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Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa applicants must:

• be sponsored by a person who is an approved parent sponsor
• be at least 18 years of age
• be outside Australia (unless invited in writing to apply by the Department), for at least 90 days if the applicant holds or has previously held a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa
• be an Australian citizen/permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been usually resident in Australia for four years
• provide evidence of health insurance
• not have an outstanding public health debt (unless appropriate arrangements have been made to repay the debt)
• satisfy health, character, and national security requirements.
• sponsors will need to have a taxable income of at least $83,454.80
• Unlike permanent Parent visas, there is no Balance of Family Test requirement for this visa, meaning a visa applicant is not required to have more than half of their children residing in Australia.

The visa application charge is:

• $5,000 for a visa of up to three years’ duration; or
• $10,000 for a visa of up to five years’ duration.

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Scenario 1

• You are applying outside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident

Visa option: Parent Visa (subclass 103)

To apply for a Parent Visa (subclass 103), a parent must:

• Meet the balance of family test
• Meet health and character requirements
• Have a sponsor

Processing time

• Up to 30 years

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Scenario 2:

• You are applying outside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to live in Australia for up to 2 years as a temporary resident
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for faster processing

Visa option: Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 173)

To apply for a Contributory Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 173), a parent must:

• have a sponsor
• meet the balance of family test
• meet health and character requirements.

Applying either in or outside Australia

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Scenario 3:

• You are applying either inside or outside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for faster processing

Visa option: Contributory Parent Visa (subclass 143)

To apply for a Contributory Parent Visa (subclass 143), a parent must:

• meet the balance of family test
• have an assurance of support
• meet health and character requirements
• have a sponsor.

Processing time

We process applications for this visa in date of lodgement order and according to the planning levels set in the Migration Programme each year. Given the ongoing strong demand for this visa processing times might vary between programme years.

If you hold the Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173) and you would like to stay in Australia permanently, you can apply for the Permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) before your temporary visa expires.

Applying in Australia

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Scenario 4:

• You are applying inside Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia
• You want to become a permanent Australian resident
• You meet age requirements

Visa option: Aged Parent Visa (subclass 804)

To apply for an Aged Parent visa (subclass 804), a parent must:

• meet the age requirements
• meet the balance of family test
• meet health and character requirements
• have a sponsor.

Processing time

Up to 30 years

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Scenario 5:

• You are applying in Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia and you want to live in Australia for up to 2 years as a temporary resident
• You meet age requirements
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges for faster processing

Visa option: Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 884)

To apply for the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) Visa (subclass 884), a parent must:

• meet age requirements
• meet the balance-of-family test
• have a sponsor.

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Scenario 6:

• You are applying in Australia
• You have a child who lives in Australia and you want to become a permanent Australian resident
• You meet age requirements
• You are prepared to pay higher visa application charges

Visa option: Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 864)

To apply for the Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 864), a parent must:

• meet age requirements
• meet the balance-of-family test
• meet health and character requirements
• have an assurance of support
• have a sponsor.

If you hold a Temporary Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclass 884) and you would like to stay in Australia permanently, you can apply for a permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 864) before your temporary visa expires.

Actual processing times are dependent on a number of factors

Assurances of support can be required for a number of visa types. Simply stated, an assurance of support is an agreement to financially assist a migrating family if necessary, to ensure that cost to the Australian taxpayer is minimised. The assurer agrees to repay social security payments claimed by the visa applicant or members of the family migrating to Australia. These payments include:

The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection might limit how many people can get a certain type of visa each year. This limiting of visa is called capping.

Parent and Aged Parent category visas are subject to capping. Contributory Parent category visas are not currently capped.

If you are applying for a visa that has reached the capping limit, you must wait in a queue until more visa places become available. This might be for many years and you will have to continue to meet all visa requirements.

See > Capping and queuing