Seven parent visas. We help families choose one on purpose.
Every family bringing a parent to Australia is choosing between money, time and being together, and the seven visas each settle that choice differently. This page tests which ones are open to your parents, shows what each really costs and when, and is honest about how long the queues are. Then we can talk.
Figures checked against the Department of Home Affairs on 8 September 2026. Charges change every 1 July. General information, not advice on your family.
Eight questions. A verdict on all seven visas.
A sorting tool, not a decision. The Department decides on the full facts, and two of the rules have exceptions we can only test in a consultation.
All seven, one row each.
Main applicant charges from 1 July 2026. A second parent pays about half of the first instalment and the full second instalment. Each subclass links to its guide.
| Subclass | Where lodged and granted | Wait | Charge, both instalments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 Parent | Outside Australia for both lodgement and grant. Any age. | About 33 years | $8,665 |
| 143 Contributory Parent | Lodge in or out, granted outside unless holding a 173. Any age. No bridging visa. | About 15 years | $49,900 |
| 173 Contributory Parent (Temporary) | Granted outside. Two years, then the 143 at about $19,920 more. | About 15 years | $33,375 |
| 804 Aged Parent | In Australia for both, aged 67+. Bridging visa, no Medicare while waiting. | About 33 years | $8,665 |
| 864 Contributory Aged Parent | In Australia for both, aged 67+. Bridging visa for the wait. | About 15 years | $49,900 |
| 884 Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) | In Australia for both, aged 67+. Two years with Medicare, then the 864. | About 15 years | $35,430 |
| 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) | Outside Australia unless invited. Any age. No family test, no work, health cover compulsory. | Months | $6,370 or $12,440 |
Assurance of Support bonds are extra and refundable: $10,000 for ten years on contributory visas, $5,000 for two years on the 103 and 804, plus $4,000 or $2,000 per adult dependant. Health checks and police clearances are extra.
Every dollar, and the year it leaves the account.
Charges are half the story. Add the refundable bond, health and police checks, and the private health cover a parent may need for years on a bridging visa. Change the assumptions and the total moves.
Our professional fee is fixed, quoted in writing after the consultation, and not included. Health and police figures are typical 2026 costs, not quotes. The Assurance of Support is a security lodged with Services Australia before grant and returned at the end of the period if no recoverable payments were made.
How old will the parent be on release day?
Enter their age and pick a visa. The marker uses the Department's own estimate for a new application, published 31 May 2026. It moves with each year's planning levels, so read it as a horizon.
Read the guide to the visa the pathfinder gave you.
Each guide has the same shape: who it suits, the requirements, every charge and when it falls due, the timeline, and the questions families ask us.
Permanent, offshore, about 33 years, $8,665.
Read the 103 guideSubclass 143Contributory Parent visaPermanent, about 15 years, $49,900.
Read the 143 guideSubclass 173Contributory Parent (Temporary) visaTwo years here, then a reduced charge 143.
Read the 173 guideSubclass 804Aged Parent visaOnshore over 67, bridging visa for the wait, $8,665.
Read the 804 guideSubclass 864Contributory Aged Parent visaOnshore over 67, about 15 years, $49,900.
Read the 864 guideSubclass 884Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visaTwo years here, then a reduced charge 864.
Read the 884 guideSubclass 870Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visaThree or five years, no queue, no residence.
Read the 870 guideOur methodHow we run a parent visa matterFive phases from strategy to grant, across a fifteen year queue.
Read the methodSix corrections we make in almost every first meeting.
The 173 is not a faster 143
It sits in the same queue and is released on the same dates. It splits the charge into two stages and gives two years here with Medicare between them, for slightly more overall.
An onshore 143 does not let the parent stay
No bridging visa comes with a 143 or 173. The parent leaves when the current visa ends and must be outside Australia at grant unless holding a 173.
No further stay means invalid, not refused
Condition 8503 on a visitor visa makes an onshore 804, 864 or 884 application invalid. A waiver needs compelling and compassionate circumstances that arose after grant.
The 870 can close the permanent door
The Department's position: a parent who has already applied for or holds an 870 cannot apply for the 103, 143, 173, 804, 864 or 884.
The big instalment is paid at the end
The $43,600 second instalment on a 143 or 864 is requested at release, around 15 years after lodgement. Plan for it; it is not needed today. The same is true of the bond.
A bridging visa is not Medicare
A parent waiting here on an 804 or 864 can usually live and work, but has no Medicare unless from a reciprocal health care country or after an 884. Over 15 or 33 years, private cover is a real line in the budget.
Parent visas, answered plainly.
Which parent visa is fastest to permanent residence?
The contributory visas: the 143 for a parent overseas or under 67, the 864 for a parent already here and over 67. The Department estimates about 15 years for a new application. The 870 is faster but temporary only.
Can both parents go on one application?
Yes. One is the main applicant and the other is included as a partner. The second parent pays a lower first instalment and the full second instalment, and both must pass health and character.
What if the parents fail the balance of family test?
The six permanent and contributory visas are closed and the 870 is usually the only parent visa left. Some children are excluded from the count, so we test it properly first.
Do we need the $43,600 now?
No. The second instalment and the Assurance of Support are requested at release, around 15 years after lodgement on current estimates.
Can the parents visit while the application waits?
Usually, on visitor visas. The risks are a visitor visa granted with condition 8503 and a pattern of long stays that looks like residence. We plan the visits around the application.
Is the onshore aged parent route closing?
There was public reporting in 2026 of a proposal to stop family visa applications being lodged from a visitor visa. As at September 2026 nothing has been legislated. A parent who is here and eligible should lodge properly rather than wait.
Sources: Department of Home Affairs, the visa pages for each subclass and the Parent visas queue release dates page (as at 31 May 2026); Services Australia for Assurance of Support amounts. Checked 8 September 2026. Charges change every 1 July. General information as at 8 September 2026, not advice on your circumstances.
Bring the pathfinder result to one consultation.
We confirm eligibility, choose the pathway, map the costs by year and give you a fixed fee in writing. In person on St Kilda Road or by video.