Parent migration to Australia in 2026: comparing the permanent and temporary pathways

Both routes exist, but they solve different problems. The permanent option — the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) — gives parents indefinite stay, work and study rights and access to Medicare. The temporary options either act as the first half of that permanent route (the Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa, subclass 173) or offer long visits with no permanent outcome (the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, subclass 870). The Australian Department of Home Affairs states on its Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) page that you cannot apply for the 143 if you have already applied for or hold a subclass 870 visa, so the "long visit" and "permanent outcome" tracks cannot simply be run side by side. This comparison draws on the Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) pages and the Migration Regulations 1994; it is general information rather than personalised advice, and anything that turns on your own circumstances should be confirmed against the latest official pages or with a qualified professional.

What are the options, in plain terms?

Almost all parent migration cases come down to three routes:

Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) — a permanent visa. Holders can stay indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Medicare, sponsor family members, travel to and from Australia for five years, access the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173), then subclass 143 — a staged version of the same permanent outcome.
Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) — a temporary visa that lets parents visit their children in Australia for up to three or five years at a time, for a maximum total of ten years.

This article concentrates on the 143 / 173 / 870 comparison because that is where the temporary-versus-permanent decision actually bites. The non-contributory Parent visa (subclass 103) is a separate calculation: Home Affairs describes the 173-then-143 route as faster but more expensive than the 103.

Can a temporary parent visa and a permanent application run in parallel?

For the 870, no. The eligibility rules state that you cannot apply for the subclass 143 if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa. That is why the decision between "long visits" and "a permanent outcome" has to be made before anything is lodged.

There is a second exclusivity rule that catches families out: if you have applied for a different Parent visa and no decision has been made on it, you must withdraw that application when you apply for the 143 — you can do this as part of the new application.

The 173 is different by design. It is built as the first half of the permanent route, and Home Affairs encourages applicants to lodge the stage 2 subclass 143 immediately after the 173 is granted, to help ensure all lodgement criteria are met. You must apply for the 143 before your 173 visa expires.

What happens if your 173 has already expired?

Three situations are recognised. You can apply for the second stage if you hold the 173 when you apply; or if you held it at any time in the 28 days before applying; or if more than 28 days have passed since it ended and you can demonstrate compelling and compassionate circumstances to regain your previous visa status — you must provide evidence and the Minister must be satisfied those circumstances exist. If none of these apply, the application is processed as a standard subclass 143 application rather than the two-stage pathway.

There is also a documentary dividend. As a 173 holder you will already have met the balance of family test, and you will not need to meet it again if you apply for the 143 before the temporary visa ceases.

What does the temporary stage change about cost and timing?

The subclass 143 costs from AUD49,900 for a single applicant, paid in two instalments — the first when you apply, the second when the department asks for it. The second instalment must be paid before the visa is granted, and the fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Additional charges apply for each family member who applies with you, concessions apply in limited circumstances, and costs may be lower for 173 and substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa holders. Budget as well for related costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Going through the 173 first changes the shape of that bill rather than shrinking it. Home Affairs states plainly that the two-stage process costs more than applying directly for the 143, and that the benefit is that the cost is spread across the two visas over a longer period — the 143 page describes the 173 as a way to spread the cost over several years.

	Apply directly for 143	Apply for 173, then 143
Total cost	From AUD49,900 for a single applicant	Higher overall than a direct 143 application
When you pay	Two instalments, the second before grant	Spread across the two visas over several years
Balance of family test	Must be met	Already met as a 173 holder; not required again if you apply before the 173 ceases
Where you can be at decision	Outside Australia, unless an exception applies	In or outside Australia
Bridging visa while waiting	Only under the retiree pathway	Available if you held the 173 when you applied, or you are a family member of a 173 holder

Where do you have to be when the decision is made?

This is the constraint that most often decides the sequencing. For a standard subclass 143 application, you must be outside Australia when the decision is made, and you are not entitled to a bridging visa associated with the application — you must be outside Australia while it is processed unless you hold another valid visa.

The exceptions matter. You may be in or outside Australia at decision if you applied as a retiree, or if you hold or held a 173 visa or a substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa before submitting your application. Bridging visas follow a different list: the Retirement visa pathway, applicants who held a 173 visa when they applied, and family members of a 173 holder.

Suppose an applicant lodges a 143 while visiting Australia on a tourist visa and has never held a 173: on the default rule they would need to be outside Australia when the decision lands, with no bridging visa attached to the pending application. Keeping another valid visa in place, or planning to be offshore, becomes part of the application plan rather than an afterthought.

What does each pathway mean for travel and citizenship?

On the 143, permanent residency for citizenship purposes starts on the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia, or on the day you enter Australia on the visa if you were outside. The visa carries a five-year travel facility from the date of grant; after that, re-entering as a permanent resident requires a Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157), and citizenship removes the need for a visa altogether. VEVO is the tool the department points to for checking when a travel facility ends.

