Parent visa (subclass 103): the non-contributory parent visa and its 42-year estimate

The Parent visa (subclass 103) is a permanent, non-contributory parent visa that usually requires an eligible sponsor, the balance of family test and an Assurance of Support. Qualifying retirees do not need a sponsor, the test or an Assurance of Support, according to Home Affairs’ subclass 103 requirements.

For broader comparisons, see the guide to a parent visa for your mother or father.

The 42-year estimate is not a prediction for an individual application. Start by checking the sponsor arrangement, the children counted for the family test and whether the subclass 870 restriction applies. A sponsor applies using Form 40 Sponsorship for migration to Australia.

Who can apply for the 103

Subclass 103 is a parent visa usually sponsored by an eligible child. If that child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation can sponsor instead.

The main requirements covered on this page are:

• an eligible sponsor, unless the retiree exception applies;
• meeting the balance of family test, unless exempt as a retiree;
• being able to obtain an Assurance of Support, unless applying as a retiree;
• not having already applied for, or holding, a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, subclass 870.

A sponsoring community organisation must have actively operated in Australia for at least one year.

Cost: two instalments

The minimum government charge for one subclass 103 applicant is AUD8,665, paid in two instalments.

The Home Affairs visa pricing information also identifies other costs, such as an Assurance of Support bond. There is no sponsorship fee, but sponsors have financial obligations.

Why 42 years: the cap, the queue and what queue date means

The 42-year figure is a new-application estimate, not a personal grant date. Capping limits the number of visas Home Affairs can grant each migration program year.

Home Affairs assesses applications in lodgement-date order, then assigns a queue date to applications meeting the core criteria.

These figures come from Home Affairs’ parent visa processing information. The guide to parent visa queue release dates explains the milestones separately.

Balance of family test

The balance of family test requires either:

1. At least half the applicant’s children and stepchildren to be eligible children; or
2. More eligible children than children living in any other single country.

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. Children in Australia on temporary visas are not treated as usually resident for this test.

Adopted children and stepchildren are counted, subject to the counting rules. See the balance of family rule and Home Affairs’ test requirements 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.

For subclass 103, the Assurance of Support period is four years, starting on arrival or visa grant, whichever happens later. This differs from the sponsor’s obligation to support the applicant and family for their first two years in Australia.

The guide to providing an assurance of support explains the repayment commitment. An Assurance of Support cannot be cancelled after visa grant.

103 or 143: what the extra cost buys

The contributory pathway costs more, but its published new-application estimate is shorter.

Queue estimates are as at 31 August 2026, on the page updated 6 October 2026. A higher charge does not provide a guaranteed decision date: published estimates are not individual predictions.

Bridging visa and waiting in Australia

Subclass 103 applicants and accompanying family members can be in or outside Australia when applying, but not in immigration clearance. That application-location rule does not establish a bridging entitlement or permission to remain throughout the queue.

Retiree exception

Qualifying retirees do not need a sponsor, the balance of family test or an Assurance of Support.

The pathway includes the condition that, on 8 May 2018, the applicant held or had previously held an Investor Retirement visa, subclass 405, or Retirement visa, subclass 410. That historical condition alone should not be treated as establishing eligibility.

Before you lodge

Explore family visa subclasses for broader relationship-based options. For a temporary pathway, consider the topic temporary parent visas compared.

An application prepared by an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed because the family-counting rules, sponsorship arrangements and subclass 870 restriction can be addressed before lodgement; failure to meet core criteria results in refusal rather than a queue date. Enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers.