who is this visa for?

This visa is for parents of children who are Australian Permanent Residents or Citizens that wish to live permanently in Australia.


Visa Options

Parent Visas

Persons wishing to enter or remain in Australia under the Parent Migration Programme must have a child who is either an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident. This child must be an eligible sponsor, and the balance of family criteria must be met.


    In order to satisfy the Balance of Family test, at least half of the applicant's children must live permanently in Australia, or, more of the applicant's children must live permanently in Australia than in any other country.

    Permanent Parent Visa options include:

    1. Parent (S103) Visa - Whilst inexpensive ($4,990) in comparison to the contributory visa option, current processing times (up to 29 years) mean that this visa is only feasible for younger parents wanting to migrate to Australia at a much later date.

2. Contributory Parent (S143) Visa - This visa has the advantage of being processed relatively quickly in comparison to the subclass 103 (Parent) visa (12 years vs 29 years) however the Department of Home Affairs requires that all each applicant pay a non-refundable visa application fee of AUD$43,600 before being granted the permanent visa.

Note: Applicants may consider applying for a temporary Contributory Parent visa (subclass 173), however, an application fee of $19,420 per applicant does apply. After arriving in Australia on a subclass 173 visa the holder has two years to apply for a Permanent Contributory Parent visa. In this way, the costs of the Contributory Parent migration can be spread over a number of years.

3. Aged Parent (S804) Visa - Aged Parent visas are available to applicants of Australian pension age at the time that they apply. The subclass 804 visa is the less expensive of the Aged Parent visa options ($4,990) and may be applied for in Australia. Though processing is currently taking up to 29 years, applicants are granted a Bridging Visa upon lodgement and may remain in Australia for the duration of processing.

4. Contributory Aged Parent (S864) Visa - Simlar to the above, this visa is only available to applicants of Australian pension age at the time that they apply. The subclass 864 visa has the advantage of being processed relatively quickly in comparison to the subclass 804 (Aged Parent) visa (12 years vs 29 years) however the Department of Home Affairs requires that all each applicant pay a non-refundable visa application fee of AUD$43,600 before being granted the visa. Applicants for the subclass 864 visa are granted a Bridging visa so that they may remain in Australia during the processing of the application.

Note: Applicants may consider applying for a temporary Contributory Aged Parent (S884) visa first, however, an fee of $29,130 per applicant applies. The holder then has two years to apply for a Permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa. In this way, the costs of obtaining the subclass 864 visa can be spread over a number of years.

Due to the considerable costs and/ or processing delays associated with permanent parent visas, the Australian Migration Advisory recommends that applicants consult with an experienced Migration Agent before proceeding.

Additional requirements may apply
contact us for more information

Obligations as a Parent Visa Holder

This is a Permanent visa allowing the holder to remain in Australia indefinitely. There are no work or study restrictions placed upon this visa.