Australian parent visa
Bring your parents to Australia. We tell you honestly which route is worth the money, and which one you will not live to see granted.
Three routes, three very different waits
An Australian parent visa is not one product. The gap between the cheapest and the fastest is close to two decades.
Contributory
SUBCLASS 143 AND 864- Permanent residence, Medicare, work rights
- Around 12 to 15 years from lodgement
- 864 is lodged onshore, 143 from anywhere
Non-contributory
SUBCLASS 103 AND 804- A fraction of the cost, same end result
- Queue currently releasing 2013 lodgements
- Realistically a 30 year wait, not a plan
Sponsored temporary
SUBCLASS 870- Decided in roughly four to eight months
- Three or five years per grant, ten in total
- No permanent residence, no Medicare
Most families we act for lodge a contributory application and run a subclass 870 alongside it, so the parents are here while the queue moves.
Four gates every application must pass
An Australian parent visa is refused at one of four points. Three of them can be checked before you spend a rupee.
Balance of family
At least half your children live permanently in Australia, or more live there than in any other one country.
The sponsor
A child aged 18 or over, settled in Australia as a citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealander.
Assurance of support
A bond lodged with Centrelink and held for ten years on the contributory route, two on the others.
Health and character
A panel physician medical and police clearances, taken years after lodgement when the file is released.
Balance of family is the one that stops most families. If it fails, no amount of money fixes it.
What it really costs
An Australian parent visa on the contributory route is paid in two parts, years apart, plus a bond that is not a fee at all.
At lodgement
About AUD 5,040 for the first parent on the contributory route, less for a second applicant. This is what starts the clock.
Before grant
AUD 43,600 per adult applicant, invoiced only when the file is released. A couple pays roughly AUD 95,000 in charges all up.
The bond
AUD 10,000 for one parent, 14,000 for a couple. Refundable after ten years if no welfare is claimed. It is not our fee or the Department's.
How we run it
Four stages, spread over years. We hold the file for the whole of it.
Balance of family and route
We map where every child lives, run the test, and tell you whether the contributory route, a subclass 870, or both together makes sense.
Lodgement
Sponsorship and application prepared and lodged together, with the first instalment paid, so your queue date is locked in as early as possible.
The wait, managed
We track queue releases, keep your contact details current with the Department, and handle passport renewals, address changes and family events.
Release, then grant
When the file is called up we arrange medicals, police checks and the assurance of support, then the second instalment and the grant.
Common questions
Is a parent visa worth 43,600 dollars?
What is the balance of family test?
Can my parents wait in Australia?
How long does an Australian parent visa really take?
What happens if a parent dies in the queue?
Free Australian parent visa assessment
- We run the balance of family test on your family
- We tell you which route your parents' age actually allows
- You get the full cost, both instalments and the bond
- You hear the realistic wait, not the brochure figure
No obligation, and confidential.
Send us your details
We reply within one working day.
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Before you commit fifteen years, spend twenty minutes
The balance of family test takes us one phone call to run. It decides everything else.
Charges are indexed each July and queue release dates move monthly. Figures checked 3 September 2026.