Australian Parent Visa Eligibility: Do You and Your Parent Qualify?

Who can apply for an Australian parent visa?

Australian parent visa eligibility has two sides: the sponsor (the Australian-based child) and the visa applicant (the parent). Both must satisfy their respective requirements before an application can proceed. Getting clarity on both sets of criteria before lodgement is essential. Visa application fees are not refunded on refusal, and for the contributory visas, that means up to $5,040 per person is at risk if you lodge without confirming eligibility first.

There are four permanent parent visa subclasses and one temporary option. The right one depends primarily on the parent’s age, the family’s financial position, and how long you can realistically wait: our guide to choosing the right parent visa walks through that decision. This article covers the eligibility rules that apply across all of them.

Sponsor eligibility requirements

The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen. Eligible NZ citizens are those who hold a Special Category Visa (SCV) and have been lawfully resident in Australia for at least two continuous years immediately before sponsoring.

Temporary visa holders cannot sponsor a parent for a permanent parent visa. If you are currently on a skilled temporary visa, a partner visa that has not yet been granted permanently, a student visa, or any other temporary status, you will need to obtain permanent residency before you can sponsor.

The sponsor must also be settled in Australia. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis but essentially means Australia must be your usual place of residence. If you have only recently arrived or spend the majority of your time overseas, the Department may question whether Australia is genuinely your home.

There is no minimum income requirement for sponsoring a permanent parent visa. The financial obligation is met through the Assurance of Support, which is a bond requirement, not an ongoing income test.

Parent eligibility requirements

Age requirements: standard vs aged parent visas

The parent visa stream available depends on the parent’s age:

• Standard stream (under 67): the Subclass 143 Contributory Parent Visa or the Subclass 103 Parent Visa
• Aged parent stream (67 or older): the Subclass 864 Contributory Aged Parent Visa or the Subclass 804 Aged Parent Visa

The “aged parent” classification is based on Australian pension age, which is currently 67. Age is assessed at the time of application. If a parent turns 67 after lodging a 103 or 143, they cannot automatically transfer to the aged parent stream. They would need to lodge a new application under the 804 or 864.

The aged parent visas (804 and 864) have one additional requirement not applicable to the standard stream: the parent must be in Australia at the time of visa grant. This means the parent needs to hold a valid visa to be lawfully in Australia throughout the waiting period and at grant time.

Relationship to the sponsor

The applicant must be the parent of the sponsoring Australian citizen or permanent resident. “Parent” includes biological parents, legal adoptive parents, and step-parents where a genuine parent-child relationship exists or existed.

The Department will request documentary evidence of the relationship: typically the sponsor’s birth certificate showing the parent’s name. For adoptive and step-parent relationships, additional documents are required to establish the legal or factual basis of the relationship.

Balance of family test

The balance of family test is the eligibility requirement that eliminates the most applicants. Your parent must pass it before a permanent visa can be granted.

The test has two limbs. Your parent passes if either is satisfied:

1. At least half of their eligible children usually reside in Australia, or
2. More of their eligible children usually reside in Australia than in any other single country.

Eligible children include biological, adopted, and step-children. Deceased children are excluded. Children on temporary visas in Australia do not count as “usually resident in Australia” for this test, even if they have lived here for years. Only children with permanent residency, citizenship, or equivalent long-term settled status count.

This test cannot be waived. If your parent does not pass it, no permanent parent visa is available. The Subclass 870 temporary visa is the only option that does not require the balance of family test.

Health requirements

All parent visa applicants must meet Australia’s health requirement. This involves a medical examination by a Department-approved panel physician. The examination includes a general health assessment, blood tests, and a chest X-ray. Additional testing may be required depending on age and health history.

Australia applies a public interest criterion that assesses whether an applicant’s health condition would be likely to result in significant healthcare or community service costs, or would prejudice the access of Australian citizens and residents to those services. For older applicants with chronic conditions, this assessment is more closely scrutinised.

A health waiver exists in limited circumstances, most commonly for applicants with a disability where the costs are below a certain threshold and there are compelling reasons to grant the visa despite the health concern. Waivers are not routinely available and should not be assumed.

Medical examination results are valid for 12 months. For applications with a long queue time (which applies to all permanent parent visas), the medical will need to be repeated when the application approaches finalisation.

Character requirements

Your parent must satisfy Australia’s character requirement. This means:

• No substantial criminal record (generally, no sentences of 12 months or more)
• No history of conduct that would suggest the applicant is not of good character
• Police clearance certificates from every country where the parent has lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years

If your parent has a criminal conviction, the outcome depends on the nature and seriousness of the offence, how long ago it occurred, and evidence of subsequent conduct. It does not automatically result in refusal but does require careful handling. Seek advice from a registered migration agent if there is any criminal history.

Financial requirements

The primary financial requirement is the Assurance of Support (AoS). The AoS is not paid at lodgement. It is arranged when the application is close to being finalised, which for the 143 and 864 is approximately seven to eight years after lodgement from today (see current parent visa processing times).

The bond amounts are:

• $10,000 for one adult applicant
• $14,000 for two adult applicants (typically both parents applying together)

The bond is lodged with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and held for 10 years. If no social security payments are claimed against it during that period, the full amount is returned. It is a contingency bond, not a payment.

For the Subclass 870 temporary visa, the sponsor must meet an income threshold of $83,454.80, which can be combined with a partner’s income. This is the only parent visa stream with an ongoing income requirement for the sponsor.

Which visa matches your situation?

Frequently asked questions

Can a grandparent apply for an Australian parent visa?

No. Parent visas are limited to the direct parent of the sponsoring Australian citizen or permanent resident. Grandparents do not qualify unless they have legally adopted the sponsoring child. A grandparent who was not the primary caregiver and was not legally the applicant’s parent cannot be sponsored through the parent visa program.

My parent was a stepparent but we were not formally adopted. Can they still apply?

Possibly. Step-parents can qualify where there is evidence of a genuine parent-child relationship, even without a legal adoption. The Department assesses whether the relationship is genuine based on factors such as when the step-parent entered the child’s life, whether they lived together, and whether they acted in the role of parent. Evidence of the genuine relationship, such as statutory declarations, photographs, school records, and other documents, is important.

What if my parent’s health condition makes them likely to be refused?

It is worth getting advice before lodging. In some cases, a health waiver application can be made alongside the visa application. The waiver is not guaranteed but may succeed depending on the nature of the condition and the circumstances. Lodging without considering the health waiver strategy, or without advice, risks a refusal that could have been avoided or better managed.

Can my parent apply from outside Australia?

For the Subclass 143 and 103, yes. These visas can be lodged and granted while the applicant is offshore. For the 864 and 804 (aged parent visas), the parent must be in Australia at the time of grant. This means aged parent applicants generally need to hold a lawful visa to remain in Australia during the waiting period and at the time the visa is finalised.