Parent Visa 143 vs 103: Which One Is Right for Your Family?

The two permanent parent visas available to most applicants are the Subclass 143 Contributory Parent Visa and the Subclass 103 Parent Visa. On the surface, the 103 looks like the budget option and the 143 looks like the premium one. The reality is considerably more nuanced, and for the vast majority of families in 2026, the choice is effectively made for them by the realities of the queue.

143 vs 103: the fundamental trade-off

The 143 costs significantly more upfront but processes in years. The 103 costs less upfront but takes over 30 years to process under current queue conditions. That is not a trade-off between cost and speed in any meaningful sense. It is a choice between a visa that will realistically be granted in your parent’s lifetime and one that almost certainly will not, at least not for new applicants today.

Both visas lead to the same outcome: permanent residence in Australia with full work rights, Medicare access, and the ability to sponsor other family members. The difference is entirely in the cost to get there and, critically, how long it takes.

Cost comparison: what you actually pay

Subclass 143 fees

The 143 has a two-instalment fee structure. The first instalment is approximately $5,040 per person, payable at lodgement. This sets your queue date. The second instalment of approximately $43,600 per person is payable when the department invites you to finalise your application, typically six to eight years later at current queue rates.

Total cost per person: approximately $48,640. For two parents: approximately $97,280 in visa application charges alone, before factoring in health examinations, police clearances, agent fees, and the Assurance of Support bond.

The Assurance of Support bond is $10,000 for one adult or $14,000 for two adults. This is a bond lodged with Centrelink that is held for 10 years and then released. It is not a fee you lose, but it is cash that is tied up for a decade.

Subclass 103 fees

The 103 has a single upfront fee of approximately $7,345 per person, payable at lodgement. For two parents, that is approximately $14,690. There is no second instalment. The Assurance of Support bond requirements are the same: $10,000 for one adult, $14,000 for two.

The real cost of waiting: why 103 is not as cheap as it looks

The $7,345 fee for the 103 looks far more attractive than the $48,640 for the 143. But consider what you are actually buying with that lower price. The department is currently processing 103 applications lodged in July 2013. A new applicant lodging today will be waiting well into the 2050s. Over a wait that long, most parents will either be deceased, physically unable to migrate, or in circumstances so changed that the visa is irrelevant.

There are also real costs to a 30-year wait that do not appear in the fee schedule. Your parent cannot access Medicare during the queue wait unless they are in Australia on another visa. They cannot access Australian government benefits. If they develop serious health conditions, those conditions may make them ineligible when the queue date is finally reached.

For anyone lodging a 103 today, the honest advice is: lodge it as a hedge if you wish, but do not rely on it as your pathway to bringing your parents to Australia in any realistic timeframe.

Processing time comparison

Current 143 queue timeline

As of March 2026, the department is processing 143 applications with a queue date of November 2018. A new application lodged in mid-2026 would be looking at a queue date gap of approximately seven and a half years, suggesting a grant in the 2031 to 2034 range under current programme settings (see full parent visa processing times).

Approximately 7,250 contributory parent visa places are allocated each year across the 143 and Subclass 864. The pace at which the queue advances depends on how many applications are at each queue date and how many programme places are available each year.

Current 103 queue timeline

As of March 2026, the department is processing 103 applications with a queue date of July 2013. That is a 13-year gap to the current processing date, and new applications are still being accepted and lodged into a queue that now stretches more than 30 years beyond today.

Approximately 1,250 non-contributory parent visa places are allocated each year across the 103 and Subclass 804. The pace of progress is glacial by any measure.

Health coverage and Medicare access

143: Medicare on arrival in Australia

When the Subclass 143 is granted, your parent becomes eligible to enrol in Medicare on arrival in Australia. This is one of the most practically significant differences between the two visas. Medicare access means your parent can access the public health system, bulk-billed GP visits, subsidised medications through the PBS, and public hospital treatment without out-of-pocket costs for most services.

For parents of retirement age, Medicare access is often the single most important feature of permanent residency. Private health insurance premiums for elderly parents can be extraordinarily expensive. Medicare fundamentally changes the financial equation.

103: no Medicare until the visa is granted

For the Subclass 103, your parent does not have Medicare access until the visa is actually granted. During the queue wait (which could be 30 or more years), they are not entitled to Medicare based on holding the 103 application alone. If they are in Australia on a visitor visa or bridging visa during the wait, they will need private health insurance or will face significant out-of-pocket health costs.

