Temporary vs permanent parent visas: what families should weigh in 2026

If your family is asking "temporary or permanent parent visa Australia?", the short answer is that the two are not the same product at different speeds — they answer different questions. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) official page, as published in July 2026, the permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) lets a parent stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study, and enrol in Medicare, but demand for parent places is greater than the number available each year, so applications are capped and queued. The temporary parent options put a parent in Australia for a defined period and leave the permanent question to a later application. What families are really weighing is time together now against certainty later — and in at least one case the two cannot be combined at all.

What does a permanent parent visa actually give a family?

The Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) is a permanent visa: a parent can stay in Australia indefinitely. The Department's page lists work and study rights, enrolment in Australia's public healthcare scheme Medicare, the ability to sponsor family members, free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program where eligible, and a pathway to Australian citizenship where eligible.

Travel is the one part that is not indefinite. Holders can travel to and from Australia as many times as they want for five years from the date the visa is granted; after that travel facility ends, re-entering as a permanent resident requires a Resident Return visa, or the parent can consider Australian citizenship, which removes the need for a visa to enter Australia.

For citizenship purposes, permanent residency starts on the day the visa is granted if the parent is in Australia, or the day they enter Australia on the visa if they were outside the country. That detail matters for families planning a longer timeline rather than a single trip.

And what does the temporary route give you in the meantime?

Two temporary options appear on the Department's own parent visa pages. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) 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. The Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173) is the other, and it is designed as the first half of a two-step process: a parent applies for the 173 first, then applies for the permanent subclass 143 before the temporary visa expires.

The Department describes the 173-then-143 sequence as faster than the Parent visa (subclass 103) but more expensive than applying directly for the subclass 143, with the advantage that the cost is spread across the two visas over a longer period. That is the core trade: a temporary visa lets a family stage the expense across two applications, but it also means living with an expiry date and a second decision still to come.

There is one hard limit worth knowing before any of this. A parent cannot apply for the subclass 143 if they have already applied for or hold a subclass 870 visa. The temporary sponsored visa and the contributory permanent visa are not sequential steps in the same plan.

How long is the wait, and what does "capped and queued" mean in practice?

The Department states plainly that demand for parent visas exceeds the places available each year, so processing times are long, and subclass 143 applications are subject to capping and queueing — they are processed in the order received.

Assessment happens in two stages. There is an initial assessment to check eligibility, which ends with the application either being added to the queue or refused; then, as places become available, applications are released from the queue for final assessment. The official advice is not to arrange to stay permanently in Australia until the visa is granted.

Applications can take longer where the form is not completed correctly, required documents are missing, further information is needed, or verification of information is slow. The correct visa application charge must also be paid, or the application can be returned.

What does it cost, and why does the two-step route spread it?

The subclass 143 costs from AUD49,900 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies, and concessions in limited circumstances. Costs may be lower for holders of a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa or a substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa.

Payment is made in two instalments: the first when applying, and the second when the Department asks for it. That second instalment must be paid before the visa can be granted; if the invoice is not paid, the application will be refused. Families should also budget for related per-applicant costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

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 a specified country, with family members eligible on the basis of the primary applicant's passport. The retiree pathway carries a different cost structure again, since retirees must maintain adequate health insurance until the visa is granted and are personally liable for their healthcare costs in Australia while it is processed.

Who actually qualifies — and who is ruled out?

Several criteria apply to the subclass 143. A parent must have an eligible sponsor — usually an eligible child, or, if that child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation — and the sponsorship must be approved. The balance of family test must also be met, and an Assurance of Support must be obtainable.

The balance of family test is passed if at least half of a parent's children and step-children are eligible children, or if there are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, the visa is directed at parents of a settled Australian citizen, a settled Australian permanent resident, or a settled eligible New Zealand citizen.

An Assurance of Support guarantees the Australian Government that the parent will not need to rely on government assistance for the Assurance of Support period, and it covers family members who come to Australia on the same visa. It does not have to be provided by the sponsor or a family member; an individual, more than one person, or an organisation can provide it.

