Parent visa queue: release dates, queue dates and how to find your place

As at 31 August 2026 the Department had released Parent (103) applications queued up to March 2014, Aged Parent (804) up to October 2014, Contributory Parent up to November 2018 and Contributory Aged Parent up to November 2020. See the Home Affairs queue release figures.

Compare the assigned queue date with the published release date for the same visa category; Contributory Parent applications lodged before 1 June 2018 follow a different queue-date rule. For category selection, see permanent and temporary parent visas.

Queue release dates by visa

Release snapshot: 31 August 2026. Source page updated: 6 October 2026.

These are queue-date cutoffs for applications released for final processing, not visa grant dates. Compare the cutoff with the application’s queue date, rather than its lodgement date, unless the historical Contributory Parent exception applies.

The categories are distinct: the parent visa 103 cutoff is not the Aged Parent cutoff. Likewise, compare a contributory aged parent visa against the Contributory Aged Parent row, not the Contributory Parent row.

What a queue date is and when you are given one

A queue date is the date Home Affairs assigns to an application that meets the core visa criteria before placing it in the queue. Home Affairs assesses Parent visa applications in lodgement-date order and provides the assigned queue date in writing.

The process has two stages, with initial assessment followed by queue release:

1. Initial assessment: Home Affairs assesses whether the application meets the core visa criteria.
2. Queue assignment: An application meeting those criteria receives a queue date and enters the queue.
3. Release comparison: Compare that date with the published cutoff for the same visa category.

All Parent visa applications are capped and queued. Capping means there is a maximum number of visas Home Affairs can grant each migration program year.

An application that does not meet the core criteria for assignment of a queue date is refused. Home Affairs also contacts applicants in writing when their queued application is released for final processing; release is not a visa grant.

The queue-date rule for Contributory Parent applications lodged before 1 June 2018

For a Contributory Parent application lodged before 1 June 2018, the queue date is the application’s lodgement date. Otherwise, the general rule is assignment of a queue date after assessment against the core criteria.

The exception specifically concerns Contributory Parent applications. It is not a general instruction to use the lodgement date when comparing every Parent visa application with the release table.

Queue calculator: how to estimate your place

Use a date comparison rather than a numerical calculator. The release table identifies a cutoff, not an individual queue position or grant date.

1. Identify the category. Match the application to the correct row in the release table.
2. Locate the queue date. Use the date Home Affairs provided in writing, taking account of the pre-1 June 2018 exception.
3. Compare the dates. Check whether the queue date falls within the published cutoff. Home Affairs separately provides written notification when an application is released.
4. Check dated processing guidance. Read parent visa waiting time separately from the historical queue cutoffs.

Home Affairs states that estimated processing times do not indicate how long an individual application may take. Timing can change with planning levels, application numbers, withdrawals, refusals and Administrative Review Tribunal outcomes.

The comparison therefore does not provide a reliable grant forecast. Home Affairs states that it does not respond to individual visa application status enquiries.

Before you lodge

For broader navigation, see family visas for Australia or the remaining relative visa guide.

An application prepared by an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed because the preparation can address the core criteria and necessary supporting documents before lodgement. Missing the core criteria leads to refusal rather than queue assignment, and enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers.