Contributory Parent Visa
The most commonly chosen permanent pathway for parents, because it moves in years rather than decades. It comes with a substantially higher government fee than the non-contributory equivalent — the trade-off is a much shorter, though still lengthy, queue. Subclass 173 offers a staged version: a two-year temporary visa first, spreading the cost, before transitioning to the permanent 143.
Who can apply
- 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 sponsor meets the Department’s sponsorship and (where applicable) income requirements
- 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 143 vs. the 173 — which one first?
The 173 lets your parent live in Australia on a temporary visa while paying the cost in two stages, transitioning to the permanent 143 before the temporary visa expires. The 143 is a single permanent application. Which is right depends on your parent’s cash flow and whether they want to be in Australia sooner on a temporary basis — we talk this through case by case.
What’s involved
- An Assurance of Support (AoS) application lodged with Services Australia — the sponsor must meet an income threshold, indexed annually
- A substantial second-instalment government fee, payable when the visa is about to be granted
- Health examinations and police checks for your parent
- Ongoing monitoring of your place in the contributory queue
The AoS bond is the detail people miss
The Assurance of Support bond is refundable at the end of the support period only if your parent doesn’t claim recoverable Centrelink benefits — and the sponsor can be held liable for repaying those payments. We walk every sponsor through exactly what they’re committing to before lodging, not after.