Contributory Parent Visa (143 & 173): Real Cost and Real Wait Time

What a subclass 143 or 173 Contributory Parent visa actually costs, per Home Affairs' own charges, and how long the queue really is as at May 2026. Covers the Balance of Family Test and the subclass 870 temporary alternative. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

Watch

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Subclass 143: the real cost and the real wait
  2. 0:12 143: straight to permanent. 173: two years, then converts.
  3. 0:25 $49,900 total: $6,300 to lodge, $43,600 on grant
  4. 0:41 The staged route: $53,350 total, about $3,450 more
  5. 1:05 At least half your children in Australia, or more than any other count
  6. 1:16 About 15 years, end to end, for a new application
  7. 1:29 173 shares the 143's queue. Non-contributory 103/804: about 33 years
  8. 1:47 8,500 places for 2025–26, dropping to 7,060 for 2026–27
  9. 2:02 2024–25: 6,800 contributory places, 1,700 non-contributory
  10. 2:13 The pathway, start to finish
  11. 2:25 Subclass 870: up to 3 or 5 years, no path to permanent residence
  12. 2:39 An 870 first can block a later permanent parent visa
  13. 2:54 Where to read more

Transcript

Thinking about a subclass 143 Contributory Parent visa? Here's the real cost, and the real wait, in one place.

There are two ways in. Subclass 143 goes straight to permanent residence. Subclass 173 grants a temporary two-year visa first, then converts to the 143.

Subclass 143 costs $6,300 to lodge, then $43,600 per applicant before the visa is granted. That's $49,900 in total, per applicant, in government charges alone.

Go via subclass 173 first instead: $4,245 to lodge, then $29,130 on grant. Converting to the 143 later adds $555 plus $19,420. All up, that's $53,350 — about $3,450 more than going direct.

Before any of that, the parent has to pass the Balance of Family Test: at least half their children living in Australia, or more children in Australia than in any other single country.

As at the 31st of May 2026, Home Affairs was releasing contributory parent applications with a queue date up to November 2018, and it estimates about 15 years end to end for a new application today.

The 173 draws on the very same queue as the 143 — it does not process any faster. And the non-contributory Subclass 103 and 804 are far slower again: about 33 years, with releases only reaching back to February 2014.

Why the wait? Home Affairs sets one Parent-category planning level across all six subclasses: 8,500 places for the 2025 to 26 year, dropping to 7,060 for 2026 to 27.

The most recent published split, for 2024 to 25, gave 6,800 places to the contributory categories and 1,700 to the non-contributory ones.

Put together, the pathway runs: pass the balance of family test, lodge with the first instalment, wait in the queue for around 15 years, then pay the second instalment on grant.

There is a faster option alongside a permanent application: the subclass 870 Sponsored Parent visa, which lets a parent stay for up to 3 or 5 years, 10 years cumulatively. It does not lead to permanent residence.

That 870 only sits alongside a permanent parent visa already lodged — applying for it first blocks a new permanent application later. And a migration agent's own fee is set case by case, not published anywhere.

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

Talk it through with a registered agent

Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.

Related Migratio resources