Australia parent visa: Costs and eligibility

Some Australia parent visas are much cheaper upfront but sit in very long queues, while others cost far more but can move much sooner. That trade-off is why this topic feels so confusing for expat families.

If you are sponsoring a parent from Australia, start with four facts: your parent’s age, where they are living, your budget, and how quickly you need them here. This guide compares the main options, core eligibility rules, costs, and application steps using official Department of Home Affairs and Services Australia sources checked in October 2026.

This guide is for general information only, not migration, legal, or financial advice. Rules, fees, annual caps, Age Pension age settings, and queue dates can change, so always verify the latest position before you act.

Key takeaways

• The Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870) can be the most practical reunion route when speed matters, but it is temporary, does not lead directly to permanent residence, and has a no-work condition.
• Parent visa 103 and Aged Parent visa 804 have much lower upfront charges than contributory routes, but official queueing makes them the slowest permanent options.
• Contributory routes such as 143, 173, 864, and 884 cost far more, but they are often the realistic permanent paths when time matters.
• For most permanent parent visas, the balance of family test is the first major filter to check, alongside sponsor status and, for aged routes, Age Pension age.
• Verify subclass rules, queue dates, and current charges on the Department of Home Affairs pages before lodging anything.

Compare the main Australia parent visa options

For wider context on Australian visas, see Expatica’s Australia visa overview, but age, urgency, budget, and location usually decide the parent route first. The following table compares visa types, application locations, cost patterns, and the main trade-offs.

Route	Temporary or permanent	Onshore or offshore	Cost pattern	Main trade-off
Subclass 870	Temporary	Usually offshore	Visa charge plus other checks	Faster reunion, but no direct permanent residence
Subclass 103	Permanent	Apply onshore or offshore; generally offshore for grant, with exceptions	Lower upfront charge	Lowest cost, longest wait
Subclasses 143 and 173	Permanent or staged	Usually offshore	High contributory cost	Higher cost for a quicker permanent path
Subclass 804	Permanent	Onshore	Lower upfront charge	Onshore option, but very long queue
Subclasses 864 and 884	Permanent or staged	Onshore	High contributory cost	Onshore aged path, but higher cost

Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870)

The Sponsored Parent visa (subclass 870) can suit families who need a longer visit sooner and are not ready, or able, to pursue a permanent route yet. It allows stays of up to 3 or 5 years at a time, up to a cumulative maximum of 10 years, but it does not lead to permanent residence and the parent cannot work.

A new grandchild, illness, or another care need can make this route more useful than waiting for a permanent place to open. Use it when the family problem is timing.

Permanent parent visas: 103 and 143/173

The Parent visa (subclass 103) is the lower-cost permanent route, while the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) is the higher-cost permanent alternative. The staged subclass 173 route lets families spread part of that contributory cost over time before moving to 143.

Home Affairs listed starting charges for a single applicant at 8,665 AUD for 103, 33,375 AUD for 173, and 49,900 AUD for 143. If budget is the main constraint, 103 may be the only realistic permanent option. If time matters more, families often compare 143 with the two-stage 173 to 143 path.

Aged parent visas: 804 and 884/864

Age Pension age changes the answer for aged parent routes. The 804 route is a permanent onshore option, while subclasses 884 and 864 are the aged contributory paths.

If a parent is already in Australia and has reached Age Pension age, check whether their current visa conditions allow an onshore 804, 864, or 884 application. That can affect which bridging visa they hold while waiting.

Check whether you meet the core eligibility rules

Choosing a route is only half the job. Next, separate sponsor-side checks from parent-side checks so you do not plan around a route that is blocked from the start.

Sponsor status and the “settled child” requirement

Across the main parent subclasses, the sponsor is usually a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. Here, “settled” means more than holding status on paper. It points to being lawfully established in Australia.

If the child is under 18, or another relative or community organization would sponsor, check the official sponsor criteria before you plan around that route.

Balance of family test and age rules

For most permanent parent visas, the balance of family test is a hard filter. A parent passes if at least half of their children are eligible children in Australia, or if more eligible children live in Australia than in any other single country.

If a parent has three children, one in Australia and two in India, they do not pass. Australia has neither at least half the children nor more children than any other single country. Age Pension age matters for 804, 864, and 884, not for all parent visas.

Assurance of Support, health and character checks

Families often focus on the visa charge and miss the later filters. In practice, these are the checks that can slow the plan or change the budget:

• Assurance of Support is a legal commitment arranged through Services Australia for certain visas.
• Parent and aged parent visas sit under the mandatory AoS settings, which can involve a monetary bond and financial capacity checks.
• Health examinations, police certificates, and sometimes biometrics are part of the process.
• These steps usually arise later in processing, not always on day one.
• If you use paid help, use a registered migration agent, legal practitioner, or exempt person.

Understand costs, wait times and trade-offs

Do not choose a route on the headline fee alone. Compare total cost, likely speed, and whether the route is temporary or permanent.

