Parent Visa Options Australia: Every Pathway Compared

Overview: Every Parent Visa Option

Subclass 870 — Sponsored Parent (Temporary): not a pathway to permanent residence. Each grant runs for up to 3 or 5 years, and the total across every 870 a parent holds is capped at 10 years (clause 870.511 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994). Government charge AUD 6,370 for a stay of up to 3 years or AUD 12,440 for up to 5 years (1 July 2026 figures — see /blog/870-sponsor-a-parent-visa-guide). No Balance of Family test and no Assurance of Support, but the visa carries condition 8103 (no work without the Minister's written permission) and condition 8501, which requires adequate health insurance for the whole stay.

Subclass 173 — Contributory Parent (Temporary): the first stage of the two-step contributory route; the 173 holder later applies for the 143. Home Affairs describes this 2-stage route as faster than the 103 but more expensive, with the cost spread across two visas.

Subclass 143 — Contributory Parent (permanent): government charge AUD 49,900 for a single applicant applying directly (a first instalment of AUD 6,300 and a second instalment of AUD 43,600, paid before grant) — see /blog/parent-visa-cost-australia for the full breakdown. Home Affairs estimates new contributory parent applications take around 15 years to process.

Subclass 864 — Contributory Aged Parent: the contributory option for a parent who is old enough for the Australian age pension and applies in Australia. It has its own two-instalment charge, shown in the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator.

Subclass 103 — Parent (permanent, non-contributory): government charge AUD 8,665 for a single applicant (first instalment AUD 6,600, second instalment AUD 2,065). Home Affairs estimates new Parent and Aged Parent applications take around 33 years to process.

Subclass 804 — Aged Parent: the non-contributory option for a parent of age-pension age who applies in Australia.

The permanent parent visas (103, 143, 804, 864) and the 173 all require the Balance of Family test. The permanent visas also require an Assurance of Support, and all of them carry health and character requirements. Charges above are current as at 1 July 2026 and change on 1 July; Home Affairs updates its processing estimates each year at the end of the program year. Confirm the exact amount in the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge.

Form 1436: why it shows up in parent-visa searches

Form 1436 ("Adding an additional applicant after lodgement") is not a parent-specific form — it's a general Home Affairs form used to add a person to a visa application that's already been lodged but not yet decided, and only where the visa allows additional applicants to be added after lodgement. The form itself says it is for a dependent child or partner of the main applicant; anyone else generally needs their own application and charge. It is NOT the form you use to apply for a parent visa in the first place — that's the visa application itself (103, 143, 173, 804 or 864), or for the 870, an approved Parent Sponsor followed by the visa application. See /blog/form-1436-guide for the full breakdown, including the free-vs-charged distinction and how it differs from Form 1022.

The Balance of Family Test: Who Qualifies?

Every parent visa except the 870 requires the applicant to pass the Balance of Family test, set out in regulation 1.05 of the Migration Regulations 1994. The test sorts the parent's children into two groups. 'Eligible' children are Australian citizens, or Australian permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens who usually live in Australia; every other child is treated as living overseas. The parent passes if at least half of their children are eligible children, or if there are more eligible children than children living in any single overseas country. 'Children' includes stepchildren and the children of the parent's current spouse or de facto partner. Some children are left out of the count, including a child removed from the parent's custody by court order or adoption, and a child registered by the UNHCR as a refugee in a refugee camp. Example: a parent with 2 children, 1 an Australian citizen living in Australia and 1 living in the UK, passes, because half are eligible children. A parent with 3 children, 1 in Australia and 2 in the UK, does not. Complex family structures (more countries, blended families) are worth checking against the regulation before lodging, since the visa cannot be granted without passing the test.

Contributory vs Standard: The Cost-Time Trade-Off

The choice between the contributory route (143, the 173 then 143, or 864) and the non-contributory route (103 or 804) is a trade-off between cost and time. Non-contributory: AUD 8,665 in government charges for a single 103 applicant, with Home Affairs estimating around 33 years to process a new application. Contributory: AUD 49,900 for a single applicant applying directly for the 143 (before the Assurance of Support security, health and police checks and any agent fees), with a Home Affairs estimate of around 15 years for new applications. These estimates are based on the number of places available each year and are updated yearly. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (870) is the temporary option families use for time together while a permanent application waits.

