A Parent Visa enables a settled Australian Citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand Citizen sponsor their parent/s to live in Australia, with either a temporary visa or permanent resident visa.
If your parent does not intend to live in Australia, they can also apply for a long-term sponsored visa that allows them to stay for longer periods, has multiple entries, and is granted for 3 or 5 years.
For most Parent Visas (with a pathway to permanent residency), the applicant must meet a Balance of Family test, which requires that at least half of their children are Australian citizens or permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens (the sponsor must usually reside in Australia). Applicants must also meet health and character requirements to qualify for visa grant.
If a parent is applying for a permanent residence parent visa, they must also have an Assurance of Support (AOS) for the visa to be granted. The AOS is a legal commitment from a person or organisation to provide financial support to the visa applicant, to ensure that they do not need to rely on social security payments. A sponsor may provide an AOS for their parent’s application.
The Parent Visa options available are listed below:
Contributory Parent Visa (subclass 173 / 143)
This visa pathway lets a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen stay in Australia. You apply for the permanent subclass 143 visa as a 2-step process by first applying for a Contributory Parent (Temporary) subclass 173 visa.
General criteria for the applicant
You can’t apply for this visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
You can apply for this visa at any age (specific requirements may apply).
You must be sponsored by an eligible sponsor. This is usually your child who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Meet the balance of family test.
Meet health and character requirements.
Have no debt to the Australian Government.
Not had a visa cancelled or refused. In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused.
General criteria for sponsors
To sponsor your parent for this visa, you or your cohabiting spouse or de facto partner, must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and 18 years of age or older.
You must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia. You must also support any members of the applicant’s family who apply with them.
You can sponsor more than one parent.
With a subclass 173 visa you can
Live in Australia for up to 2 years, work and study in Australia (you will not receive government support), enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme (Medicare), and apply for a permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143).
With a subclass 143 visa you can
stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in Australia’s public healthcare scheme (Medicare), sponsor your family members to come to Australia, travel to and from Australia for 5 years, attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship.
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date the visa is granted. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.
Contributory Aged Parent (subclass 864 / 884)
This visa pathway lets an older parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen stay in Australia. You apply for the permanent subclass 864 visa as a 2-step process by first applying for a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) subclass 884 visa.
General criteria for the applicant
You can’t apply for this visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
You must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia (67 years old or older).
You must be sponsored by an eligible sponsor. This is usually your child who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Meet the balance of family test.
Meet health and character requirements.
Have no debt to the Australian Government.
Not had a visa cancelled or refused. In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused.
General criteria for sponsors
To sponsor your parent for this visa, you or your cohabiting spouse or de facto partner, must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and 18 years of age or older.
You must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia. You must also support any members of the applicant’s family who apply with them.
You can sponsor more than one parent.
With a subclass 884 visa you can
Live in Australia for up to 2 years, work and study in Australia (you will not receive government support), and apply for a permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864).
With a subclass 864 visa you can
Stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in Australia’s public healthcare scheme (Medicare), sponsor your family members to come to Australia, travel to and from Australia for 5 years, attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship.
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date the visa is granted. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.
Sponsored Parent Visa (subclass 870) - Temporary
This temporary visa lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years.
General criteria for the applicant
You must have an approved Parent Sponsor.
You must be the biological, legal (including adoptive) parent, step-parent or parent in-law of the approved Parent Sponsor.
Your Parent Sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
There is no balance of family test or Assurance of Support requirements for this visa.
You must meet health and character requirements.
Have no debt to the Australian Government.
You must have met and complied with any previous visa obligations.
You must have and maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance from an Australian Health Insurance provider.
Have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily
General criteria for sponsors
To be eligible as a Parent Sponsor, you must be at least 18 years of age and be the child of the prospective visa applicant (or the child’s spouse or de facto partner).
You must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and 18 years of age or older.
You have not been unlawful or held a bridging visa (other than a bridging visa A, B or C) during the last 4 years.
You must have met and complied with any previous sponsorship obligations
You must pass the income test.
Have no debt to the Australian government.
Meet character requirements.
Your household is limited to one sponsorship at a time, but your sponsorship can cover up to 2 parents/grandparents per household at a time.
With this visa you can
Reunite with children, visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per visa, re-apply for further Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas to visit up to a maximum period of 10 years in Australia.
You cannot work in Australia while you hold this visa.