For a new 103 applicant, this is somewhat academic given the 30-year wait. They will almost certainly not be waiting in Australia for three decades. But it is worth understanding that the 103 does not provide Medicare access in the way the 143 does.

Other key differences

Private health insurance requirements

Neither the 143 nor the 103 has a mandatory ongoing private health insurance requirement written into the visa conditions in the same way as the Subclass 870. However, if your parent is in Australia on a bridging visa while the permanent application is in the queue, practical necessity means adequate health cover is essential. For 143 applicants who may be onshore during the six to eight year wait, this is a real consideration and a real ongoing cost.

Travel and work rights

Both the 143 and 103 grant the same travel and work rights once granted: full work rights in Australia, and a five-year travel facility from the date of grant (renewable through a Resident Return Visa). There is no difference between the two visas in this respect once the visa is in hand.

During the queue wait, neither visa provides standalone work rights. Your parent’s right to work in Australia during the wait depends on the visa they hold at the time, such as a visitor visa, a bridging visa, or a 870.

Which visa is right for your family?

Choose 143 if…

• Your family can meet the cost of approximately $48,640 per person (either now or over time, given the two-instalment structure).
• Your parents are in reasonable health and realistically expect to be alive and able to migrate in six to eight years.
• Medicare access after grant is important to your family’s planning.
• You want the certainty of a defined (if long) pathway to permanent residence.

Choose 103 if…

• You are lodging primarily to preserve an application date and do not expect to rely on the 103 as the primary pathway.
• Your parent is young enough that a 30-plus year wait is theoretically possible (though this scenario is unusual).
• You want to make a low-cost lodgement as a hedge while pursuing the 143 or another pathway simultaneously.

In practice, lodging a 103 today as a stand-alone strategy makes very little sense for most families. The realistic pathway to bringing parents to Australia in any foreseeable timeframe is the 143, potentially combined with a Subclass 870 as a bridge.

When to consider the 870 instead

If your family cannot afford the 143 fees, or if your parent’s age or health makes a six to eight year wait uncertain, the Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent Visa is worth serious consideration. It processes in approximately seven months, allows your parent to live in Australia for up to 10 years in total, and costs a fraction of the 143. The trade-off is that it does not lead to permanent residence.

Many families use the 870 and the 143 together: lodge the 143 to lock in a queue date, then lodge the 870 so your parent can actually be in Australia during the years the 143 is in the queue. The two applications are independent and do not interfere with each other.

Frequently asked questions

Can I lodge both a 143 and a 103 at the same time for the same parent?

Generally, a parent can only hold one substantive visa application at a time for the same visa class. You would not lodge both a 143 and a 103 simultaneously for the same parent. You choose one pathway. For most families, the 143 is the right choice based on the realities of the 103 queue.

Does the balance of family test apply to both the 143 and 103?

Yes. The balance of family test is a mandatory requirement for both the 143 and the 103. It requires that at least half of your parent’s children are usually resident in Australia, or more of their children are in Australia than in any other single country. This test cannot be waived and is assessed at the time of decision, not at lodgement. Families with children spread across multiple countries should check parent visa eligibility and seek specific advice before lodging.

What happens to my 103 application fees if I later want to switch to a 143?

You cannot “switch” a 103 to a 143. They are separate applications. If you withdraw a 103 application to lodge a 143, the 103 fees are not refunded and your 103 queue date is lost. This is a one-way door. Get the strategy right before you lodge.

If my parent is already quite elderly, should they still lodge a 143?

That depends on their age, health, and how realistic a six to eight year wait is for them. A parent who is 65 today and in good health may well be granted the 143 in their early to mid 70s, which is entirely feasible. A parent who is 78 with significant health conditions faces a different calculation. The age requirement for the aged parent pathway (Subclass 864 or 804) should also be considered for older parents who meet the “aged parent” definition.

Are 143 fees indexed or could they increase before Stage 2 is due?

Yes. Visa application charges are indexed periodically by the government. The second instalment of the 143, payable at Stage 2 some years after lodgement, will almost certainly be higher in dollar terms than the current figure of approximately $43,600. Budget conservatively and do not lock in financial plans based on today’s fees for a payment that may not fall due for six to eight years.