Subclass 103 visa: Parent

103 visa requirements

Home Affairs lists these on the Eligibility tab of its Parent visa (subclass 103) page:

• Not hold an 870. Applicants cannot apply if they have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
• Sponsor. An eligible sponsor, usually an eligible child. If the child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation can sponsor. Home Affairs must approve the sponsorship.
• Balance of family test. At least half of the applicant's children and stepchildren are eligible children, or there are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country.
• Assurance of Support. The applicant must be able to obtain an Assurance of Support. Home Affairs says when to provide it.
• Health. The applicant and family members applying must meet the health requirement.
• Character. The applicant and family members applying must meet the character requirement.
• Debts. Any debt to the Australian Government has been paid back, or there is an approved arrangement to pay it back.
• Immigration history. A past visa cancellation or refusal may affect eligibility.
• Australian values. Applicants 18 and over read the Life in Australia booklet and sign the Australian Values Statement.
• Health insurance. Adequate health insurance must be held until the visa is granted.
• Best interests of the child. The visa is not granted if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

Sponsor requirements

The sponsor, or their cohabiting spouse or de facto partner, must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and 18 or over. The sponsor agrees to provide support, accommodation and financial help for the applicant's first 2 years in Australia, and can sponsor more than one parent. There is no fee to sponsor.

Balance of family test

Home Affairs' balance of family test page says an eligible child is an Australian citizen, or an Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen usually resident in Australia. Children in Australia on a temporary visa are not treated as usually resident in Australia. Children who have died, or have been removed from the parents' legal custody by adoption or court order, are not counted. Home Affairs will not waive the test, even in compelling or exceptional circumstances.

Assurance of Support

Home Affairs says an Assurance of Support guarantees that the visa holder will not need to rely on government assistance for the Assurance of Support period. It covers the applicant and family members who come with them. It is a legal commitment to repay the Australian Government any welfare payments made to the visa holder or their family members. The sponsor or a family member does not have to provide it: an individual, more than one person or an organisation can. The pricing table also lists an Assurance of Support bond as an "other cost".

Retirement visa pathway

People who held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa on 8 May 2018, have held no other substantive visa since, and are in Australia can apply as retirees under the Retirement visa pathway. Retirees do not need to meet the balance of family test, have a sponsor or have an Assurance of Support.

What the visa lets you do

According to Home Affairs' 103 page, the visa lets the holder:

• stay in Australia indefinitely
• work and study in Australia
• enrol in Medicare, Australia's public health care scheme
• sponsor family members to come to Australia
• travel to and from Australia for 5 years from grant
• attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible
• apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible

After 5 years, a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident. Newly arrived residents may need to wait before they can get some government payments.

Family members and cost

The main applicant can include family members, such as a partner and dependent children, when they apply. Details of all family members must be given, even those not migrating. Family members can also be added before a decision. Retirees can include a partner only if the partner is also a Retirement or Investor Retirement visa holder, and cannot include children.

The visa is paid in 2 instalments: the first when applying, the second when Home Affairs asks for it. Home Affairs' Visa Prices table lists:

The second instalment is AUD 2,065 for each person included in the application. Home Affairs states the total as from AUD 8,665 for a single applicant. A lower cost applies from 1 July 2026 to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics cost extra.

Step by step

This follows the Step by step tab of Home Affairs' 103 page.

Before you apply

1. Check that everyone applying has a valid passport.
2. Anyone giving immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person.
3. Any undecided application for a different Parent visa must be withdrawn when applying for this one.
4. Gather identity, sponsor (Form 40), balance of family and family member documents.

Apply

1. Apply online in ImmiAccount. Home Affairs says applications made on or after 22 April 2026 must be lodged online. Pay the first instalment.

After you apply

1. Home Affairs first checks eligibility, then either adds the application to the queue or refuses it.
2. As places become available, applications are released from the queue for final assessment.
3. Home Affairs asks for health examinations, biometrics, police certificates and the Assurance of Support when needed.
4. Pay the second instalment when invoiced. If it is not paid, the application is refused.
5. Home Affairs gives its decision in writing. The charge is not refunded if the visa is refused.

Applicants who change to a Contributory Parent visa keep their original 103 application date for the new application.

Applying in or outside Australia

Home Affairs says applicants and family members can be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when they apply. Applicants must be outside Australia when the visa is decided. The 103 application does not come with a bridging visa, so applicants in Australia need another valid visa to stay. Retirees must be in Australia when they apply, can be in or outside Australia at decision, and can get a bridging visa (103 page).

Capping and queueing

Home Affairs says the demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year, so processing times for these applications are long. Applications for the 103 are subject to capping and queueing, and Home Affairs processes them in the order it receives them (103 page). Home Affairs says Contributory Parent visas may be processed faster, but cost more.

103 visa processing time

Home Affairs publishes current processing times in its visa processing times guide.

Compare: Australian parent visas