Visitor Visa for Parents Coming to Australia: Your Options Compared

The Subclass 600 Visitor Visa (Tourist Stream): The Short-Visit Default

The Subclass 600 Visitor visa, Tourist stream, is Australia's general-purpose short-stay visa. It is used by tourists, people visiting friends and relatives, and parents who want to spend time with their children in Australia.

The visa is applied for online through ImmiAccount. For parents applying from outside Australia, the base application charge is approximately AUD 250 (as at the 1 July 2026 fee indexation). This covers one application — each parent travelling separately needs their own.

The Department of Home Affairs sets the length of stay when granting the visa, on a case-by-case basis. Home Affairs states it generally grants a stay of 3 months, and may grant a stay of up to 12 months in certain circumstances, considering factors such as how long you want to stay and why. The specific period is not guaranteed.

Home Affairs can grant the visa as a single-entry or a multiple-entry visa; with multiple entry, the holder can leave and return to Australia as often as they like while it is valid. Requesting multiple entries does not guarantee the visa will be granted that way; the case officer retains discretion.

Once in Australia on a Subclass 600, parents generally cannot extend the visit by applying for another Subclass 600 from onshore. The Department expects visitors to depart when their permitted stay ends. There is a narrow onshore Tourist stream variant, but it is not designed as an extension mechanism and is assessed with that in mind.

Longer-Validity Grants for Parents on the Subclass 600

Parents and step-parents of Australian citizens or permanent residents who meet all the visa criteria may be granted a Subclass 600 valid for more than the standard 12 months, if they can also be granted multiple entries during that time. Home Affairs assesses these applications case by case, and does not publish a fixed set of validity periods or a fixed rule for which parents receive which length — check with Home Affairs or a migration agent about what is realistic for your circumstances rather than assuming a particular outcome.

Importantly, a longer validity period does not mean the parent can stay continuously. Home Affairs states that on a visa valid for more than 12 months, the holder cannot stay in Australia for more than 12 months in total in any 18-month period (Condition 8558), and must also have made adequate arrangements for health insurance. The parent can re-enter multiple times, but the cumulative stay within any rolling 18-month window must stay within the 12-month cap.

The application charge for a longer-validity Subclass 600 is the same base charge as a standard tourist application — the fee does not increase because of the extended validity. The parent still applies from outside Australia.

For families where the parents want to spend more than 12 months at a time in Australia on each visit, Home Affairs points toward the Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa instead, which carries no equivalent 12-months-in-18 cap.

Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa: The Long-Stay Option

The Subclass 870 is a dedicated visa category for parents who want to spend 3 to 5 consecutive years in Australia with their child. It is a more structured, more expensive, and more regulated arrangement than the Subclass 600.

Unlike the Subclass 600, the 870 is capped: the Department limits the program to 15,000 visa grants per year across all applicants. Demand has been consistently high, so families who want to use this pathway should plan ahead.

The 870 allows a parent to stay in Australia for the full duration of the visa — there is no 12-months-in-18 cap as with the extended Subclass 600. A parent can be granted a 3-year visa initially, which can be renewed for a second 3-year grant (to a maximum of 10 years total across multiple 870 visas). Alternatively, a 5-year grant may be available at the outset.

Parents on the 870 cannot work in Australia. They also cannot access Medicare in the same way permanent residents do, which is why the visa mandates private health insurance for the full duration of the stay (see below).

The 870 can be applied for either from outside or within Australia, which is one distinction from the extended Subclass 600 (which must be applied for from overseas for the parent stream).

The Sponsorship Step: What the Australian Child Needs to Do

Before the parent can apply for an 870, the sponsoring child (or their spouse or de facto partner) must submit a separate sponsor application and receive approval from the Department of Home Affairs. This is not optional — the parent's application cannot be lodged until the sponsor has been approved.

