Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa: Sponsor Rules, Costs and the 10-Year Limit

How the 870 works: sponsor first, then the visa

There are two applications, made in order.

1. Sponsorship. The Australian child (or the child's spouse or de facto partner) applies online to be approved as a parent sponsor. Home Affairs lists the sponsorship application fee as AUD 420.
2. Visa. Once the sponsorship is approved, the parent applies online for the 870. Home Affairs states the visa application must be lodged within 6 months of sponsorship approval, or within 60 days if the parent has been given permission to apply in Australia. Regulation 2.64B ends the sponsorship for that parent if no 870 application is made within 6 months.

The visa application must name the approved parent sponsor (Schedule 1 item 1239). The parent must be at least 18 and must apply from outside Australia unless the Minister has permitted an onshore application, which Home Affairs says is approved only in limited circumstances.

Who can be a parent sponsor

Regulation 2.60V and the Home Affairs page set the general requirements. The sponsor must be at least 18 and be the child of the parent (or the child's spouse or de facto partner), and must be either:

• an Australian citizen; or
• an Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been usually resident in Australia for at least the 4 years before applying, and who has not been an unlawful non-citizen or held a bridging visa other than a Bridging A, B or C visa during those 4 years.

A household can hold one sponsorship at a time, covering up to 2 parents: one or both of your parents, one or both of your partner's parents, or one of each. You cannot lodge a new sponsorship until the current approved one ends. The sponsor also needs police checks for any country (including Australia) where they spent more than 12 months in the last 10 years since turning 16, and must have no unpaid public health debt or unresolved debt to the Commonwealth (regulations 2.60X and 2.60Y). Regulation 2.60U adds a limit for repeat sponsors: if 3 parents you previously sponsored on 870 visas are still in Australia after those visas ended and hold no permanent visa, you cannot be approved again.

The income test: $83,454.80

Regulation 2.60W requires the sponsor to pass an income test set by legislative instrument. The current instrument is LIN 19/146 (Migration (LIN 19/146: Income Test for Sponsorship for Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa) Instrument 2019), in force without amendment since 17 April 2019. It sets the amount at $83,454.80 of taxable income for the most recent completed income year before the sponsorship application is lodged. Home Affairs states the same figure on its 870 page.

If you cannot meet it alone, you can combine your taxable income with your spouse or de facto partner and/or one other child of the parent who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. When incomes are combined, your own taxable income must be at least half the threshold ($41,727.40).

This figure is not indexed automatically and is not the skilled-visa income threshold. It changes only if the Minister makes a new instrument, so check that LIN 19/146 is still the one in force when you apply.

3-year or 5-year visas, and the 10-year lifetime cap

Clause 870.511 lets the Minister grant the visa for a period of up to 5 years. Which length you get is set by the charge you pay (below): the lower second instalment applies where the visa will run for no more than 3 years from grant.

The same clause stops any grant that would take the parent's total time on 870 visas past 10 years, and Schedule 1 item 1239 makes an application invalid once that total is reached. Home Affairs states the visa does not lead to permanent residence and cannot be extended; to stay longer the parent needs a different visa.

Between grants there is a gap rule. Under clause 870.223, a parent applying from outside Australia who has held an 870 before must have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since leaving after (or at the end of) the last 870, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The visa allows travel in and out of Australia as often as the parent likes while it is in effect.

One historical note: Home Affairs states that holders who were outside Australia on 1 July 2021 had their visa period extended by 18 months, and that the extra 18 months does not count towards the 10-year maximum.

What it costs from 1 July 2026

Schedule 1 item 1239 of the Migration Regulations (compilation 288, in force 1 July 2026) sets the visa application charge in two instalments:

• First instalment, paid on lodgement: $1,515 (or $1,245 if the parent holds a passport from a Pacific-regional country).
• Second instalment, paid before grant: $4,855 for a visa of up to 3 years, or $10,925 for a visa of up to 5 years.

That makes $6,370 for up to 3 years and $12,440 for up to 5 years at the standard first instalment. On top of that: the AUD 420 sponsorship fee, health examinations, police certificates for the parent, and health insurance for the whole stay. Visa charges are reviewed every 1 July, so check the Visa Pricing Estimator before you pay.

No work rights, and what unpaid help is allowed

The visa carries condition 8103: the holder must not work in Australia without the Minister's written permission. Home Affairs states plainly that the holder cannot work.

Home Affairs does describe unpaid activity that is allowed: caring for grandchildren or other minor relatives at home, volunteering for a charitable organisation in a non-commercial capacity, and helping at a local school attended by the sponsor's children or other minor relatives. It also states the parent cannot do unpaid work in a commercial environment or in a family business. If the family plan assumes the parent will help in a family shop or business, it does not fit this visa.

