Visitor Visa for Parents in Australia: Subclass 600 vs 870 Compared

Comparing the two temporary visas for a parent visiting Australia — the short-stay Subclass 600 Tourist visa and the long-stay Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent visa. Covers costs, stay limits, sponsor requirements, and why neither leads to permanent residence. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Weeks, or years?
  2. 0:13 Subclass 600:
  3. 0:25 Longer validity ≠ longer stay.
  4. 0:36 The 870: no cap.
  5. 0:49 15,000
  6. 1:12 The sponsor needs
  7. 1:26 Sponsor income test:
  8. 1:40 Sponsorship: $420.
  9. 1:53 Condition 8501:
  10. 2:04 Onshore or offshore?
  11. 2:16 Neither is permanent.
  12. 2:30 Where to read more

Transcript

A parent visiting Australia for a few months is one visa. A parent staying for years is a completely different one — and they cost very differently.

For a short visit, it's the Subclass 600 Tourist stream: about $250 to apply from outside Australia, generally granted for 3 months, sometimes up to 12.

Parents can sometimes get a Subclass 600 valid for longer than 12 months — but condition 8558 still caps actual time in Australia at 12 months within any 18-month period.

For years at a time, there's the Sponsored Parent visa, subclass 870. No 12-in-18 cap — a parent can stay for the whole 3 or 5 year grant, continuously.

It's capped, though: the Department limits the 870 program to 15,000 grants a year, across every applicant.

The 870 costs $6,370 for up to 3 years, or $12,440 for up to 5 — split into a first instalment of $1,515, then a balance before grant.

Before the parent can apply, the sponsoring child needs their own approval — at least 18, and either an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident here for at least 4 years.

The sponsor also needs taxable income of at least $83,454.80 in the most recently completed tax year — or that combined with a partner or qualifying child, at no less than half each.

The sponsorship application itself costs $420. It covers up to 2 parents in one household, and the parent's 870 application has to be lodged within 6 months of it being approved.

Health insurance is mandatory on the 870 for the entire stay, no exceptions — that's condition 8501. Parents on it can't rely on Medicare.

The extended Subclass 600 has to be applied for, and granted, from outside Australia. The 870 is more flexible — it can be lodged either onshore or offshore.

Neither visa leads to permanent residence on its own. For that, it's a separate application — the contributory 143, at around 15 years, or the non-contributory 103, at around 33.

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.

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