Bring Your Parents to Australia – Permanently or for Longer Stays

Can I Bring My Parents to Australia Permanently?

Quick answer: Yes. If you are an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been living lawfully in Australia (generally for at least two years), you can sponsor your parents for a permanent parent visa, provided they pass the balance of family test and meet health and character requirements. You choose between cheaper non-contributory visas with a wait of around 42 years and contributory visas costing about AUD 49,900 per parent with a wait of around 18 years.

Many families also use temporary options – the Sponsored Parent visa (870) or a longer-validity visitor visa – so parents can spend real time in Australia while a permanent application sits in the queue.

Australian Parent Visa Options at a Glance

Waiting times: Home Affairs estimates for new applications, published with queue data as at 31 August 2026. Costs: 2026–27 visa application charges.

Parent Visa Eligibility in Australia

Sponsor requirements

• Be the child (or the child’s partner) of the parent, aged 18 or over.
• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
• Be settled in Australia – generally living there lawfully for at least two years.

If I get PR in Australia, can I bring my parents? Yes. Once you hold permanent residence and are settled, you can sponsor them for a permanent parent visa, provided they meet the balance of family test.

The balance of family test

Every permanent parent visa uses the balance of family test. Your parents pass if at least half of their children live permanently in Australia, or if more of their children live permanently in Australia than in any other single country.

• One child in Australia, one in the UK: passes – half the children are in Australia.
• One child in Australia, two in the UK: fails – more children live in the UK.
• Two children in Australia, one in India, one in Canada: passes.

Aged parent visas

The 804, 864 and 884 visas are for parents who have reached Australian Age Pension age, currently 67. These are lodged while the parent is in Australia. Parents under 67 use the 103, 143 or 173 instead.

Parent Visa Australia Cost (2026–27)

Additional applicants pay their own charges. The second instalment for permanent parent visas is only requested near the end of processing. Charges rise every 1 July, so confirm figures with the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before lodging.

Assurance of Support

All permanent parent visas need an Assurance of Support (AoS): a commitment by an assurer, usually the sponsoring child, to repay certain government payments, backed by a bond with the Commonwealth Bank.

• Contributory (143, 864): 10 years; AUD 10,000 for the main applicant plus AUD 4,000 for each additional adult.
• Non-contributory (103, 804): 4 years; AUD 5,000 for the main applicant plus AUD 2,000 for each additional adult.

Parent Visa Australia Waiting Time

All permanent parent visas are capped and queued. For 2026–27 the government set 7,060 Parent places, down from 8,500 the year before.

Source: Home Affairs parent visa queue release dates, as at 31 August 2026. New-application estimates: about 18 years (contributory) and 42 years (non-contributory).

Home Affairs has a process for switching from a non-contributory to a contributory parent visa before a decision, which may let families keep their original queue date.

The 10-Year Parent Visa Australia: Subclass 870

The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa – subclass 870 is what most people mean by the “10 year parent visa Australia”. It lets a parent stay for 3 or 5 years per visa, up to 10 years in total.

• 10 year parent visa Australia cost: AUD 6,370 for 3 years or AUD 12,440 for 5 years, plus a AUD 420 sponsorship fee.
• Sponsor: must first be approved as a parent sponsor, with taxable income of at least AUD 83,454.80.
• Conditions: no work rights, no Medicare, private health insurance required, and no direct pathway to permanent residence.
• No balance of family test is required for the 870.

Many families lodge a permanent parent visa to secure a queue date, then use the 870 so their parents can live in Australia while they wait.

5-Year Multiple-Entry Visitor Visa for Parents

Parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents can be granted a longer-validity Visitor visa (subclass 600), applied for from outside Australia:

• Up to 5 years for parents outside Australia who are in the Parent (103) queue;
• Up to 3 years for parents who are not yet in the queue;
• 18 months for parents who have never travelled to Australia.