Health insurance and other conditions

A parent on the 870 is not covered by Medicare. Clause 870.224 requires adequate arrangements for health insurance for the intended stay before grant, and condition 8501 requires those arrangements to be maintained while the parent is in Australia. Home Affairs says the cover must be from an Australian health insurance provider. A reciprocal health care agreement with the parent's home country does not replace this condition; see our guide to health insurance for 870 visa holders for what adequate cover involves.

The full list of conditions in clause 870.611 is 8103 (no work), 8303 (no disruptive or violent activity), 8501 (maintain health insurance), 8531 (do not stay beyond the visa period), 8564 (no criminal conduct) and 8609 (notify Home Affairs of changes to name, address, email, phone or passport within 14 days).

The parent also has to show access to enough money for the stay (clause 870.222) and a genuine intention to stay temporarily (clause 870.226). The sponsor's obligations include providing financial support and accommodation for the parent while they are in Australia.

What ends the visa early

Under clause 870.511(3), the visa ends earlier than its stated date if the sponsorship collapses:

• the sponsor's approval is cancelled: the visa ends 35 days later;
• the sponsor withdraws and no one else applies to sponsor the parent within 35 days: the visa ends 35 days after Home Affairs is notified;
• the sponsor dies and no one else applies to sponsor within 90 days: the visa ends 90 days after the death.

If another family member applies to take over the sponsorship within those periods and is refused, the visa ends 35 days after the refusal (or after any review is finally decided).

The annual limit on grants

When the 870 was created in 2019, the Explanatory Statement to the amending regulations said the number of 870 grants in each programme year would be capped by a legislative instrument under section 85 of the Migration Act, with the initial limit set at 15,000 grants a year. Home Affairs' current 870 page does not state a figure for 2026-27, so treat 15,000 as the original setting rather than a confirmed current number. Once a cap for a programme year is reached, no further grants can be made until the next programme year.

Processing time

Home Affairs does not publish a single end-to-end figure. Its visa processing time guide shows times for recently decided sponsorship and visa applications separately, and its 870 page notes that sponsorship processing times have increased because it has been finalising older cases. Build in time for both stages and for the 6-month window between sponsorship approval and the visa application.

Applying for a permanent parent visa: lodge it first

Home Affairs states that you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold an 870. The Regulations say the same for the permanent parent classes: the applicant must not hold an 870, and if they held one, must have left Australia since it ended.

So a family that wants both should lodge the permanent application (for example a Contributory Parent visa, subclass 143, or a Parent visa, subclass 103) first and then use the 870 while that application waits in the queue. The reverse order shuts the permanent option until the 870 has ended and the parent has left Australia. Unlike the permanent parent visas, the 870 has no balance of family test and no Assurance of Support.

The sequencing, the 10-year cap and the choice between 3- and 5-year grants are where a MARA-registered migration agent earns their fee. Migratio is Australia's marketplace for finding and comparing MARA-registered migration agents; agents in our family and parent visa directory reply with their consultation fee, typically $150 to $300, before you book.

Can a parent work in Australia on the 870 visa?

No. The visa carries condition 8103, which bars work without the Minister's written permission. Home Affairs allows unpaid help such as caring for grandchildren at home or volunteering for a charity, but not unpaid work in a commercial setting or a family business.

How much does the 870 visa cost in 2026?

From 1 July 2026 the visa application charge is $6,370 for up to 3 years ($1,515 on lodgement and $4,855 before grant) or $12,440 for up to 5 years ($1,515 plus $10,925). The first instalment is $1,245 for Pacific-regional passport holders. The sponsorship fee of AUD 420 and health insurance are extra.

What is the income requirement to sponsor a parent?

Taxable income of at least $83,454.80 for the most recent completed income year before you lodge the sponsorship, set by instrument LIN 19/146. You can combine income with your partner and/or one sibling who is a citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, as long as your own income is at least half the threshold.

How long can a parent stay on the 870 visa?

Up to 3 or 5 years per visa, and no more than 10 years in total across all 870 visas. A parent re-applying from outside Australia after a previous 870 generally must have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days first.

Can my parent apply for a permanent parent visa while on an 870?

No. Home Affairs states you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa while you have applied for or hold an 870, and if you held one you must have left Australia since it ended. Lodge the permanent application first if you want both.

Does a parent on an 870 get Medicare?

No. Adequate health insurance from an Australian provider is required before grant and must be kept for the whole time the parent is in Australia (condition 8501).

Is there a cap on 870 visas?

Yes. The 2019 Explanatory Statement set the initial limit at 15,000 grants a programme year, made under section 85 of the Migration Act. Home Affairs' current 870 page does not publish the 2026-27 figure.