Parent Visa (subclass 103) - Permanent
This permanent visa lets a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen move to Australia. You must apply for this visa on paper. You can apply for this visa in or outside Australia.
General criteria for the applicant
You can’t apply for this visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
You can apply for this visa at any age (specific requirements may apply).
You must be sponsored by an eligible sponsor. This is usually your child who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Meet the balance of family test.
Meet health and character requirements.
Have no debt to the Australian Government.
Obtain an Assurance of Support (AOS) for the visa to be granted.
Not had a visa cancelled or refused. In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused.
If in Australia, you must maintain adequate health insurance until you are granted a Parent visa.
General criteria for sponsors
To sponsor your parent for this visa, you or your cohabiting spouse or de facto partner, must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and 18 years of age or older.
You must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia. You must also support any members of the applicant’s family who apply with them.
You can sponsor more than one parent.
With this visa you can
Stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in Australia’s public health care scheme (Medicare), sponsor your family members to come to Australia, travel to and from Australia for 5 years, attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship.
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date we grant this visa. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.
If you want to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility, to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident you will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV); you might also want to consider Australian citizenship.
Aged Parent Visa (subclass 804) - Permanent
This permanent visa lets an aged parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen stay in Australia.
General criteria for the applicant
You can’t apply for this visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
You must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia (67 years old or older).
You must be sponsored by an eligible sponsor. This is usually your child who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Meet the balance of family test.
Meet health and character requirements.
Have no debt to the Australian Government.
Not had a visa cancelled or refused. In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused.
General criteria for sponsors
To sponsor your parent for this visa, you or your cohabiting spouse or de facto partner, must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and 18 years of age or older.
You must agree to provide support, housing and financial help for the first 2 years the applicant lives in Australia. You must also support any members of the applicant’s family who apply with them.
You can sponsor more than one parent.
With this visa you can
Stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in Australia, enrol in Australia’s public healthcare scheme (Medicare), sponsor your family members to come to Australia, travel to and from Australia for 5 years, attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible, apply for Australian citizenship.
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date we grant this visa. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.
If you want to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility, to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident you will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV); you might also want to consider Australian citizenship.
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Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about Partner Visas and the application process.
What is the processing time for a Parent Visa?
- The parent visa class can involve significant wait times for processing of the application, in some cases up to 31 years (such as the subclass 103 and 804 visas). For faster processing times, you may want to consider applying for a Contributory visa (i.e. subclass 173, 143, 884 or 864 visa), but be aware that these applications require payment of a higher visa application fee.
Why is the visa processing time so long for a Parent Visa (subclass 103)?
- The demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year. As a result, processing times for these applications are lengthy.
- Applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order in which they are received by the Department of Home Affairs.
I want to get my parent/s to Australia sooner rather than later, which is the best Parent Visa to apply for?
- The long-term Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa can be a great long-term temporary option, which enables a child to sponsor their parent for either a three or five year stay in Australia, with the option to later reapply (for a maximum 10-year cumulative stay period).
What is the application cost of a Sponsored Parent Visa (subclass 870)?
- Up to 3 years $6,070 (AUD)
- Up to 5 years $12,140 (AUD)
What age to my parents need to be to be eligible to apply for either of the Aged Parents visas?
- At least one parent must be old enough to receive the age pension in Australia (this is 67 years old or older).
I have lodged a Parent Visa application from outside Australia, can I visit Australia during processing?
- Yes, you can still obtain a subclass 600 Visitor Visa (or appropriate visa) that allows you to spend time with friends and family in Australia. This will not adversely impact your Parent Visa application.
Do I need a health, character and/or English language assessment for my Parent Visa application?
- You will need to undergo a health examination prior to the processing of your Parent Visa.
- You will also need to meet character requirements.
- There is no requirement to pass an English test.
Does applying for any of these Parent Visas result in a Bridging Visa?
- You will only be granted a Bridging Visa if, among other things, you apply for an Aged Parent or Contributory Aged Parent visa in Australia whilst holding a substantive visa.
What is the cost of the Parent Sponsor application?
- The Parent Sponsor application fee is $420 (AUD).
Can I include additional family members in my Parent Visa application?
- Yes, you generally can include your additional family members in your subclasses 173 / 143, subclasses 884 / 864, subclass 103 and subclass 804.
Will there be any conditions on my Parent Visa once granted?
- You must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter.
- There may be other conditions specified on your visa grant letter, which you and your family members must meet.
- You must also obey Australian laws.