is let those children grow old with their parents beside them.

If you believe families belong together — sign this petition. Share it. Tag your local MP.

Because 1,440 families are waiting. And they can't wait any longer.