Families planning a Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) all ask the same question sooner or later: if we pay roughly $50,000 to the government and something changes, do we get the money back? The answer has three parts — one reassuring, one hard, one that surprises people. Verified against the Department of Home Affairs and Services Australia, 20 August 2026.
The 143's ~$49,900 in government charges is not paid up front:
$6,300 (first instalment) is paid at lodgement
~$43,600 per parent (second instalment) is only requested near the front of the queue — on the Department's current estimate of about 15 years for new applications, that is well over a decade after lodgement
So a family that withdraws, or a parent who passes away, or plans that simply change during the long wait — the second instalment was never paid. The exposure during the queue years is the first instalment, not the $43,600.
Part 2 — the hard part: after grant, it does not come back
Once the second instalment is paid and the visa is granted, the money is gone — it is a visa application charge, not a deposit. A parent who gets the 143 and later returns home permanently does not get a refund. Refunds of visa application charges exist only in narrow circumstances (for example, an application invalid at lodgement, or in some cases death before decision) — not for change of mind, and not after grant.
Part 3 — the surprise: the other $10,000 DOES come back
The Assurance of Support bond is different money with different rules. Near grant, the assurer — usually the sponsoring child — lodges a 10-year Assurance of Support with a refundable bond:
10, 000 * *foroneparent · **14,000 for two
Held by the Commonwealth (via Services Australia) for the 10-year AoS period
Returned at the end — with the caveat that any recoverable social security payments the parents received during the period are deducted first
Families budgeting the 143 should treat the two amounts differently: the second instalment is a cost; the AoS bond is capital parked for a decade.
The full 143 money timeline (single parent)
| When | Amount | Comes back? |
|---|---|---|
| Lodgement (today) | $6,300 first instalment | No — spent |
| ~15 years later, near grant | ~$43,600 second instalment | No — spent once granted |
| Near grant | $10,000 AoS bond | Yes — after 10 years, less any recoverable payments |
| Ongoing | Health checks, police checks, professional fees | No |
What this means for planning
Lodging early is cheap optionality. $6,300 buys a queue position that can be abandoned later with no second-instalment loss — waiting costs queue years, lodging risks little
The $43,600 must survive 15 years of life. Illness, currency moves, family changes — the money is tested at the end, not the start
The AoS bond needs a liquid assurer. The sponsoring child must produce 10, 000–14,000 at grant time and live without it for a decade
The 870 alternative spends less but returns nothing — its 6, 370–12,440 charges are pure cost for temporary years; see the 870 guide and the 143 guide
Wherever you are in Australia — or planning from overseas — this is exactly the conversation we have with families before anything is lodged. The parent visas hub has the full pathway comparison.
Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 20 August 2026 — instalment amounts, refund rules and AoS bond figures verified against the Department of Home Affairs website and Services Australia on that date. This article is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.
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