Health and character requirements apply to the applicant and to family members who apply with them, and can also be asked of non-migrating family members. Any debt to the Australian Government must be repaid or be subject to an approved arrangement, and the Department will consider immigration history — a previous cancellation or refusal can affect eligibility. Applicants aged 18 or over must sign the Australian Values Statement, and the visa will not be granted where doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

There is a narrow retiree pathway for people who, on 8 May 2018, held or had previously held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa, have held no other substantive visa since that date, and are in Australia. Retirees do not need to meet the balance of family test, do not need a sponsor, and do not need an Assurance of Support — but they cannot include their children in the application, and a partner can only be included if that partner is also a Retirement or Investor Retirement visa holder.

Can parents stay in Australia while the permanent application is being processed?

Usually not on the strength of the application itself. The Department states that a parent is not entitled to a bridging visa associated with a subclass 143 application unless they are applying under the Retirement visa pathway, they held a subclass 173 visa when they applied, or they are a family member of a subclass 173 visa holder. Otherwise, the applicant must be outside Australia while the application is processed unless they hold another valid visa, and should make sure they stay lawful if a current temporary visa is about to expire.

Location at the time of decision follows a similar pattern. An applicant may be in or outside Australia when the decision is made if they applied as a retiree, or if they held a subclass 173 visa or a substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa before applying; all other contributory parent applicants must be outside Australia at decision. This is one reason the temporary route is attractive to families who have already been separated for a long time: the subclass 173 keeps a parent lawfully in Australia while the second stage is prepared.

The Department also encourages subclass 173 holders to apply for the permanent subclass 143 immediately after the temporary visa is granted, to help ensure all lodgement criteria are met, and notes that a 173 holder has already met the balance of family test and will not need to meet it again if they apply before the temporary visa ceases.

So what should a family weigh first?

Start with the reunion need rather than the visa label. If the priority is being together for a defined stretch of years — helping with young grandchildren, covering a period of illness, or simply not losing more time — the temporary options provide a defined period in Australia, with the subclass 870 capped at a maximum total of 10 years and the subclass 173 tied to a later permanent application. If the priority is to end the cycle of applications altogether — indefinite stay, work rights, Medicare, eventual citizenship — the permanent subclass 143 is the only one of these that closes the question, and the price of that certainty is a capped, queued wait.

Then check the two constraints that override preference: a parent who has applied for or holds a subclass 870 visa cannot apply for the subclass 143, and a parent who wants to be in Australia for the years of processing generally needs the subclass 173 to hold that position lawfully. Cost sits alongside both, with the two-step route more expensive overall than a direct subclass 143 but spread across two visas.

This article describes published visa criteria only and is general rather than personalised guidance; because capping, queue release dates and charges change, families should confirm the criteria that apply to them against the Department's current pages or with a qualified professional before committing to a pathway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a parent hold a subclass 870 visa and still apply for the permanent subclass 143?

No. The Department's Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) eligibility criteria state that you cannot apply for that visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa. The two are alternatives rather than steps in the same sequence.

How long can a parent stay in Australia on the subclass 143?

Indefinitely — it is a permanent visa. The travel facility runs for five years from the date of grant, after which re-entering Australia as a permanent resident requires a Resident Return visa, unless the parent becomes an Australian citizen.

Is the two-step 173-then-143 route cheaper than applying directly?

No. The Department's own comparison says the two-stage process costs more than applying directly for the subclass 143, but the cost is spread across the two visas over a longer period, and the route is faster than the Parent visa (subclass 103).

What is the balance of family test?

A parent meets it if at least half of their children and step-children are eligible children, or if more eligible children live in Australia than in any other single country. Holders of a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa have already met the test and do not need to meet it again if they apply for the subclass 143 before the temporary visa ceases.

Does every applicant need an Assurance of Support?

It is required unless the applicant applies as a retiree under the Retirement visa pathway. It guarantees the Australian Government that the parent will not rely on government assistance for the Assurance of Support period, and it can be provided by an individual, several people, or an organisation — not necessarily the sponsor or a family member.

Can parents stay in Australia while a subclass 143 application is processed?

Not on the basis of that application alone. There is no associated bridging visa unless the applicant is applying under the Retirement visa pathway, held a subclass 173 visa when applying, or is a family member of a subclass 173 holder; otherwise the applicant must be outside Australia unless they hold another valid visa.

Is the application fee refunded if the visa is refused?

No. The Department states that the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused, and that failing to pay the second instalment when invoiced will also result in refusal.