Does the 870 parent visa have a relationship test like partner visas in 2026?
No — the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) does not apply the kind of relationship test that partner visa subclasses use. According to the Department of Home Affairs' official Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) page, as of the August 2026 official page, an applicant must be the biological, legal (including adoptive) parent, step-parent or parent in-law of the Parent Sponsor, and must be at least 18 years of age. Nothing on that page asks whether two people are in a genuine, continuing and exclusive couple relationship. This article is general information only and is not advice tailored to an individual case, so treat the official page and any registered professional you consult as the authority for your own decision.
What does the 870 visa actually test about your relationship?
It tests a family status, not a relationship quality. The question is whether you fall into one of the four listed parent categories in relation to the person sponsoring you: biological parent, legal parent including an adoptive parent, step-parent, or parent in-law.
That is a different exercise from a partner visa assessment. A partner visa asks how a couple lives, commits and shares life together; the 870 visa asks which category you occupy relative to your sponsor, and whether the sponsor has been approved. Assume an applicant is the mother of the sponsor's spouse — a parent in-law. The rule asks only whether that category fits; it does not ask her to show a shared household, pooled finances or a continuing mutual commitment.
Who counts as a parent of the sponsor?
Four categories are named on the official page: biological, legal (including adoptive), step-parent, and parent in-law. They are alternatives, so you need to fit one, not all of them.
Because step-parent and parent in-law relationships are created by marriage rather than birth, the practical work is usually about showing the chain: the marriage or civil records that create the relationship, and identity documents that keep names consistent across them. The official eligibility page states the categories but does not publish a document checklist for the relationship itself, so this is a place where applicants commonly need to reconcile their own civil records rather than tick a fixed list.
Is there any "genuine relationship" assessment at all?
Not in the partner visa sense. What the 870 visa does contain is a different intention test: clause 870.226 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires that the applicant genuinely intends to stay in Australia temporarily. The Department's Procedures Advice Manual guidance summarises this as an assessment that weighs immigration history, financial circumstances, ties to the home country and ties to Australia.
The distinction matters. A partner relationship test looks at the durability of a couple's bond; the 870 intention test looks at whether you will leave when the visa ends. You can satisfy one and fail the other, and the official page makes the consequence explicit: if you have already lodged a permanent parent visa application you may visit Australia, but you cannot remain permanently in Australia while that application is being decided.
What does the sponsor's side require?
You cannot apply without one. The official page states you must have an approved Parent Sponsor, and clause 870.221 of the Regulations frames sponsorship by a parent sponsor as a primary criterion for the visa itself.
Sponsorship is a separate decision that comes first. The Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 guidance describe sponsor approval being dealt with under Division 2.13A, with an income test in regulation 2.60W. The Migration Regulations 1994 deal with parent sponsor approval under Division 2.13A, and the sponsor income test is set out in regulation 2.60W, which sits alongside the applicant's own funds requirement in clause 870.222.
What else do you need to satisfy besides the parent relationship?
The official page lists the other eligibility elements: meeting and having complied with any previous visa obligations, meeting the health requirement, meeting the character requirement, having or having access to enough money to support yourself in Australia, holding adequate health insurance from an Australian health insurance provider, genuinely intending to stay temporarily, and having repaid or made arrangements to repay any debt to the Australian Government or public health debt.
The Regulations describe the same ground in clause terms: funds (870.222), adequate health insurance arrangements (870.224), substantial compliance with a previous substantive visa and any bridging visa (870.225), no outstanding public health debt (870.227), public interest criteria (870.228) and special return criteria (870.229). One further timing rule applies to repeat applicants: clause 870.223 provides that, where an applicant applies outside Australia and has previously held a 870 visa, at least 90 continuous days outside Australia generally have to have passed since that visa ceased.
What does the 870 visa not test?
It does not test a couple relationship, and — as the official page states directly — there is no balance of family test and no Assurance of Support requirement. That makes it structurally different from the contributory and other permanent parent pathways where a balance of family test is commonly discussed.
Two further limits are worth knowing before you commit. The official page says you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa if you have applied for or hold this visa. The Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 guidance also provide for a maximum validity of five years per grant, a cumulative cap of ten years across 870 visas held, and a no-work condition (8103).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 870 visa require a genuine relationship statement?
No. The official eligibility criteria centre on being a biological, legal (including adoptive), step or in-law parent of the Parent Sponsor and being at least 18. The separate intention question is whether you genuinely intend to stay temporarily, which is about your plans, not about a couple's relationship.
How do I show I am a step-parent or parent in-law rather than a biological parent?
These categories are created through marriage, so the chain usually runs through marriage or civil records plus consistent identity documents. The official page names the four categories but does not publish a relationship document checklist, so build the file around the records that actually establish your link to the sponsor.
Can my partner or my other children be included in my 870 application?
The Migration Regulations 1994 set out no secondary criteria for this subclass, meaning every applicant must meet the primary criteria in their own right. Policy guidance also notes there is no secondary applicant mechanism, so a child born after grant would need to be considered under a different visa.
Is there a balance of family test or an Assurance of Support?
Neither. The Department's official page states plainly that there is no balance of family test or Assurance of Support requirements for this visa. That is one of the main reasons the 870 is discussed separately from permanent parent visa options.
Can I hold an 870 visa and still pursue a permanent parent visa?
The official page says that if you have already lodged a permanent parent visa application you may visit Australia, but you cannot remain permanently while it is being decided. It also states that you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa if you have applied for or hold this visa.
Does my sponsor need to be approved before I lodge?
Yes. The official page lists having an approved Parent Sponsor as an eligibility requirement, and clause 870.221 of the Migration Regulations 1994 sets sponsorship by a parent sponsor as a criterion for the visa. Sponsorship approval and the visa application are separate decisions.
How long can I stay in Australia on a 870 visa?
The Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 guidance describe a maximum grant period of five years, with a cumulative limit of ten years across all 870 visas held. Both the maximum five-year grant period and the cumulative ten-year limit are set by the Migration Regulations 1994, which provide how long an 870 visa may be granted for.