To be an eligible sponsor, the person in Australia must be at least 18, be the applicant's child (or their spouse or de facto partner), and be one of: an Australian citizen; an Australian permanent resident usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years; or an eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia for at least 4 years — with no unlawful period or bridging visa other than a BVA/BVB/BVC in that time. Only permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens need the 4-year residence history; Australian citizens do not. The sponsor must also pass an income test — taxable income of at least AUD $83,454.80 in the most recently completed tax year before lodging (indexed; check the current figure at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au), or combined with a partner and/or another qualifying child at no less than half that amount each — and meet the character requirement.

The sponsor application involves providing evidence of citizenship or PR status, income documents (such as a Notice of Assessment from the ATO), relationship evidence establishing the parent–child link, and police clearances. If the prospective applicant does not lodge their 870 visa application within 6 months of the sponsorship being approved, the sponsorship ends.

A sponsorship can cover up to 2 parents per household at a time — one or both of the sponsor's own parents, one or both of a partner's parents, or one of each. A new sponsorship cannot be lodged until the current one ends. The sponsor takes on ongoing obligations, including financially supporting the parent and paying back any public health debts the parent runs up in Australia — an obligation that continues even after the sponsorship or the parent's visa ends.

Sponsorship applications are separate from the visa application and carry their own processing timeline.

Subclass 870 Application Charges: What to Budget

The Subclass 870 carries a much higher application charge than the Subclass 600, reflecting its longer duration and the cost of administering the program.

The total charge is split into two instalments:

The first instalment is paid when the parent lodges the application. The Department notifies the applicant when the second instalment is due, which is before the visa is granted. Visa charges are non-refundable even if the application is refused.

Fees are revised periodically (typically on 1 July each year). The figures above are current as at 1 July 2026 — use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au to confirm the current charge before lodging. The charge covers one applicant; a second parent would pay the same again.

On top of the visa charge, families should budget for health insurance premiums across the full visa duration (see below), which adds a meaningful ongoing cost — particularly for a 5-year stay.

Health Insurance: A Mandatory Condition for Both Visas

Health insurance is a practical necessity for both visa options, though the rules differ.

For the Subclass 600 Visitor visa, many grants carry Condition 8501, which requires the holder to maintain adequate health insurance arrangements while in Australia. Where 8501 applies, the parent must hold an Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) policy or equivalent for the full duration of their stay. A lapse in cover is a visa condition breach.

For the Subclass 870, health insurance is mandatory as a visa condition, with no exceptions. Parents on the 870 cannot rely on Medicare (they are not permanent residents or citizens) and reciprocal health care agreements generally do not cover them adequately for a multi-year stay. The insurance must be maintained continuously throughout the visa period.

OVHC policies are the standard product for visitors to Australia needing to satisfy Condition 8501. Cover typically includes hospital treatment and emergency care. Premiums depend on the parent's age, the level of cover, and the insurer.

For a 5-year 870 visa, the cumulative insurance cost can add several thousand dollars to the total outlay. Families should obtain premium quotes before deciding between the 3-year and 5-year grant options.

Regardless of which visa applies, parents should also ensure they arrive with adequate personal funds to cover day-to-day expenses. The Department expects visitor visa holders to be self-sufficient and may request evidence of financial capacity as part of the application.

Applying Offshore vs. Onshore: What Parents Need to Know

For the Subclass 600 Tourist stream, parents who want an extended-validity grant of more than 12 months must apply from outside Australia and must be outside Australia when the visa is granted. This is a firm requirement — if a parent is already in Australia, the longer-validity parent-specific grant is not available through the offshore Tourist stream.

For the standard, shorter Subclass 600 stays, there is technically an onshore Tourist stream variant, but as noted, it is not intended as a mechanism for extending an existing stay. The Department assesses onshore applications with that context in mind.

For the Subclass 870, applications can be lodged either from inside or outside Australia. This gives more flexibility — a parent who is already in Australia on another visa (including a Subclass 600) may potentially lodge an 870 application onshore, provided the sponsor approval is already in place and any existing visa conditions allow it.

In both cases, having any prior visa refusals or a history of overstaying will affect the assessment. The Department will consider the parent's compliance record with previous Australian visas.

