You can’t get Parental Leave Pay if you go overseas for any reason when you hold most temporary protection type visas.
To access Parental Leave Pay when you’re overseas, you must be travelling for an approved reason and hold one of these visas:
- Partner Provisional visa subclass 309 or visa subclass 820
- Safe Haven Enterprise visa subclass 790
- Temporary Protection visa subclass 785.
If granted an approved reason for travel, you’ll be able to access your Parental Leave Pay days for the time required to deal with the reason. This will generally be 2-3 weeks. The maximum period is 6 weeks.
The approved reasons are:
- to attend an acute family crisis - for example, to visit a family member who’s critically ill
- for specific humanitarian reasons - for example, to adopt a child or attend custody proceedings
- to get eligible medical treatment that isn’t available in Australia.
If you’re overseas and unable to care for your child
You can usually only access Parental Leave Pay when your child is overseas with you. However, you may be eligible for Parental Leave Pay days if you’re temporarily unable to care for your child due to circumstances beyond your control, such as when you have to travel overseas for one of the approved reasons.
We must be satisfied you would be caring for your child except for the temporary inability to care.
If you leave Australia for another reason, you may be able to access your remaining Parental Leave Pay days later. Both of the following must apply:
- you return to live in Australia and are eligible
- you claim within 2 years of your child’s birth or adoption.
Evidence we need
You must provide detailed evidence that supports the reason for travel. The evidence you need to provide depends on the circumstances.
Evidence may include any of the following:
- a death certificate for the family member
- a medical certificate from an overseas hospital
- a statement from police
- a court order
- a letter from your treating doctor
- other documents relating to the reason for travel.
If you don’t give us the evidence before you leave Australia, you won’t be able to claim any Parental Leave Pay days when you’re overseas. You may be able to claim for days overseas once we get your evidence.
You can upload your evidence using your Centrelink online account through myGov.