Using the 870 Alongside a Permanent Application

Some families lodge a permanent parent application first, to take a place in the queue, and then apply for a Subclass 870 so the parent can spend time in Australia while it waits. The order matters. Under Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations, a parent who holds an 870 cannot lodge a 103, 143, 173, 804 or 864 application, and a former 870 holder must have left Australia since that visa ended. Home Affairs says a parent who has already lodged a permanent parent visa application may visit on the 870, but not remain permanently while that application is decided. The 870 runs up to 10 cumulative years across 3- or 5-year grants. It carries no work rights (condition 8103) and requires health insurance for the whole stay (condition 8501), which is an ongoing cost. See /blog/870-sponsor-a-parent-visa-guide for the sponsor requirements and full cost breakdown. When a 143 is eventually decided, the parent generally has to be outside Australia at the time of grant, unless they hold a 173 or meet another exception in clause 143.411, so plan for a departure around the grant.

Special Considerations: Health and Age

Parent visas carry the health requirement. For the 103, 143, 173, 804 and 864, the regulations generally apply public interest criterion 4005, which has no health waiver; the waivable criterion (4007) applies only in narrow cases written into the regulations, such as some applicants who hold a substituted visitor visa. Under 4005 the Department considers, among other things, whether a condition is likely to result in significant health-care or community-service costs (see /blog/visa-medical-examination-guide). The health requirement is assessed at the time of decision, and Home Affairs says health examination results are valid for 12 months from the date of the examinations. With a queue measured in years, a parent's health at lodgement may be very different by the time the application is decided, which is one reason families also look at the 870 for time together in the near term.

Visit or Migrate? Two Different Goals

The first real decision is whether your parent wants extended time in Australia, or permanent residence — these point to different visas. For extended time without becoming a permanent resident: the Visitor visa (Subclass 600) for shorter stays, or the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870) for stays of up to 3 or 5 years at a time, up to 10 years in total. Neither leads to permanent residence. For permanent residence: the contributory (143, 173 then 143, or 864) or non-contributory (103 or 804) parent visas, which share the Balance of Family test and the Assurance of Support requirement but differ in cost and queue length. Families who want both usually lodge the permanent application first, because a parent who holds an 870 cannot then lodge one.

What is a sponsored parent visa and how is it different from a permanent one?

The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) lets a parent stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per grant, capped at 10 years in total. It does not lead to permanent residence and carries no work rights. A permanent parent visa (103, 143, 804 or 864, or the 173 as the first step to a 143) is a separate application with its own charges, queue and the Balance of Family test.

What's the difference between a contributory parent visa and the standard one?

The contributory 143 costs AUD 49,900 in government charges for a single applicant applying directly, and Home Affairs estimates new contributory applications take around 15 years. The non-contributory 103 costs AUD 8,665, and Home Affairs estimates new Parent and Aged Parent applications take around 33 years. Charges as at 1 July 2026; the processing estimates are updated yearly.

What is Form 1436 and do I need it for a parent visa?

Form 1436 adds an additional applicant to a visa application that's already been lodged but not yet decided — it's a general Home Affairs form, not specific to parent visas, and it covers a dependent child or partner of the main applicant where the visa allows additions after lodgement. It is not the form used to sponsor or apply for a parent visa in the first place. See /blog/form-1436-guide.

Can I apply for a parent visa from inside Australia?

For some parent visas, yes. A 143 can be lodged in or outside Australia, but the parent generally has to be outside Australia when it is granted, unless they hold a 173 or meet another exception. The 804 (Aged Parent) and 864 (Contributory Aged Parent) are applied for in Australia by parents old enough for the Australian age pension. An 870 can be granted in or outside Australia, but applying from inside Australia needs the Minister's permission. A parent who holds an 870 cannot lodge a permanent parent visa application.

What is the Assurance of Support bond and who pays it?

An Assurance of Support is a commitment by an assurer to support the parent and repay certain social security payments the parent receives during the assurance period, backed by a cash security. It's set out in the Social Security (Assurances of Support) Determination 2018 and administered by Services Australia, separately from Home Affairs and from the visa application charge — Services Australia publishes the current bond amount, the holding period and the assurer's income test on its Assurance of Support page.

Does the 870 sponsored parent visa require the Balance of Family test?

No. Home Affairs states there is no Balance of Family test or Assurance of Support requirement for the 870. The Balance of Family test applies to the 103, 143, 173, 804 and 864, and the Assurance of Support to the permanent visas. Note that a parent who holds an 870 cannot lodge a permanent parent visa application while it is in effect.

Can both parents apply for a visa at the same time?

Yes. For the permanent parent visas, a parent's spouse or de facto partner can be included in the same application as a secondary applicant, with an additional applicant charge (for a 143: AUD 2,125 at lodgement plus a second instalment of AUD 43,600 per adult, as at 1 July 2026), plus, for a contributory visa, a further Assurance of Support security per adult — the amount is set by Services Australia. The 870 has no secondary applicants, so each parent needs their own 870 application and charge.