A temporary parent visa does not start that clock. Lengthy residence on an 870 can be valuable for family life, but it does not of itself produce the permanent residency start date described above, and it runs out at the ten-year maximum described on the official page.

Which requirements apply whichever route you take?

For the permanent visa, the recurring gates are:

Balance of family test — you meet it if at least half of your children and step-children are eligible children, or if there are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country. Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 sets the equivalent structure out in clauses 143.211 (parent of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen), 143.212 (sponsorship) and 143.213 (the balance of family test).
Sponsorship — an eligible sponsor is required and the sponsorship must be approved; usually an eligible child sponsors, and if that child is under 18 an eligible relative or community organisation can sponsor instead. If you hold a 173 and your sponsor dies, you might still be eligible.
Assurance of Support — an assurance that you will not need to rely on government assistance during the assurance period, covering you and accompanying family members. It can be given by an individual, more than one person, or an organisation; the sponsor does not have to be the one providing it.
Health, character, debts and history — health and character requirements apply to you and to family members who apply with you, and may extend to non-migrating family members; debts to the Australian Government must be repaid or subject to an approved arrangement; a cancelled visa or previously refused application can affect eligibility; applicants aged 18 or over must sign the Australian Values Statement.

The retiree pathway is the main exception set. Applicants who held or had previously held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa on 8 May 2018, who have not held any other substantive visa between that date and the date they apply, and who are in Australia 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 are personally liable for their healthcare costs while the visa is processed and must maintain adequate health insurance until grant. Under that pathway a partner can be included if they also hold a Retirement or Investor Retirement visa, and children cannot be included.

How long will the wait be, and what does "capping and queueing" mean?

Home Affairs states that demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year, which produces long processing times. Applications are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order received. Assessment runs in two stages: an initial assessment to decide whether to add the application to the queue or refuse it, then a final assessment once places become available and the application is released from the queue.

Three things make it longer: an incorrectly completed application, missing documents or a need for more information, and information that takes a long time to verify. The department does not give progress updates within normal processing times, and current release dates are published on its Parent visa queue release dates page. Since 22 April 2026, applications must be lodged online through ImmiAccount. Until the visa is granted, the department's instruction is not to arrange to stay permanently in Australia.

So which pathway fits which family?

If the objective is a permanent outcome and the family can carry the cost in one go, the direct 143 is the shorter route in money terms. If the objective is the same permanent outcome but the family would rather spread the cost over several years — and would value being able to be in Australia at decision time with a bridging visa attached — the 173-then-143 structure is what those rules exist for. If what the family actually needs is long visits with no permanent outcome, the 870 does that for up to three or five years at a time within a ten-year maximum, at the cost of closing off a later 143 application. Retirees with the right visa history sit in a separate lane with most of the standard gates removed.

Because parent places are capped and queued, the sequencing decision is really a question about which constraint a family can live with: a larger total bill, or a longer period without a permanent outcome. The official pages should be re-read before acting, since fees, lodgement channels and queue release dates are updated there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the subclass 143 a permanent visa?

Yes. It lets you stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Medicare and sponsor family members, with a five-year travel facility from the date of grant. Permanent residency for citizenship purposes begins on the day of grant if you are in Australia, or on the day you enter Australia on the visa if you are outside.

Can I apply for a subclass 143 if I hold or have applied for a subclass 870?

No. Home Affairs states that you cannot apply for the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa. That makes the long-visit route and the permanent route mutually exclusive in that direction.

Do I need to pass the balance of family test again after holding a subclass 173?

No, provided you apply for the 143 before your 173 ceases — as a 173 holder you will already have met the test. If your 173 has already ended, you can still use the two-stage pathway if you held it within the 28 days before applying, or if you can demonstrate compelling and compassionate circumstances and the Minister is satisfied they exist.

Do I have to be outside Australia when the subclass 143 is decided?

Generally yes, and no bridging visa comes with the application unless an exception applies. You may be in or outside Australia at decision if you applied as a retiree, or if you hold or previously held a 173 visa or a substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa before applying.

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

No. Home Affairs states that the two-stage process costs more than applying directly for the subclass 143, although it is faster than the Parent visa (subclass 103). What the 173 buys is the ability to spread the cost across two visas over several years.

How much does the subclass 143 cost?

From AUD49,900 for a single applicant, paid in two instalments — the first when you apply and the second when the department asks for it, before the visa can be granted. There are additional charges for each family member who applies with you, and costs may be lower for 173 and substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa holders.

What is an Assurance of Support, and who has to give it?

It is a guarantee that you will not need to rely on government assistance after entering Australia on the visa, covering you and accompanying family members for the assurance period. It can be provided by an individual, more than one person, or an organisation, and the sponsor is not required to be the provider. It is not required if you apply as a retiree under the Retirement visa pathway.