Parent visas for Australia in 2026: contributory vs non-contributory
Current as at 3 July 2026. General information only, not advice for your circumstances. Fees and thresholds are FY2026‑27 figures; queue and processing estimates change over time. Confirm current figures at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au and Services Australia.
Bringing a parent to Australia permanently is one of the most emotionally important - and most frustrating - things in the migration system. There are two broad pathways, and the gap between them is enormous. One is fast but expensive. The other is cheap but so slow that, for a parent applying today, it may not resolve within their lifetime. Choosing between them is the single biggest decision a family makes here.
This guide compares the contributory parent visas (Subclass 143 and the aged 864) with the non-contributory parent visas (Subclass 103 and the aged 804), and explains the Assurance of Support bond that sits behind both.
The two pathways
- Contributory parent (Subclass 143, or 864 if aged): you pay a substantial second instalment in exchange for far shorter processing.
- Non-contributory parent (Subclass 103, or 804 if aged): a much smaller fee, but capped at a tiny annual quota, which means a queue measured in decades.
Both sit within the family stream of the permanent Migration Program, and both are subject to the annual parent visa places set each year. For 2026‑27 the parent category was set at around 7,060 places nationally - a small allocation against a very large queue.
The “balance of family” test
Before cost even enters the picture, a parent must pass the balance of family test: broadly, at least half of their children must live permanently in Australia, or more of their children must live in Australia than in any other single country. If a parent has several children spread across the world and only one in Australia, they may not pass - and no parent visa pathway is open regardless of budget. This is the first thing to check.
Contributory vs non-contributory: side by side
| Feature | Contributory - 143 / 864 | Non-contributory - 103 / 804 |
|---|---|---|
| First instalment (primary applicant) | $6,300 (143), indicative FY2026‑27 | $6,600 (103), indicative FY2026‑27 |
| Second instalment (per applicant) | $43,600 - the “contribution” (unchanged 1 July 2026) | ~$2,065 - indicative, far smaller |
| Approximate total cost, one parent | From around $48,600 over two instalments | Under $9,000 in charges |
| Estimated wait for a new application | Around 12–15 years | Effectively multiple decades |
| Assurance of Support period | 10 years | 2 years (lower bond) |
| Typically suits | Families who can fund the contribution and want a realistic timeframe | Families for whom cost is the barrier and time is not decisive |
Charges are indicative FY2026‑27 figures; the second instalment for 143/864 remained at $43,600 per applicant when first instalments rose on 1 July 2026. The 103 second instalment figure is indicative and should be confirmed. Waiting-time estimates are the Department’s own guidance and change over time.
Waiting times: the hard truth
The Department publishes queue release dates that show how far it has worked through the backlog. As at 30 April 2026:
- Contributory (143/864): applications with a queue date up to around November 2018 were being released - and the Department estimates a new contributory application takes roughly 12 to 15 years.
- Non-contributory (103/804): applications with a queue date only up to around February 2014 were being released - and a new 103 lodged today faces an estimated wait measured in decades.
With more than 150,000 parent applications in the queue in early 2026 and only a few thousand places a year, these figures are structural, not a temporary backlog. For many families the honest planning question is not “which is faster” but “will the non-contributory pathway resolve at all in a useful timeframe.”
The Assurance of Support (AoS) bond
Every parent visa requires an Assurance of Support - a legal commitment by an assurer (often the sponsoring child) to repay certain social security payments the parent might claim, backed by a refundable bond lodged with Services Australia. It is not a fee; it is returned at the end of the AoS period, less any recoverable debts.
| Stream | AoS period | Indicative bond - one adult / two adults |
|---|---|---|
| Contributory (143/864) | 10 years | $10,000 / $14,000 |
| Non-contributory (103/804) | 2 years | $5,000 / $7,000 |
Bond amounts and rules are set by Services Australia and are indicative here - confirm the current figures before budgeting. The bond is refundable at the end of the period, less any recoverable social-security debts.
A note on the temporary Sponsored Parent (Subclass 870) visa
Families who cannot wait years - or who want a parent in Australia while a permanent application sits in the queue - often use the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, Subclass 870. It allows a stay of up to five years at a time (up to ten years across two grants), requires an approved sponsor, and does not lead to permanent residence. It carries no work rights and its own fee structure. It is a bridge, not a destination, but for many families it is the practical way to have a parent present while the long game plays out.
Who can sponsor, and the aged variants
A parent visa needs an eligible sponsor - usually a child who is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. “Settled” generally means the sponsor has been lawfully resident in Australia for a reasonable period (commonly taken as around two years). The sponsor takes on responsibilities toward the parent, and in most cases an assurer must also provide the Assurance of Support described above; the sponsor and the assurer can be the same person or different people.
The subclass numbers change depending on the parent’s age and where they apply:
- Subclass 143 (contributory) and Subclass 103 (non-contributory) are lodged from outside Australia - the mainstream parent visas.
- Subclass 864 (contributory aged parent) and Subclass 804 (aged parent) are the onshore equivalents for parents who are old enough to receive the Australian age pension and who apply from within Australia.
The “aged” distinction matters because it changes whether a parent can apply onshore and hold a bridging visa while they wait - a meaningful difference given the length of the queues.
Health, character and the cost of getting it wrong
Parents are often older applicants, which makes the health requirement a live issue: a significant health condition can attract a large notional cost to the health system, and that is assessed as part of the visa. Character requirements and police certificates apply as well. Because a contributory application ties up tens of thousands of dollars and a decade or more of waiting, a health or character problem discovered late is an expensive setback. These are exactly the issues to identify before lodging, not after - sometimes a health waiver is available, and knowing that early changes the plan.
Lodgement moved online in 2026
From 22 April 2026, parent visa applications (including 103, 143, 804 and 864) moved to mandatory online lodgement through ImmiAccount. Paper lodgement is no longer the pathway. This is worth flagging because parent applications often involve older applicants overseas who need help setting up and using an ImmiAccount correctly.
How families usually decide
In practice the decision tends to come down to three questions:
- Does the parent pass the balance of family test? If not, neither pathway is open, and the conversation turns to temporary options like the 870.
- Can the family fund the $43,600-per-parent contribution? If yes, the contributory 143 offers a realistic timeframe. If not, the non-contributory 103 is the only permanent route, with the wait that implies.
- Is a parent needed in Australia sooner? If so, the 870 temporary visa can run alongside a queued permanent application.
You can budget the charges - first instalment, second instalment and the AoS bond - with our fee estimator.
Get the pathway right before you commit funds
Parent visas involve some of the largest sums and longest timeframes in the whole system, so the cost of choosing wrong is high. Our parent visa team assesses the balance of family test, maps the contributory-versus-non-contributory decision against your family’s budget and timeframe, and prepares the Assurance of Support and online lodgement correctly. If you are planning to bring a parent to Australia, book a consultation and we will help you choose the pathway that actually fits your family.