Parent Visa Options for Australia
Explore Australian Parent Visa options – Intergate Emigration helps reunite families with expert support for permanent or temporary parent migration to Australia.
- Licensed advice
- Evidence and timing
- Next step
Australian parent visas allow parents of Australian citizens, permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens to join their adult children in Australia, either temporarily or permanently. The Contributory Parent (subclass 143), Contributory Aged Parent (subclass 864), and Sponsored Parent Temporary (subclass 870) are the main options; permanent streams carry high government charges and processing queues currently running approximately fourteen years. The 870 temporary visa provides a faster alternative for up to ten years total stay but does not lead to permanent residence.
Eligibility
- 01
Sponsoring child holds Australian citizenship or permanent residence
The sponsoring child must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, and must be at least 18 years old at the time of sponsorship. Sponsor approval by the Department of Home Affairs is required before the parent visa is decided.
- 02
Balance of family test met for permanent parent visas
For the subclass 143, 864, and non-contributory parent visas, at least half of the parent's eligible children must be living permanently in Australia, or more children must be in Australia than in any other single country. The 870 temporary visa does not require the balance of family test.
- 03
Assurance of Support for permanent parent visas
Permanent parent visa applicants require an Assurance of Support (AOS), a legally binding commitment from the sponsor to repay any welfare payments the parent may access. The AOS bond must be lodged with the Department before the visa is granted.
- 04
Health requirements including medical examination
Parents must undergo a full medical examination by a Department-approved panel physician. Depending on age and health, this may include chest x-rays and specialist reports. Health conditions do not automatically disqualify but may require a waiver.
- 05
Financial capacity of the sponsoring child
For the 870 temporary visa, the sponsoring child must demonstrate sufficient income to support the parent financially. For permanent parent visas, the AOS bond requirement serves a similar financial assurance function.
- 06
Character requirements for the parent applicant
Police clearances from each country where the parent has lived for 12 months or more in the past ten years are required. Character issues do not automatically disqualify but must be disclosed and addressed.
Mistakes that cost a refusal
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Choosing the wrong subclass for the family's situation: the 173 plus 143 phased pathway and the direct 143 application each have different cost profiles, queue positions, and processing timelines.
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Failing the balance of family test because the sponsor has siblings living overseas who were not correctly mapped against the test criteria before the application was lodged.
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Underestimating AOS bond requirements and timeline; the bond must be in place before grant, and sourcing the required amount can take time, particularly for applicants outside Australia.
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Allowing parent health examinations to expire before the visa is decided; examinations have a 12-month validity and often need to be repeated for cases in long processing queues.
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Choosing the 870 temporary visa as a long-term solution when a permanent pathway is available; the 870 cannot lead to permanent residence and requires renewal every three to five years.
From first call to grant
01 · 1-2 wk
Strategy
Subclass selection (143, 173, 864, or 870), balance of family test analysis, AOS structure planning, and queue and cost analysis.
02 · 4-12 wk
Sponsor approval
Sponsor lodges their application to be approved as an eligible sponsor by the Department of Home Affairs. This step runs concurrently with the visa application for most subclasses.
03 · 2-4 wk
Evidence build
Gathering birth certificates, passport copies, balance of family evidence, AOS documentation, and medical examinations.
04 · 1 wk
Lodgement
Full visa application lodged with government fees paid. Queue position is determined at lodgement; processing then follows the Department's chronological queue.
05 · 4-14 yr (permanent)
Decision and grant
Department reviews the application in queue order. AOS bond is lodged when called upon. Health examinations are refreshed if they expire during the wait. Visa granted.
What that buys you
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MARA-registered agents map the balance of family test correctly before lodgement; an incorrect assessment that results in a visa refusal cannot be remedied by reapplication without new facts.
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AOS structuring: agents advise on who can provide the bond, what format the Department accepts, and how to time the bond lodgement relative to the processing queue.
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Queue strategy: for families where multiple subclasses are available, agents model the cost and timeline trade-offs between the contributory and non-contributory queues.
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Medical examination management: agents track examination validity and alert sponsors to refresh requirements before examinations lapse during the processing period.
We work on a transparent flat fee, quoted at the consultation. We do not publish prices because the right number is the case-specific one.
Comparing the Parent Visa Options
The Subclass 173 (temporary, two years) is a phased entry to the permanent 143: applicants who lodged the 173 first enter the 143 queue from lodgement date without a separate wait. The Subclass 143 can also be applied for directly as a single-stage application. Both require the balance of family test and an Assurance of Support bond. Processing times for both currently run approximately fourteen years.
The Subclass 864 Contributory Aged Parent Visa covers pension-age parents (aged 67 or over) who are already in Australia on a valid visa at the time of application and grant. The Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent Temporary Visa has no balance of family test and processes in three to six months, making it the fastest parent option currently available; however, it does not lead to permanent residence and requires private health insurance throughout the stay.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why is the processing time so long for parent visas?
The contributory parent visa queue currently runs approximately 14 years due to the very high demand for permanent family migration and the annual cap on visas granted in this category. The 870 temporary visa has a much shorter processing time of three to six months but does not lead to permanent residence.
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Can my parent work in Australia on a parent visa?
Permanent parent visa holders (143, 864) have full work rights once granted permanent residence. Holders of the 870 temporary visa do not have work rights. The 173 temporary stage grants limited work rights during the processing period before the 143 is decided.
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What happens if my parent's health application is refused?
A health refusal may be reviewable, but health waivers are limited and depend on the visa subclass and where the application was lodged. For the subclass 143 and 864 visas, a waiver is generally not available, except in limited cases. For the subclass 870 visa, a waiver may only be available for certain onshore applications.
Next step
Speak with a licensed advisor about your visa options.
A focused consultation routed to the right licensed advisor. Continue independently after the call, or proceed with us and have the consultation fee deducted from the service fee.