Parent Visas
Bringing a parent to Australia involves choosing between several subclasses that trade off cost against waiting time. The Family Migration Program is capped and queued, so the subclass you choose at the start has a real effect on how long your parent waits — understanding the options properly before lodging matters.
Worth knowing: the Government announced on 17 September 2026 its intention to expand Condition 8503 (“No Further Stay”) to all future Visitor visa grants. No start date has been announced yet. Nothing changes today, and it doesn’t affect visas already granted. It’s simply a reminder that checking a parent’s current visa conditions is a standard part of confirming eligibility for the Aged Parent (804) or Contributory Aged Parent (864), since both can only be lodged onshore — see those pages for the detail.
The Balance of Family Test
Every permanent parent visa — except the temporary Sponsored Parent visa (870) — requires your parent to pass the Balance of Family Test: at least half of their children must live permanently in Australia, or more of their children must live in Australia than in any other single country. This is worth checking before you commit to a pathway, since it affects eligibility for every option below except the 870.
Choose a pathway
Contributory Parent
The fastest realistic route to permanent residence for a parent, in exchange for a significantly higher fee. The 173 offers a staged, lower-upfront-cost route into the 143.
Read the detailsContributory Aged Parent
The contributory pathway for parents who have already reached Australian Age Pension age — currently 67. Faster than the non-contributory Aged Parent visa, for a higher fee.
Read the detailsParent (Non-contributory)
The lower-cost permanent option — but the queue is measured in decades, not years. Worth understanding fully before lodging.
Read the detailsAged Parent (Non-contributory)
The lower-cost permanent option for parents who have reached Age Pension age and are already in Australia. Same long queue as the 103.
Read the detailsSponsored Parent (Temporary)
Not a path to permanent residence, and the only parent visa that does not require the Balance of Family Test. Allows a parent to stay in Australia for 3 or 5 years at a time, up to 10 years total — often used as a practical bridge while a permanent application sits in the queue.
Read the detailsThe cost-versus-wait trade-off
Choosing the wrong subclass is the single costliest mistake we see in parent migration — a non-contributory application can sit in queue for longer than a parent’s remaining lifetime, while a contributory application costs substantially more but moves in years rather than decades. Fees are also indexed annually and queue positions shift, so any figures quoted online — including on this site — should be confirmed as current before you commit. We assess your family’s specific situation before recommending a subclass, rather than defaulting to the most commonly chosen option.