Parent visa Subclass 143/173/870

This Parent Visas program allows parents to migrate and live with their children in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis.

The program has two visa subclasses: Subclass 173 – Contributory Parent (Temporary) and Subclass 143 – Contributory Parents visa (Permanent). Both subclasses require the sponsoring child to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, who must be a settled resident in Australia for at least 2 years prior to being eligible to sponsor for their parents.

The applicant for these subclasses must also pass the ‘Balance of family test’, that is the number of children who are permanent residents in Australia must be greater or equal to the total number of their children residing overseas.

The applicant is also required to obtain an Assurance of Support by the sponsoring child or by another eligible Australian permanent resident or citizen.

This new visa scheme was released on 17 April 2019, which allows the parents of an eligible sponsoring child or children to come to live in Australia on a temporary basis ranging between 3 to 5 years each time. This visa will not lead to permanent residency.

The subclass visa cap is 15,000 per financial year.

Unlike other parent visas, Subclass 870 does not require the parents to meet the Balance of Family Test. However, the sponsoring child must be the biological, adopted or stepchild of the applicant, and must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

The sponsor is also required to meet the minimum household income requirement and needs to first be approved for sponsorship before the visa application is lodged.