What is the 103 visa?
The Parent visa (subclass 103) is Australia's non-contributory permanent parent visa — the "affordable" route at about **8, 665 * *ingovernmentchargesinsteadofthecontributory143′s 49,900. The price of affordability is the queue: the Department of Home Affairs' own published estimate for a new application is about 33 years, and it is currently finalising applications lodged in 2014. Any honest 103 conversation starts with that number.
At a glance (updated 18 August 2026)
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| First instalment | $6,600 main applicant; $3,300 additional 18+; $1,655 under 18. |
| Second instalment | $2,065 per person, payable near grant. |
| Queue (HA's published estimate) | ~33 years for new applications; currently releasing 2014 lodgements. |
| Balance-of-family test | Applies — at least half the children in Australia, or more than any other country. |
| Assurance of Support | Required near grant — refundable bond $5,000 (one adult) / $7,000 (two). |
| Where you wait | Offshore applicants wait outside Australia; lodging carries no bridging visa. |
| Outcome | Permanent residency — decades from now. |
Figures change — confirm on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodgement.
Who can apply
A parent (including step-parent) of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia
Balance-of-family test met: at least half of the parent's children live permanently in Australia, or more in Australia than in any other single country — step-children count, and there is no waiver
A sponsor (usually the child) and, at the far end of the queue, health, character and an Assurance of Support
What a 33-year queue means in practice
The 103 is capped and queued: a small number of grants each year, in strict lodgement order. Lodging today buys a queue position, not a visa. Realities to plan around:
Age math is unavoidable — a parent lodging at 60 reaches the front past 90. For many families the 103 works as a legacy queue position for younger parents, or as the fallback behind a faster plan
You wait offshore — no bridging visa attaches; time with family in Australia runs on visitor visas in the meantime
Everything is reassessed at the front — balance-of-family, sponsorship, health, character and the AoS are tested when the queue date comes up, decades after lodgement
The queue only grows — with the 2026-27 parent allocation cut to 7,060 places nationally, published waits are more likely to lengthen than shorten
The alternatives, priced honestly
Contributory 143 — ~$49,900, ~15-year estimate: money buys about 18 years of queue
Sponsored Parent (Temporary) 870 — $6,370 for 3 years / $12,440 for 5, up to 10 years total, no work rights, no balance-of-family test — but an 870 holder cannot apply for a permanent parent visa while holding it, so sequencing with a 103/143 queue position needs deliberate advice
Long visitor patterns — 600 visitor visas with longer validity can maintain family contact while a queue position matures
Many families run two tracks: a 103 lodged early (cheap queue insurance) plus 870 cycles or visitor patterns for actual time together. The sequencing traps are real — get advice before lodging anything.
Where 103 applications go wrong
Balance-of-family miscounted — an overlooked step-child overseas fails the test
Treating lodgement as the finish line — circumstances, sponsorship and AoS capacity must still hold decades later
870 lodged first without sequencing — blocking the permanent application while holding it
No parallel plan for the thirty-year gap
Parent planning from Brisbane and Logan
From our office in Slacks Creek, Logan City, Migration Vision runs the whole parent decision — balance-of-family audit, 103-vs-143-vs-870 sequencing, AoS planning — for families across Brisbane's southside. We advise in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. The full family comparison lives on our parent visas hub.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the 103 parent visa queue?
Home Affairs' own published estimate is about 33 years for new applications; it is currently finalising applications lodged in 2014.
How much does the 103 visa cost?
About $8,665 in government charges for a single parent — $6,600 at lodgement and $2,065 near grant — plus a refundable Assurance of Support bond of 5, 000–7,000 at the grant stage. That compares with about $49,900 for the contributory 143.
Can my parents live in Australia while the 103 processes?
Not on the 103 itself — it carries no bridging visa and offshore applicants wait overseas. Families typically use visitor visas or the temporary 870 (with sequencing advice) for time together meanwhile.
Does the balance-of-family test apply to the 103?
Yes — at least half of the parent's children (step-children included) must live permanently in Australia, or more than in any other single country. There is no waiver; if the test fails, the 870 is usually the realistic pathway.
Is lodging a 103 still worth it?
Sometimes — as low-cost queue insurance lodged as early as possible, usually alongside a faster parallel plan. It is rarely a standalone strategy for parents already in their sixties.
Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 18 August 2026 — cost and queue figures verified against the Department of Home Affairs website (queue page updated 9 July 2026; pricing 1 July 2026). This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.
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