Parent Visa Options Australia: Every Pathway Compared

Overview: Every Parent Visa Option

Subclass 870 — Sponsored Parent (Temporary): not a pathway to permanent residence. Runs for up to 3 or 5 years per grant, capped at 10 years cumulative across every grant a parent holds. Government charge roughly AUD 6,370 for a 3-year grant or AUD 12,440 for a 5-year grant (1 July 2026 figures — see /blog/870-sponsor-a-parent-visa-guide). No Balance of Family test, no Assurance of Support bond, but no work rights and no Medicare access — private health insurance is mandatory for the whole stay.

Subclass 173 — Contributory Parent (Temporary): the temporary first stage many families lodge alongside, or ahead of, the 143.

Subclass 143 — Contributory Parent (permanent): the fast(er)-track permanent option. Government charge roughly AUD 49,900 per applicant (a first instalment around AUD 6,300 and a second instalment around AUD 43,600, paid years apart, just before grant) — see /blog/parent-visa-cost-australia for the full breakdown. Estimated queue for new lodgements is roughly 6-15 years.

Subclass 864 — Contributory Aged Parent: the same cost structure as the 143, for parents who have already reached Australian pension age and are applying onshore.

Subclass 103 — Parent (permanent, non-contributory): government charge roughly AUD 8,665 per applicant (first instalment around AUD 6,600, second around AUD 2,065) — dramatically cheaper than the contributory stream, but the queue for new applications currently runs 30+ years, which makes it impractical as the sole strategy for most families.

Every permanent pathway (103/104/143/173/864) shares the same Balance of Family test and requires an Assurance of Support bond, plus health examinations and police clearances. Figures above are current as at 1 July 2026 and are indexed annually — confirm the exact amount on the Department's visa pricing page 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, provided the specific visa subclass allows additional applicants to be added after lodgement. In the parent-visa context, the most common trigger is a family member who should have been included from the start being added before a decision is made, or an additional applicant joining a still-pending sponsorship or visa application. It is NOT the form you use to apply to sponsor a parent in the first place — that's the separate sponsorship (Form 40, for the 870) or the visa application itself (103/143/173/864). 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 permanent parent visa requires the applicant to pass the Balance of Family Test. The test asks: where do the majority of the applicant's children live? To pass: at least half of the applicant's children must live permanently in Australia, OR more of the applicant's children must live permanently in Australia than in any other single country. 'Children' includes biological, legally adopted, and stepchildren regardless of age; children who have died do not count; children who are Australian citizens or permanent residents living in Australia count toward the Australian side. Example: a parent with 2 children, 1 in Australia and 1 in the UK, still passes — half are in Australia, and no single other country has more of the parent's children than Australia does. Complex family structures (more countries, blended families) should be checked against the test before lodging, since a failed Balance of Family test is a hard bar to a permanent visa grant.

Contributory vs Standard: The Cost-Time Trade-Off

The choice between the contributory stream (143/173/864) and the standard stream (103/804) is a straight trade-off between cost and time. Standard: roughly AUD 8,665 in total government charges, but a queue currently estimated at 30+ years for new applications — at current processing rates, most people who lodge today are unlikely to see a grant within their parent's lifetime. Contributory: roughly AUD 49,900 per applicant (before Assurance of Support, health, police checks and any agent fees), but a materially shorter queue, currently estimated at 6-15 years. For a family that can fund the contributory pathway, it's generally the only realistic route to a permanent grant within the parent's likely lifespan. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (870) fills the practical gap while either permanent queue runs.

Using the 870 Alongside a Permanent Application

A common strategy: lodge a Subclass 143 (or 173) application to secure a place in the contributory queue, and separately apply for a Subclass 870 to get the parent physically living in Australia sooner. The 870 runs up to 10 cumulative years across however many 3- or 5-year grants a parent holds. It's important to be accurate about what the 870 actually provides while this runs: it does NOT carry work rights, and the parent is NOT Medicare-eligible on it — private health insurance is mandatory for the entire stay, which is a real ongoing cost families sometimes underestimate. See /blog/870-sponsor-a-parent-visa-guide for the sponsor income test, the 15,000-place annual cap, and full cost breakdown. When the permanent visa is eventually granted, the parent transitions to it directly rather than needing to leave and re-enter under a new visa — though contributory visas are typically granted while the parent is briefly outside Australia, so plan for a short departure around the grant.

Special Considerations: Health and Age

Parent visas are subject to the health requirement (PIC 4005) — the Department assesses whether granting the visa is likely to impose a significant cost on Australia's health or community services, using a significant-cost threshold currently AUD 86,000 over 10 years (see /blog/visa-medical-examination-guide). Older applicants with ongoing treatment needs — dialysis, significant medication costs, aged-care needs — are more likely to face scrutiny under this test. A health waiver exists for parent visas in some circumstances, weighing the cost against the family and community benefit, but it is not guaranteed and needs a strong submission. Age matters strategically too: a parent who is in good health at the point of lodging a 143 may be in a very different position by the time it's eventually granted, given the multi-year queue — the 870 gives a family more certainty in the near term regardless of how the permanent queue moves.

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 entirely. 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 continuous stays of 3 or 5 years at a time, up to 10 years cumulative. Neither leads anywhere permanent. For permanent residence: the contributory (143/173/864) or standard (103/804) parent visas, which share the Balance of Family test and Assurance of Support requirement but differ enormously in cost and queue length. Many families run both tracks — a visit or 870 visa for time together now, a permanent application in parallel for the long term.

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 live in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per grant, capped at 10 years cumulative — but it never converts into permanent residence and carries no work rights or Medicare access. A permanent parent visa (103, 143, 173 or 864) is a different, separate application entirely, with its own charges, queue and the Balance of Family test.

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

Contributory (143/173/864) costs roughly AUD 49,900 in government charges per applicant but has a materially shorter queue, currently around 6-15 years. Standard (103/804) costs roughly AUD 8,665 but the queue for new applications runs 30+ years at current caps, making it impractical as a sole strategy for most families.

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. You'd use it if a family member needs to be added to a pending sponsorship or visa application; 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?

The 143 application can be lodged onshore, but it's typically granted while the parent is briefly outside Australia. The 870 can be applied for and granted onshore. The 864 (Contributory Aged Parent) and 804 (Aged Parent) are onshore options for parents who've already reached Australian pension age.

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

The Australian sponsor lodges an Assurance of Support (AoS) bond with Services Australia, refundable after the AoS period (10 years for contributory visas) if no debt is raised against it. It's currently around AUD 10,000 for one applicant, roughly AUD 4,000 more per additional applicant. It's separate from the visa application charge and is the sponsor's responsibility.

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

No. The 870 requires neither the Balance of Family test nor an Assurance of Support bond — both apply only to the permanent parent visas (103, 143, 173, 864). This is one reason families use the 870 even before, or instead of, a permanent application.

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

Yes. Each parent needs their own application, whether that's two 143 applications, two 870 applications, or a combination. Each carries its own charge, health examination and, for the permanent visas, its own Assurance of Support component.