Many UK expats have built a life in Australia, while their parents remain in the UK.
As parents grow older, many expats balance the life they’ve built in Australia with concerns about family members back in the UK. Whether they travel back more often or consider relocating to Australia one day, these decisions often have both emotional and financial consequences.
Furthermore, changes to Australia’s family migration arrangements have highlighted just how uncertain these plans can be.
In August 2026, ABC reported on families affected by a policy change that prioritises some onshore family visa applications over applications made from overseas.
Australia has capped permanent family visas at 52,460 for 2026/27, with only 7,060 places allocated to parent visas – reportedly the lowest allocation in the last 10 years.
Processing times can also be lengthy. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs, as of 31 May 2026, some 2018 applications were only being considered earlier this year.
If you’re an expat in Australia with ageing parents, this is a reminder that you often need to consider your family and financial plans together.
Similarly, if you are a parent looking to join your children in Australia, there are key issues to keep in mind.
Parents may remain in the UK for longer than expected
If you are an expat and your parents were hoping to move to Australia to be with you, it can be tempting to build your financial plans around that possibility.
But the visa rules and processing times mean you may need to consider a scenario in which parents remain in the UK longer than planned, or even permanently.
Such an outcome could affect everything from how often you travel back to the UK to whether you provide financial support, such as for care costs, and eventually become involved in managing their affairs.
As a result, you need to build flexibility into your long-term plans.
Find out more: 5 key financial planning issues you may face if you are financially responsible for your parents
If you’re a parent thinking of moving, the route you choose matters
If you haven’t yet applied for a parent visa, it’s worth knowing that where you apply from now affects how long you may wait. Under the processing priorities introduced in July 2026, applications made from within Australia are prioritised over those made from overseas.
For some parents, this means entering Australia on a visitor visa and applying from within the country. If you are eligible, you would generally be granted a bridging visa, allowing you to stay in Australia while your application is considered.
However, this route has its own considerations:
- Not everyone is eligible. The onshore parent visas generally require you to have reached Age Pension age, and your visitor visa must not prevent you from applying from within Australia.
- A bridging visa does not usually give the same entitlements as a permanent visa. Access to Medicare and other benefits may be limited, so you may need private health cover.
- Leaving Australia while your application is pending can affect your right to return unless you arrange the right travel permission first.
- Moving also has UK financial consequences. These could include your UK property, any UK pensions and your inheritance tax position.
Visa advice should always come from a registered migration agent. We can help you understand how a move would affect your finances.
Facing up to the cost of supporting family across two countries
Supporting ageing parents can have financial consequences even if they remain financially independent.
Regular flights between Australia and the UK can become expensive, particularly when travelling at short notice. You may also end up helping with home maintenance, care, or other unexpected costs. If your parents eventually need significant support, the financial commitment could increase considerably.
It may also be worth checking that Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) arrangements in place. This allows someone they trust to make decisions on their behalf if they lose the mental capacity to do so themselves.
Children in Australia will also have their own financial priorities, such as a mortgage, raising children, and investing for their own retirement.
This creates the need to balance supporting parents with protecting your own long-term financial security.
Don’t overlook your UK assets
One unique challenge of expat life is that major financial decisions rarely fit neatly within one country. Supporting ageing parents can bring your UK financial arrangements back into focus, even after many years in Australia.
You may still have financial assets in the UK, and your parents may also have assets that could eventually form part of your inheritance.
As a result, you need to consider these assets alongside your Australian financial arrangements, particularly for tax, currency risk, and estate planning purposes.
This kind of cross-border financial planning can be particularly important for expats. A financial strategy that considers only assets may not give you the full picture.
Find out more: How we help expats in Australia build a cross-border financial plan
Ensure you have flexibility in your financial plan
If your parents’ health deteriorates or they become increasingly dependent on you, you may eventually decide that living closer to them is more important than remaining in Australia.
That does not necessarily mean moving back permanently, as you may be able to split your time between the two countries, but such decisions can have significant financial and tax implications.
Your Australian property, superannuation, and other assets may need to be considered alongside your UK arrangements. Your tax status could also become an important issue if you spend substantial periods back in Britain.
Alongside the possibility of returning to the UK, you need to plan for other potential outcomes.
For example, consider what your finances would look like if your parents remained in the UK for the next 10 or 20 years. What support will they need, and how will you ensure this is provided?
While you don’t need to decide on all these scenarios today, you should understand how resilient your financial position would be if circumstances changed.
Your plans may need to adapt to changing circumstances
Moving to Australia may have been one of the biggest financial decisions you have ever made. But becoming an Australian resident does not necessarily end your financial relationship with the UK.
Ageing parents, family commitments, and future inheritances can all bring your UK connections back into focus.
Recent changes affecting offshore family visa applications demonstrate that even straightforward family plans can take much longer than expected.
Your financial plan therefore needs to allow for the possibility that your parents remain in the UK, that you need to provide greater support than anticipated, or that your own circumstances eventually change.
Planning for these possibilities does not mean expecting the worst. It simply gives you more flexibility to respond when life doesn’t follow your original plan.
Get in touch
Expert advice and regular reviews of your cross-border financial plans can help ensure that you are best positioned to achieve your long-term goals while giving your family the support they need.
At bdhSterling, we specialise in helping clients navigate the complexities of international financial planning. Whether you’re managing assets in multiple countries or supporting elderly relatives, our expert advisers can help you build a resilient, long-term strategy.
If you want to discuss any of the issues you’ve read about in this article, please get in touch with us.
Please note
The value of your investment can go down as well as up, and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
This article is for information only; it does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs.
Please do not solely rely on anything you have read in this article and ensure that you conduct your own research and get expert advice to ensure any actions you may take are suitable for your circumstances.
All contents are based on our understanding of HMRC and ATO legislation, which is subject to change.