Choosing the Right Australian Parent Visa: A Decision Framework

Australia offers five distinct parent visa pathways. Each one has a different cost, waiting time, eligibility test, and set of ongoing conditions. Choosing the wrong one does not just cost money. It can mean your parent waits years longer than necessary, or spends years outside Australia when they could have been here.

This guide walks through the key decision factors clearly and honestly. I am Andrew Heathcote, a registered migration agent with over 15 years of experience handling parent visas. This is the framework I use with clients.

Why the right strategy matters more than you think

Parent visa decisions have consequences that play out over decades. The Subclass 143, for example, involves lodging an application that will sit in a queue for 12 to 15 years before it progresses to the second stage. The wrong choice made at lodgement cannot easily be undone. Similarly, committing to the Subclass 103 rather than the 143 to save the initial application fee means a 30-plus-year wait instead of 12-to-15. That is not a theoretical difference.

The decisions made now, including whether to also apply for a Subclass 870 while waiting, will shape your family’s life for a long time. Getting it right at the start is worth the investment.

The full landscape: all five parent visa options

Annual places across the entire parent visa program are approximately 8,500: roughly 7,250 contributory places (143 and 864) and 1,250 non-contributory places (103 and 804). The 870 has a separate cap of 15,000 grants per year.

Decision factor 1: how urgently does your parent need to be in Australia?

If urgency is the primary driver, the permanent visa queues are not the answer. The fastest permanent visa pathway still takes over a decade. See current parent visa processing times for the queue dates behind that. If your parent needs to be in Australia within the next one to three years, the only viable option is the Subclass 870 or a visitor visa arrangement while a longer-term strategy is built.

If urgency is moderate, meaning the parent wants to be in Australia within two to five years, the 870 can get them here quickly and the permanent visa application can run in parallel. This is the 870-plus-143 combination strategy and it is the most commonly recommended approach for families with reasonable financial resources.

If the family is playing a long game and the parent is happy to wait abroad until the permanent visa is granted, lodging the permanent visa now and waiting is a viable path, provided the balance of family test and other eligibility rules are met.

Decision factor 2: what can you afford?

Budget scenarios by visa type

The cost difference between the contributory and non-contributory permanent visas is stark. The Subclass 143 costs approximately $48,640 per person across both instalments. The Subclass 103 costs approximately $7,345 per person. The non-contributory option saves roughly $41,000 per parent.

But the 103’s 30-plus-year wait compared to 12-to-15 years for the 143 means the parent will likely never see the visa granted if they are already in their 50s or 60s. The apparent saving is illusory for most families. Paying the higher contributory fee is usually the right financial decision when the alternative is waiting 30 years.

For the 870, the upfront government fees are low. The ongoing cost is private health insurance, which is mandatory. For an older parent, this can be several thousand dollars per year. Over a decade, the health insurance cost can approach or exceed the second instalment of the 143.

Families pursuing the 870-plus-143 strategy need to budget for: the 143 first instalment now (~$5,040), ongoing 870 health insurance for up to 10 years, and the 143 second instalment (~$43,600) when invited.

Decision factor 3: your parent’s age and health situation

Age affects several things. The Aged Parent visas (Subclass 864 onshore and Subclass 804 onshore) require the parent to be of pension age. If the parent is not yet pension age, only the 143 and 103 are available as permanent options, plus the 870 as a temporary option.

Health is a factor for every parent visa application. All permanent and temporary parent visas require a health examination. Parents with significant medical conditions may face health requirement complications. The contributory visas do not waive the health requirement, and meeting it is a condition of grant.

For the 870, health must be met at each renewal. A parent whose health is currently good but may deteriorate over a 10-year bridge period faces real risk of failing the health examination at a later renewal.

Decision factor 4: will your parent pass the balance of family test?

The balance of family test is required for all four permanent parent visa subclasses. It cannot be waived. The test requires that at least half of the parent’s children who are still living must reside permanently in Australia, or that more of the parent’s children live in Australia than in any other single country.

For families spread across multiple countries, this test can be the decisive barrier. If the parent has four children and only one lives in Australia while three live in the UK, the test fails. No amount of sponsorship or financial contribution overcomes a failed balance of family test for the permanent visas.

This is where the Subclass 870 becomes genuinely important. The balance of family test does not apply to the 870. For parents who cannot pass the test, the 870 may be the only realistic path to spending meaningful time in Australia.

The 870-then-143 combination strategy

For most families with adequate financial resources, the recommended approach is to lodge the 143 now to secure a queue position, then apply for the 870 to get the parent to Australia in the interim. The 870’s 10-year maximum allows the parent to spend up to a decade in Australia while the 143 queue moves.

This strategy works best when the family lodged the 143 application some years ago (reducing the remaining wait below 10 years), when the sponsor consistently meets the $83,454.80 income threshold, and when the parent’s health allows for health insurance at a reasonable premium.

For newly lodging families, the 10-year 870 cap will run out before the 143 is granted, meaning a gap period will need to be managed. This is a real limitation of the strategy and should be planned for, not ignored.

When a registered migration agent makes a real difference

Parent visa decisions have long consequences and significant costs. The interaction between the balance of family test, the queue dates, the 870 cap, the Assurance of Support bond ($10,000 for one adult, $14,000 for two adults), and the health requirements means there are many variables to get right simultaneously.

A registered migration agent can assess your specific family circumstances, identify whether the balance of family test is met, calculate which combination of visas makes sense, manage the applications, and ensure documents are prepared correctly. Errors on a parent visa application are not easily fixed after lodgement.

Since 22 April 2026, all permanent parent visa applications lodge online via ImmiAccount, which has changed some procedural aspects of the process. Getting advice from an agent who is current with those changes matters.

Frequently asked questions

Can my parent apply for both a permanent parent visa and the 870 at the same time?

Yes. The 870 and any of the permanent parent visas are independent applications. Holding or applying for the 870 does not affect a pending permanent visa application. Many families run both simultaneously.

What is the Assurance of Support bond and does it apply to the 870?

The Assurance of Support (AoS) is a financial bond required for permanent parent visa grants. It is $10,000 for one adult and $14,000 for two adults, held with a bank for 10 years after the visa is granted. It is not required for the 870. If the parent later transitions to a permanent parent visa, the AoS will apply at that point.

What if my parent cannot pass the balance of family test but I still want them here permanently?

If the balance of family test cannot be met, none of the four permanent parent visas are available. The 870 is the only pathway for extended stays. The 870 cannot lead to permanent residence, so unless the family’s circumstances change (for example, other children relocate to Australia), permanent residence through a parent visa may not be achievable. This is a hard reality that is better understood early than discovered after years of planning.

Is the Subclass 864 the same as the 143 but for older parents?

They are similar but not the same. The Subclass 864 is the onshore version of the contributory parent visa, meaning the parent must be in Australia when they apply. The Subclass 143 can be applied for onshore or offshore. Both cost approximately $48,640 per person and have similar processing times. The key distinction is where the parent is at time of application.

How do I know which permanent visa to lodge if my parent is overseas?

For a parent who is not of pension age and is outside Australia, the Subclass 143 is typically the relevant option. For a parent of pension age outside Australia, the 143 is still available. The 864 and 804 require the parent to be in Australia at time of application. If your parent is overseas and needs guidance on which visa to lodge, a consultation with a registered migration agent will give you a clear answer based on their age, location, and family composition.