Aged Parent Visa (Non-contributory)
The lower-cost permanent option for parents who have reached Australian Age Pension age and are already in Australia. It shares most requirements with the standard Parent visa (103), with the key advantage that your parent can remain in Australia on a bridging visa while the application is processed — though, like the 103, the queue is currently measured in decades.
Who can apply
- Your parent has reached Australian Age Pension age (currently 67)
- Your parent is the parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 or over
- Your parent is sponsored by their child, or in some cases another eligible relative
- Your parent’s current visa doesn’t carry a “No Further Stay” condition (such as Condition 8503) — since this visa can only be lodged onshore, we confirm this before proceeding
- Your parent meets health and character requirements
- An Assurance of Support is arranged, including the associated bond
- Your parent passes the Balance of Family Test (the temporary Sponsored Parent visa, subclass 870, is the only parent visa that doesn’t require it)
The bridging visa detail that matters
Because this is an onshore-only visa, your parent can stay in Australia on a Bridging Visa while their application works through the queue — but most parents on a bridging visa don’t have access to Medicare (there are exceptions for residents of some countries with reciprocal health care agreements, such as the UK and New Zealand), so private health cover is worth budgeting for across a long wait.
What’s involved
- An Assurance of Support (AoS) application lodged with Services Australia
- A government application fee, payable at lodgement, substantially lower than the contributory equivalent
- Health examinations and police checks for your parent
- Planning health cover for your parent for the duration of the wait
Same cost trap as the 103
The same honest conversation applies here as for the 103 — a multi-decade queue means this visa may outlast its usefulness for your family. We’ll walk you through the Contributory Aged Parent (864) alternative side by side, so the choice is informed rather than assumed.