Permanent Parent Visas: The Migration Fork

The Subclass 600 and Subclass 870 are both temporary arrangements — they do not lead to permanent residence. If a parent eventually wants to live permanently in Australia, a separate permanent parent visa application is required.

The main permanent parent visa subclasses currently open to new applications are:

• Subclass 103 (Parent) — the non-contributory option; queue is currently around 33 years for new applicants
• Subclass 143 (Contributory Parent) — requires a higher application charge but queue is currently around 15 years for new applicants
• Subclass 804 (Aged Parent) — for parents who are of retirement age and already living in Australia; similar wait to the 103
• Subclass 884 (Contributory Aged Parent, Temporary) — the temporary stage leading to permanent Subclass 864, for parents already in Australia

Note that the Business Innovation and Investment visas (Subclasses 188 and 888) closed to new applicants on 31 July 2024 and are no longer an option.

The contributory parent visas (143 and 884/864) involve a two-stage charge structure with a very substantial second instalment — roughly AUD 43,600 per person as at 1 July 2026, though fees change annually. The non-contributory visas have lower charges but much longer queues.

For many families, the practical approach is to use the 870 visa (or repeated extended Subclass 600 stays) to enable long visits while a permanent parent visa application works through the queue. A MARA-registered migration agent can map out the best combination based on the parent's age, health, and the family's individual circumstances.

Can my parents apply for a Subclass 600 visitor visa while already in Australia?

There is an onshore Tourist stream for the Subclass 600, but it is not designed as a way to extend a visit already in progress. The Department assesses onshore applications with that context in mind, and refusals are common when the purpose appears to be extending a stay rather than a fresh visit. The longer-validity parent grants (18 months, 3 years, 5 years) require the parent to be offshore at both application and grant. If your parent is already in Australia and wants to stay longer, the Subclass 870 can be applied for onshore, provided the sponsor has been approved.

How long can my parent actually stay in Australia on a longer-validity Subclass 600 visitor visa?

Despite having a validity of more than 12 months, these longer Subclass 600 grants carry Condition 8558, which limits actual time in Australia to no more than 12 months in total in any 18-month period. Your parent can leave and re-enter multiple times during the visa's validity, but the cumulative stay within any 18-month window must not exceed 12 months. This is quite different from the Subclass 870, where there is no such cap and your parent can stay for the full 3 or 5 years continuously.

What happens when an 870 Sponsored Parent visa expires — can it be renewed?

A 3-year 870 can be renewed for a second 3-year grant, allowing up to 6 years in total on back-to-back 870 visas (10 years across multiple grants). However, the 870 does not convert to permanent residence. If permanent residence is the goal, a separate permanent parent visa application (such as the Subclass 143 or 103) needs to be lodged independently. Many families apply for permanent parent visas while the parent is visiting on 870 or extended Subclass 600 visas, given the permanent queue times of 15–33 years.

Does the sponsoring child in Australia need to pay for the visa application?

For the Subclass 870, the visa application charge is paid by the applicant (the parent), not the sponsor. However, the sponsor submits their own separate sponsor application to the Department, which carries its own AUD $420 sponsorship application fee. The sponsor also takes on ongoing obligations, including financially supporting the parent and ensuring health insurance stays current throughout the stay. There are no charges for sponsoring a Subclass 600 Visitor visa (Tourist stream) — that visa has no sponsor requirement; the parent applies directly.

Can my parents work in Australia on a visitor visa or an 870?

No. Neither the Subclass 600 Visitor visa nor the Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent visa permits the holder to work in Australia. If employment was relevant, an entirely different visa category would apply. Subclass 600 holders may study or train for up to 3 months on the visa, though a student visa is more appropriate if study is the main reason for the visit; Home Affairs does not list an equivalent study allowance for the 870.

Is there a health exam requirement for parents applying for these visas?

The Department of Home Affairs may request a health examination as part of either application, particularly for applicants from certain countries or who intend to stay for extended periods. For shorter Subclass 600 stays this is not always required, but for longer-stay applications — including all 870 applications — a health check is commonly requested. The Department will specify which examinations are needed through ImmiAccount during the processing of the application.