Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 804): Why It Takes 33 Years
How the Aged Parent visa (subclass 804) works, why Home Affairs is currently estimating a 33-year wait, and the bridging visa strategy most applicants actually rely on. Covers the cost and how it compares to the faster Contributory Parent pathway. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Subclass 804:
- 0:12 What the 804 needs
- 0:26 $8,665 total,
- 0:42 33 years,
- 0:57 Why lodge it anyway?
- 1:09 The bridging visa:
- 1:20 Subclass 143:
- 1:35 Or split it:
- 1:47 You can switch:
- 2:00 Where to read more
Transcript
Thinking about the Aged Parent visa, subclass eight oh four? Home Affairs is currently estimating 33 years to a decision.
To qualify, you need to be in Australia when you apply, old enough for the Age Pension, and sponsored by a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen child who meets the balance of family test.
The visa itself costs $8,665 over two instalments for a single applicant — the same charge as the offshore version, subclass 103. That's $6,600 up front, then $2,065 before grant.
As at 31 May 2026, Home Affairs estimates 33 years for new Parent and Aged Parent visa applications — and had only just released applications with a queue date up to February 2014 for a final decision.
So why lodge it at all? Home Affairs says an applicant is likely to be granted a bridging visa once their current visa expires — and it keeps running for as long as the 804 stays undecided.
The bridging visa keeps you in Australia lawfully and usually carries work rights — but it gives no Medicare and no Age Pension, and leaving Australia cancels it.
The faster alternative is the Contributory Parent visa, subclass 143. It costs $49,900 over two instalments — but Home Affairs estimates just 15 years, against 33 for the 804.
There's also a two-step version: the temporary subclass 173, then the permanent 143. It splits the cost across two visa grants, but sits in the same contributory queue.
The two aren't exclusive. Someone on the 804 can lodge a Contributory Parent application separately — and if it's granted, the 804 application simply becomes moot.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Short versions
- The Aged Parent visa costs $8,665. The wait is the real number. (0:39)
- The 804 bridging visa: what it doesn't give you (0:37)
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