Parent Visa (Subclass 103)

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 in government charges instead of the contributory 143'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)

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:

1. 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

2. You wait offshore — no bridging visa attaches; time with family in Australia runs on visitor visas in the meantime

3. 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

4. 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

How Direction 117 ranks a 103

Since 25 July 2026, Ministerial Direction 117 has set the order in which the Department processes family visa applications; it replaced Direction 102. Direction 103 separately sets the queue date order for capped and queued family visas, so for a 103 the queue date does most of the work — but within Direction 117, parent and aged parent applications sit in the last of its six categories, below partner, orphan relative, contributory parent and carer cases. A 103 applicant also waits offshore, and offshore applications rank below applications made while the applicant was in Australia for a visa that can be granted onshore. The one published way out of the order is special circumstances of a compassionate nature, where there are compelling reasons to depart from it. Priority order is not a processing time: it tells you where you sit, not how long you will wait. The full six-category order is on the parent visas hub.

Figures current as at 16 September 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement.

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

1. Balance-of-family miscounted — an overlooked step-child overseas fails the test

2. Treating lodgement as the finish line — circumstances, sponsorship and AoS capacity must still hold decades later

3. 870 lodged first without sequencing — blocking the permanent application while holding it

4. No parallel plan for the thirty-year gap

Parent planning — Australia-wide and from overseas

Migration Vision runs the whole parent decision — balance-of-family audit, 103-vs-143-vs-870 sequencing, AoS planning — for families across Australia and parents overseas, online or at our Brisbane office. 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.