Moving from Parent Visa 884 to Permanent 864 in 2026

Updated 2026-10-09 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

Yes — if you hold a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884), the route to permanent residence is to apply for the permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864), and that application has to be lodged before your 884 expires. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884) official page, as of August 2026, you must apply for the subclass 864 before your subclass 884 visa expires to ensure you meet all applicable lodgement criteria.

What does "moving from 884 to 864" actually mean?

The 884 is a temporary visa that lets you live in Australia for up to 2 years, work and study here (without government support), and travel in and out of the country as often as you like during that period. The 864 is the permanent version of the same contributory aged parent stream.

Home Affairs describes the two as a 2 stage process: you apply for the 884 first, then apply for the 864. Starting with the 884 is what allows the cost of the two visas to be spread over several years rather than paid in one hit.

The trade-off is on the official page too: the 884-then-864 route costs more than the Aged Parent visa (subclass 804), and it also costs more than applying straight for the 864, because the cost is spread across two visas over a longer period.

When do you have to lodge the 864 application?

Before your 884 visa expires. That is the rule stated on the official page, and it is a lodgement deadline rather than a decision deadline — what matters is that the 864 application is lodged while the 884 is still valid.

In practice, the sequence looks like this:

Check your 884 expiry date in VEVO.
Confirm who will be included in the 864 application.
Gather the documents needed for that application.
Lodge the 864 while the 884 is still valid.
Keep your travel and stay lawful until the 864 is decided.

Home Affairs also advises not to arrange to stay permanently in Australia until the visa is granted; you will be told in writing if it is granted.

What if the 884 has already expired?

The official page leaves a narrow door open: in exceptional circumstances, Home Affairs might allow you to apply for the subclass 864 after the 884 has expired. It points readers to the subclass 864 page for more information on that.

Treat it as an exception rather than a plan. The stated rule is to lodge before expiry, and the exceptional-circumstances pathway is not described in detail on the page — so its availability and how it is exercised have to be checked against the subclass 864 official information, which is also the place to confirm the 864's own eligibility and lodgement criteria.

Can you just extend the 884 instead?

No. The 884 cannot be extended, and you cannot stay longer by reapplying for it. The official page is explicit: if you want to stay longer you must apply for a different visa.

The alternatives named on the page are the permanent subclass 864, the 884-then-864 combination, and the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870), which allows parents to visit their children in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years at a time, for a maximum total of 10 years.

How long can you stay while the 864 is being processed?

The 884 itself gives you 2 years from the date the visa was granted, with multiple entry. Once that period ends, the 884 does not keep you lawfully in Australia.

Because the lodgement deadline matters more than the decision date, a common worry is what happens if the 2 years run out while the 864 is still in the queue. The official page does not set out the bridging or interim arrangements for that situation, so it is one to confirm through the subclass 864 official information and your own visa details in VEVO, rather than assuming.

How long will the 864 take to be decided?

Parent visas are capped and queued. Home Affairs states that demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year, which produces long processing times, and that applications are processed in the order they are received.

Assessment happens in 2 stages: an initial assessment to check eligibility and either add the application to the queue or refuse it, then a final assessment once a place becomes available and the application is released from the queue. The Parent visa queue release dates page is the department's published source for that sequencing.

Applications can also take longer if they are incomplete, if documents are missing or more information is needed, or if your information takes a long time to verify. Paying the correct visa application charge is also part of this: Home Affairs says it can only process your application if the correct charge is paid, and it will notify you and return the application if necessary.

What does the two-stage route cost?

The 884 costs from AUD35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you, and concessions in limited circumstances. It is paid in 2 instalments — the first when you apply, the second when Home Affairs asks for it. Other costs per applicant can include health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

For the 2026 year there is one dated change worth noting. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, recognised through a valid passport from one of the specified countries:

Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Kiribati
Nauru
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Republic of the Marshall Islands
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

Family members are also eligible for the lower cost, based on the passport of the primary applicant. Current figures for both stages should be checked against the official visa pricing page before you pay.

What about family members already on your 884?

Family members who applied with you must meet health and character requirements, and even family members who are not coming to Australia may need to meet them. You also have to include details of all family members in your application form, whether or not they are migrating. If a child is born after the visa is granted, the department has a separate process for that change in situation.

How those requirements carry into the 864 application is set out on the subclass 864 official page, which is where the second-stage criteria live. This article is general information about how the pathway is structured; it is not personalised advice about your family's circumstances, and anything that turns on your dates, documents or eligibility should be checked against the official pages or with a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to lodge the 864 before my 884 expires?

Yes. Home Affairs states that you must apply for the permanent subclass 864 before your subclass 884 visa expires, to ensure you meet all applicable lodgement criteria. The deadline is about when you lodge, not when the 864 is decided.

What if my 884 has already expired?

The official page says that in exceptional circumstances Home Affairs might allow you to apply for the subclass 864 afterwards, and refers readers to the subclass 864 page. It does not describe how that exception works, so confirm it against the 864 official information rather than relying on it.

Can I extend the 884 instead of moving to the 864?

No. The 884 cannot be extended and you cannot stay longer by reapplying for it. If you want to stay longer you need to apply for a different visa, such as the subclass 864 or the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870).

Is the 884-then-864 route cheaper than applying directly for the 864?

No — the official page says this 2 stage process costs more than applying directly for the 864, because the cost is spread across two visas over a longer period. What it offers is payment spread over time, not a lower total.

Where do I need to be when I apply?

For the 884, you and any family members applying with you must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, both when you apply and when the decision is made. The subclass 864 official page sets out where you must be when lodging that application.

How long will the 864 take?

Parent visa applications are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order received, so Home Affairs describes long processing times. Assessment runs in 2 stages: an initial eligibility check, then a final assessment when a place becomes available.

Do my family members need to meet health and character requirements again?

Family members included in the 884 had to meet health and character requirements, and those not coming to Australia might also need to. The equivalent requirements for the second stage are set out on the subclass 864 official page.