Each stay is limited to 12 months, with no more than 12 months in Australia in any 18-month period, and these visas usually carry a “No Further Stay” condition. UK passport holders making shorter trips can usually use the eVisitor visa (651).

Onshore Parent Visas and Bridging Visas

• 804 and 864: lodged in Australia; a Bridging Visa A usually lets the parent stay while the application is processed.
• Travel while waiting: an aged parent on a bridging visa needs a Bridging Visa B before leaving Australia, or they may not be able to return.
• 103 and direct 143: no bridging visa is granted, so parents must hold another valid visa when in Australia.
• “No Further Stay” (8503): a parent whose visitor visa has this condition generally cannot lodge an onshore parent visa unless it is waived.

Medicare and Work Rights for Parents

Medicare: all permanent parent visa holders can enrol in Medicare once the visa is granted. Before grant, Services Australia says 173 and 884 holders can enrol; direct 143 and 864 applicants cannot; and 103 and 804 applicants can enrol after lodgement only if they come from a reciprocal health care agreement country – the UK is one of these countries.

Parent visa with work rights Australia: every permanent parent visa allows the holder to work once granted. The 870 does not allow work, and work rights on a bridging visa depend on the visa held before applying.

Grandparents, Single Parents and “Super Visa” Questions

• Grandparents visa Australia: Australia has no separate grandparent visa. Grandparents can visit on a visitor visa, or come as parents of their own Australian child using the visas above.
• Single parent: there is no single parent visa; a single parent applies for the same parent visas, and the balance of family test still applies.
• Australia super visa: Australia does not have a “super visa” like Canada’s; the closest equivalent is the 870 Sponsored Parent visa.
• Other relatives: see the Aged Dependent Relative visa (114), Remaining Relative visa (115) and Carer visa.

Retiring to Australia from the UK

Many UK enquiries come from parents over 60 whose son or daughter lives in Australia. Australia no longer offers a retirement visa to new applicants, and most skilled visas have an age limit of 45, so a parent visa is usually the main route for older UK applicants with a child in Australia.

• Age Pension: a parent visa does not give an immediate Australian pension – it normally needs at least 10 years of Australian residence.
• UK State Pension: it can be paid in Australia, but annual increases are not applied to UK pensions paid there. Check with the UK Pension Service.
• Healthcare: plan private health cover until Medicare eligibility starts.

What Changed for Australian Parent Visas in 2026?

• Online lodgement: since 22 April 2026, the 103, 143, 804 and 864 must be lodged online through ImmiAccount; the 173 and 884 remain paper applications.
• Fewer places: 7,060 Parent places for 2026–27, down from 8,500.
• Longer estimates: about 18 years for contributory and 42 years for non-contributory new applications.
• Higher fees: visa charges rose on 1 July 2026.

Benefits of a Permanent Parent Visa

• Live in Australia permanently with children and grandchildren.
• Work and study without restriction.
• Enrol in Medicare.
• Travel freely for 5 years from grant.
• Apply for Australian citizenship once residence requirements are met.

See our guide to Australian permanent residency for the full list of rights.

How GIEC Global’s Parent Visa Consultants Help

Parent migration to Australia is a long-term family decision with large costs, so the right route matters from day one. As an Australia immigration consultant supporting families in the UK and Australia, GIEC Global’s immigration consultants:

• check the balance of family test, ages and visa conditions before you pay anything;
• compare permanent and temporary parent visas for your budget and timeline;
• prepare and lodge complete applications online or on paper;
• plan visits, bridging visas and health cover during the wait; and
• guide sponsors through the Assurance of Support and final processing.

Explore more on our Migrate to Australia page or read our Australia immigration FAQs.

Reviewed by the GIEC Global Australia immigration team. Queue and processing data reflects Home Affairs figures as at 31 August 2026; Medicare and Assurance of Support details reflect Services Australia and Department of Social Services guidance. Last reviewed October 2026. Visa rules and charges change regularly – always confirm details on official government websites before applying.