Visa fees and other costs to budget for

Official visa charges are only one part of the spend. Confirm charges on the Home Affairs pricing page or estimator again before you lodge.

Budget for:

• the visa application charge, including first and later installments where relevant
• police certificates and health examinations
• biometrics if requested
• translations and certified copies where required
• travel costs and possible professional advice costs
• any currency conversion fees charged by your financial institution

Processing times, queueing and bridging-visa realities

The official parent visa queue release dates page matters more than a simple processing tool for most permanent parent visas. It currently estimates 18 years for new contributory parent visa applications and 42 years for new parent and aged parent applications.

As at 31 August 2026, the same page showed queue release dates up to March 2014 for subclass 103 and October 2014 for subclass 804. Queue release dates show which cases the department is currently processing, not when your own grant will happen.

Onshore aged routes are the main parent visas that may create bridging visa options. Offshore routes usually do not solve lawful-stay needs in Australia. If travel matters while waiting, read Expatica’s Bridging visa B guide. Families often focus on the final visa, but lawful stay and travel rights can matter first.

How to apply for an Australia parent visa step by step

Gather the right documents first. The exact sequence changes by subclass, but the process is easier when you prepare before you lodge.

Gather the right documents and evidence

Before lodging, prepare the documents that prove identity, family links, and sponsor eligibility. The exact checklist sits on the relevant subclass page, but most families should expect to gather:

• passport and identity documents for the parent
• birth, marriage, or other records showing the parent-child relationship
• sponsor forms and sponsor identity documents
• evidence for the balance of family test
• police or character documents when requested
• health examination records when requested
• translations into English, with translators accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) used for translations done in Australia

Lodge, track and respond after applying

Choose the route that fits your family situation

Start with the problem you are solving. Do you need your parent in Australia quickly, do you want permanent residence, or are you mainly trying to keep upfront costs down?

When a temporary route may be more realistic

Subclass 870 makes the most sense when your family needs time together sooner and permanent migration is either too expensive or too slow right now. It solves timing, not settlement.

A visitor visa is not a parent visa and should not be used as a workaround for permanent settlement. Keep the purpose of the stay clear from the start.

When a contributory or aged pathway may be worth considering

If permanence matters and your family can absorb higher charges, contributory routes usually deserve the first comparison. If spreading payments matters more, the two-stage 173 or 884 paths may help.

Aged pathways matter most when the parent is already in Australia, meets Age Pension age, and can lodge onshore under their current visa conditions. If approval leads to wider household planning, Expatica’s moving to Australia checklist can help with the next admin tasks. As a rule, 870 suits quicker reunion, 143 or 173 suit faster permanent routes if you can pay, and 103 or 804 suit families prioritizing lower upfront cost over speed.

Use Wise Account to manage visa fees and family support money

If you are paying visa charges or supporting a parent from savings held in another currency, exchange-rate costs can materially change the total bill.

A Wise Account can help you hold AUD, convert money, and send cross-border support while you compare total foreign exchange costs with major local banks such as Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and NAB. Wise is a financial product, not a migration service, and it does not improve eligibility, queue position, or approval chances. For broader banking in Australia options, compare it with local banking routes as well.

Next steps

Check the subclass requirements, your parent’s location and age, the balance of family test, and the total costs before deciding which application to pursue. Recheck the official queue information and visa charges before lodging. If you need to move money between currencies to support your parent, Wise Account may be one option to compare.

Sources

Expatica’s experts are all about providing the most up to date and accurate information. All guides are fact checked, and whenever we use external sources (like government websites or research papers) we’ll make a note of them here so you can check them out too.

1. Parent visa options and main subclass requirements, Parent visas – Department of Home Affairs
2. Eligibility, application requirements, and fees for subclass 103, Parent visa (subclass 103) – Department of Home Affairs
3. Conditions, sponsoring requirements, and temporary stays, Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) – Department of Home Affairs
4. Permanent contributory visa details, charges, and pathway, Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) – Department of Home Affairs
5. Aged parent eligibility, onshore applications, and fees, Aged Parent visa (subclass 804) – Department of Home Affairs
6. Queue milestones and estimated waiting periods, Parent visa queue release dates – Department of Home Affairs
7. Assurance of Support obligations and procedures, Assurance of Support – Services Australia
8. Check current visa status and conditions through VEVO, Visa details and conditions – Department of Home Affairs
9. Staged contributory pathway, charges, and lodgment, Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173) – Department of Home Affairs
10. Permanent aged contributory visa eligibility and costs, Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864) – Department of Home Affairs
11. Temporary aged contributory route and application process, Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884) – Department of Home Affairs
12. Balance of family eligibility test and examples, Balance of family test – Department of Home Affairs
13. Visa fees, charges, and pricing guidance, Current visa pricing – Department of Home Affairs
14. Mandatory Assurance of Support types and financial conditions, Types of Assurance of Support – Services Australia
15. Who is permitted to provide migration application assistance, Who can help with your application – Department of Home Affairs
16. Age Pension settings relevant to aged parent routes, Older Australians – Department of Social Services