Aged Parent visas (subclass 804 and 864): the pension-age rule, cost and queue

An Aged Parent visa (subclass 804, or the contributory 864) is for a parent who is old enough to receive the Australian age pension, and the 804 costs from AUD8,665 over two instalments while the 864 costs from AUD49,900. See the Home Affairs aged-parent criteria and current government visa charges.

For the broader comparison, see the seven parent visas. The decision involves a substantially different charge and published queue estimate; start by checking age, sponsor eligibility and family circumstances.

Home Affairs’ parent visa processing information provides these category estimates, not individual decision dates.

For an aged-parent enquiry, ask an Australian migration lawyer to check the proposed application before lodgement.

Who can apply: the age-pension rule and the sponsor

Both 804 and 864 require the applicant to be old enough to receive the Australian age pension. The application-location requirements also matter:

• 804: the applicant must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, at application and decision.
• 864: the applicant must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when applying.

Sponsorship should be checked separately from the age requirement. For the related subclass 103, the usual sponsor is an eligible child; if that child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation can sponsor.

804 versus 864: cost, wait and what you buy

The comparison above shows starting government charges for a single applicant, as at 19 October 2026. The instalment amounts shown for 864 are for a standard applicant, not the second-stage pathway for an 884 holder.

Both routes are capped and queued: capping limits the number of visas Home Affairs can grant each migration program year. The higher contributory charge does not guarantee an individual processing time.

For related routes, compare the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) and subclass 103.

The temporary stage: Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) 884

The Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa 884 allows a stay of 2 years and costs from AUD35,430 for a single applicant, as at 19 October 2026. Its standard instalments are AUD6,300 and AUD29,130.

An 884 holder can apply through the second-stage pathway to 864; this requires a further application rather than automatic conversion. Home Affairs reports 884-to-864 assessment progress separately from the main parent queues.

For 884, the applicant must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, at application and decision.

Balance of family test

The test applies to 804, 864 and 884. It has two alternatives:

1. At least half the applicant’s children and stepchildren are eligible children.
2. There are more eligible children than children living in any other single country.

Children counted include adopted children and stepchildren. An eligible child is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident usually resident in Australia, or an eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia.

See the balance of family test for counting detail.

Assurance of Support

An Assurance of Support is a legal commitment to repay the Australian Government welfare payments made to the visa holder or accompanying family members. It cannot be cancelled after Home Affairs grants the visa.

Next step: after a visa application, Home Affairs decides whether the category needs an Assurance of Support and issues a request letter if required. An individual assurer must be at least 18, be an Australian resident and provide income evidence for the current and previous financial year.

Read what an assurer promises before committing.

Queue position: 804 released up to October 2014, 864 up to November 2020

These are queue dates released for final processing as at 31 August 2026, from the Home Affairs page updated 6 October 2026.

Home Affairs assigns a queue date when an application meets the core criteria and notifies the applicant in writing. Release means the application moves to final processing; it is not a grant date.

The published overall wait is a separate estimate. See how long a parent visa takes for that distinction.

Before you lodge

For broader relationship-based options, see the list of family visas. The Australian temporary parent visa is another topic to consider.

An application prepared by an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed because the core criteria and supporting documents can be addressed before lodgement. Home Affairs refuses applications that do not meet the core criteria needed for a queue date. Enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers.