Parent Visas

Parent Visas

Parents of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who passes the “Balance of Family” (BoF) test can be sponsored to migrate to Australia. The BoF test is aimed at determining the extent of ties to Australia. You must have at least half of your children live permanently in Australia, or more of your children must be Australian permanent residents than in any other country.

There are six categories for parent visa, which generally has the exact requirements. The Contributory Parent visa option allows you to pay a much higher application charge for a faster processing time.

Parent visa (subclass 103)

This is a permanent visa that lets eligible parents move to Australia.

• Must have the assurance of support unless applying for the visa as a retiree.
• Due to the significant demand for this visa and the limited places, the waiting queue could take up to 30 years to have this visa decided.

Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870)

This temporary visa lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live in Australia for 3 or 5 years. This visa can only be applied for a maximum of two times.

• Must have an approved Parent Sponsor before you can apply for this visa
• Must have the assurance of support unless applying for the visa as a retiree.
• Can re-apply for further Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas to visit up to a maximum period of 10 years in Australia
• Cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or held this visa

Contributory Parent visa (subclass 173 and 143)

The Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa subclass 173 allows parents to live in Australia temporarily for up to 2 years, whereas the Contributory Parent (Migrant) visa subclass 143 lets the parents migrate to Australia permanently.

The parents must:

• Meet the BoF test.
• Have to pay substantially higher visa application charges
• Wait for the application process time, which is approximately four to seven years.

Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 884 and 864)

The Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa subclass 884 lets older parents over 65 years of age live in Australia temporarily for up to two years, whereas the Contributory Aged Parent (Residence) visa subclass 864 lets the parents migrate to Australia permanently.

The parents must:

• Meet the BoF test.
• Have to pay substantially higher visa application charges.
• Wait for the application process time, which is approximately four years.