Ten-year ceiling on 870 parent visas in 2026: long-term residency planning
No — the subclass 870 is capped, and that cap is the reason it cannot be planned as a permanent answer. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) official page (as of the October 2026 version), each grant can cover a stay of up to 3 or 5 years, but the cumulative maximum across all subclass 870 visas is 10 years. Once that ceiling is reached, the holder is not eligible for a further 870 and must either depart Australia or be granted another kind of visa that allows them to remain. The visa is temporary by design: it does not lead to permanent residence, and while a person has applied for or holds an 870, they cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa. This article is general information only and not personalised advice; check your own circumstances against the current official pages or a qualified professional before acting.
How is the ten-year ceiling actually calculated?
The ceiling is applied across every subclass 870 visa a person has held, not per grant. A single grant may be for up to 3 years or up to 5 years, and the department adds those grants together until the cumulative maximum of 10 years is exhausted.
The Migration Regulations 1994 frame the same rule at the application stage: a fresh application is only valid while the cumulative total of 870 visas previously held remains under 10 years. That means the clock is not reset by leaving Australia, by a new sponsorship, or by a gap between grants.
There is one defined exclusion. If a person held an 870 and was outside Australia on 1 July 2021, the visa period was automatically extended by 18 months under the COVID-19 visa concessions, and that additional 18 months does not count toward the cumulative 10-year maximum.
What happens at the ten-year mark?
At that point the 870 route is closed. The department's position is explicit: a person who has held subclass 870 visas for the cumulative maximum 10-year period is not eligible for a further 870, and must either depart Australia or apply for and be granted another visa that permits them to remain.
Two related limits matter for planning. An 870 cannot be extended to stay longer — a further visa has to be applied for and granted. And because the visa does not lead to permanent residence, time spent on it does not convert into a residence outcome on its own.
Why can't the 870 be used as a long-term residency solution?
Several structural features pull in the same direction: the visa is built for temporary stays, and each one narrows the options available later.
| Feature of subclass 870 | Consequence for a multi-year plan |
|---|---|
| Cumulative 10-year maximum across all grants | The route has a fixed end date that cannot be negotiated |
| No pathway to permanent residence | Time on 870 does not accumulate toward permanent status |
| Parent visa applications barred while holding or having applied for 870 | Sequencing matters: the 870 blocks the parent visa track while it is live |
| No work rights | The parent cannot contribute through employment in Australia |
| No family members included in the application | Other relatives need their own visa solutions |
| One sponsorship per sponsor household at a time, covering up to 2 parents | Household capacity is finite and cannot be refreshed until the current sponsorship ends |
Beyond the table, three conditions shape how the visa behaves in practice. Applicants must have adequate funds for the stay (clause 870.222), adequate health insurance arrangements for the intended period (clause 870.224), and must genuinely intend to stay in Australia temporarily (clause 870.226). The last of these is the clearest signal of intent: the visa is granted on the basis that the stay ends.
How should a family sequence the 870 inside a wider plan?
Treat the 870 as a defined window with a hard stop, and work backwards from that stop.
Decide first whether the objective is physical presence in Australia or a permanent status. Map the dates on every 870 grant letter against the 10-year ceiling. Deduct the COVID-19 18-month extension if it applied. Keep a running record of the cumulative total rather than relying on memory. Plan the mandatory 90-day offshore period before any re-application lodged from outside Australia. Confirm the sponsor's approval is still current, because a sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship until the existing one ends. Decide the post-870 position well before the final visa ceases.
The 90-day rule deserves particular attention. A person applying for another 870 from outside Australia is not eligible for the grant unless they have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since their relevant departure day. The relevant departure day depends on where they were when the previous 870 ceased: if they were in Australia, it is the first day they left after the visa ceased; if they were already outside Australia, it is the last day they left while the visa was in effect. The department's procedural guidance (PAM3) treats waiver of this rule as an exceptional-circumstances matter that is escalated internally, so it should not form part of a plan.
On cost, the official page states the visa is paid in two instalments — the first when applying, the second when requested — with a starting cost set for the 3-year and the 5-year options, and separate possible costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. No figures should be assumed; the current amount should be confirmed on the official page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an 870 visa be extended past the date on the grant letter?
No. The visa ends on the date specified in the grant letter, earlier if it is cancelled, if the sponsor withdraws their sponsorship and no new Parent Sponsor is found, or if the sponsorship is cancelled. Staying longer requires a new application and a new grant.
Does the COVID-19 18-month extension count toward the ten years?
No. If the holder was outside Australia on 1 July 2021 and the visa period was automatically extended by 18 months under the COVID-19 visa concessions, those 18 months are excluded from the cumulative 10-year maximum.
Do parents have to leave Australia between two 870 visas?
Yes, in the ordinary case. Applications must be lodged from outside Australia unless Permission to Apply in Australia has been granted, and eligibility requires at least 90 consecutive days outside Australia since the relevant departure day.
Can a parent on an 870 apply for a permanent parent visa at the same time?
No. The official page states that once a person has applied for or holds an 870, they cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa. This is a sequencing constraint that affects family planning, not just the individual application.
Can parents work in Australia on an 870, or bring other family members?
No. There are no work rights on this visa, and family members cannot be included in the application. Other relatives would need to be considered under a different visa.
What happens if the sponsorship ends while the visa is still valid?
The visa may cease if the sponsor withdraws and no new Parent Sponsor is found, or if the sponsorship is cancelled. The department's procedural guidance describes a short buffer period to arrange a new sponsor or departure, so the position should be checked promptly against the current guidance.
How long does an 870 application take to process?
The department publishes a visa processing time guide tool showing times for recently decided applications, and describes it as a guide only, not specific to any individual application. Processing can take longer where the form is incomplete, documents are missing, or information needs verification.