Parent visas for Australia: the four permanent and three temporary parent visas compared

Australia’s parent visa options include permanent subclass 103 and temporary subclasses 173, 884 and 870; Home Affairs estimates 42 years for new Parent and Aged Parent applications and 18 years for Contributory Parent applications.

Within the family visa Australia guide, start with eligibility rather than price. Subclasses 804 and 864 require Australian age-pension age. The balance of family test applies to six parent subclasses, subject to retiree exceptions. Subclass 870 has no balance of family test but does not lead to permanent residence. The queue estimates appear on the Department’s page updated 6 October 2026 and are not individual completion predictions.

The seven parent visas side by side

Charges are as at 19 October 2026. Queue estimates are from the page updated 6 October 2026.

The quoted single-applicant charges include instalments, not additional applicants or other costs such as an AoS bond. Standard first/second instalments are AUD6,600/AUD2,065 for 103 and 804; AUD6,300/AUD43,600 for 143 and 864; AUD4,245/AUD29,130 for 173; and AUD6,300/AUD29,130 for 884.

Second-stage charges differ, and eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens have a lower 143 charge from 1 July 2026. See parent visa cost and Home Affairs’ current visa pricing.

Which parent visa fits?

Eligibility comes before preferences about contribution, cost or stay.

1. Check age and location. Subclasses 804 and 864 require age-pension age and application in Australia, outside immigration clearance. Subclass 804 also requires presence in Australia at decision.
2. Apply the balance of family test. At least half the children and stepchildren must be eligible children, or there must be more eligible children than children in any other single country.
3. Compare contribution and budget. Home Affairs describes 173 followed by 143 as faster but more expensive than 103. Subclass 884 holders can use the second-stage pathway to 864.
4. Check application order. A person who has applied for or holds 870 cannot apply for 103, according to the subclass 103 requirements.

The 103 retiree pathway provides exceptions from sponsorship, the family test and AoS requirements. Having held subclass 405 or 410 on or before 8 May 2018 is one condition, not the complete pathway criteria.

Who can sponsor a parent and what they promise

For 103 and 143, the sponsor is usually an eligible child. Sponsorship and Assurance of Support (AoS) are separate commitments.

Subclass 103 and 143 applicants need an AoS unless applying as retirees. An individual assurer must be at least 18, an Australian resident and able to provide income evidence for the current and previous financial year.

Why the wait is decades: capping, queueing and 7,060 places in 2026-27

Capping limits grants each program year; the 2026–27 Parent allocation is 7,060 places. Applications are assessed in lodgement order, but a queue date is assigned only after core criteria are met.

As at 31 August 2026, with the page updated 6 October 2026, applications released for final processing had these queue dates:

The Home Affairs queue figures do not predict individual completion dates. See parent visa processing time and parent visa queue for the distinction between estimates, lodgement and queue release.

The cheaper route that is not a permanent visa: the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) 870

The three-year 870 application instalments together are lower than the quoted 103 charge, but sponsorship adds AUD420 as at 19 October 2026. This is a temporary parent visa, not a permanent-residence pathway.

The sponsored parent visa allows up to three or five years per stay, with a ten-year cumulative maximum. Adequate health insurance must be maintained, work is prohibited, and neither the balance of family test nor AoS applies.

When a parent visa needs an Australian migration lawyer

Application order matters where 870 and 103 are being considered. Staged applications also need care: Home Affairs instructs 173 holders to apply for 143 before their temporary visa expires.

Before you lodge

For legal assistance, see immigration lawyer for a family visa.

An application prepared by an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed because core eligibility, family-test evidence and staged-application timing can be addressed before lodgement. Home Affairs refuses parent applications that do not meet the core criteria for a queue date. Enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers.