What is the 143 visa?
The Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) is Australia's faster permanent parent visa — and its most expensive mainstream visa: about $49,900 in government charges per parent, paid in two instalments. What the money buys is queue position: the Department of Home Affairs' published estimate for a new 143 application is about 15 years, against about 33 years for the non-contributory 103. For most families weighing the parent pathways, the 143 decision is a financial planning decision first and a migration decision second.
At a glance (updated 20 August 2026)
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| First instalment | $6,300 main applicant, payable at lodgement. |
| Second instalment | ~$43,600 per parent, payable near grant — years after lodgement. |
| Queue (HA's published estimate) | ~15 years for new applications; currently finalising late-2018 lodgements. |
| Balance-of-family test | Applies — at least half the children in Australia, or more than in any other single country. No waiver. |
| Assurance of Support | 10-year AoS near grant — refundable bond 10, 000 * *(oneadult)/ * *14,000 (two). |
| Outcome | Full permanent residency: Medicare, unrestricted stay, eventual sponsorship rights. |
| Two-stage option | 173 (temporary) → 143 splits the contributory charge (~29, 130then 19,420) for a higher total, staged. |
Figures are set by the Australian Government and most index on 1 July each year. 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. There is no discretion to waive it: if the maths fails, the 143 is closed and the temporary 870 becomes the realistic pathway
Sponsored — usually by the child in Australia
Health and character requirements — assessed for grant, which for a 15-year queue means they are tested many years after lodgement
The money, honestly
The 143's structure matters as much as its total:
$6,300 now. The first instalment is payable at lodgement and buys the queue position.
~$43,600 per parent later. The second instalment is requested near the front of the queue — on current estimates, well over a decade after lodgement. The money must still be there, for each parent, when the Department asks.
The AoS bond on top. Near grant, the assurer (usually the child) provides a 10-year Assurance of Support with a refundable bond — $10,000 for one parent, $14,000 for a couple — returned after the AoS period if no recoverable social security payments were made.
Whether the second instalment comes back if plans change is one of the most-asked parent visa questions — the short answer is that it is only paid just before grant, and once the visa is granted it is not refundable. Our full explainer: Do you get the contributory parent money back?
The queue, honestly
The Department's own published guidance puts a new 143 at about 15 years, and it is currently finalising applications lodged in late 2018. Two planning consequences:
Lodge early. In a capped, queued program every month of delay is a month at the back. Families often lodge while the parents are in their late 50s precisely because the queue is measured in decades, not months.
Plan the wait. The 143 queue position can be held from offshore, with visits on visitor visas — or combined deliberately with the temporary 870 (which allows long onshore stays but blocks lodging a permanent parent application while you hold it — sequencing advice matters; see the parent visas hub).
143 vs the alternatives
| Question | 143 | 103 | 870 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent? | Yes | Yes | No — max 10 years total |
| Government cost (single parent) | ~$49,900 | ~$8,665 | $6,370 (3 yrs) / $12,440 (5 yrs) |
| Wait for a new application | ~15 years | ~33 years | Visa: 50% in 7 months (tool, 20 Aug 2026) |
| Balance-of-family test | Yes | Yes | No |
| Work rights on grant | Full | Full | None |
Where 143 plans go wrong
Second-instalment planning ignored — ~$43,600 per parent due over a decade after lodgement, tested against real savings
Balance-of-family miscounted — step-children and overseas children change the maths; refusal follows, not correction
Waiting for certainty — the queue grows while families deliberate; position is everything in a capped program
870 lodged without sequencing — holding an 870 blocks applying for the 143; the order of operations is the strategy
Health assessed at the end — a parent healthy at lodgement is examined 15 years later; contingency planning matters
Parent visa planning — Australia-wide and from overseas
Migration Vision plans parent migration for families across Australia and parents applying from overseas — the balance-of-family audit, the 143-vs-870 sequencing decision, AoS and second-instalment financial planning, and lodgement done properly the first time. Online consultations in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the contributory parent visa 143 cost in 2026?
About $49,900 in government charges for a single parent: $6,300 at lodgement and about 43, 600neargrant, plustherefundableAssuranceofSupportbond(10,000 for one adult, $14,000 for two) held for the 10-year AoS period. Health checks and professional fees are extra.
How long does the 143 take in 2026?
The Department's published estimate for a new application is about 15 years; it is currently finalising applications lodged in late 2018. The queue only moves as places are released each program year.
Is the 143 second instalment refundable?
It is only payable just before grant — so a family that withdraws earlier never pays it. Once the visa is granted, it is not refundable outside narrow regulated exceptions. The Assurance of Support bond, by contrast, is refundable after the 10-year AoS period.
Can parents visit Australia while in the 143 queue?
Yes — visitor visas remain available, and many families combine the queue with long-stay visitor visas or the Sponsored Parent 870. The 870 carries a trap: while holding it onshore a parent cannot apply for the permanent parent visa, so the sequence needs advice.
Does the balance-of-family test apply to the 143?
Yes. At least half of the parent's children must live permanently in Australia, or more in Australia than in any other single country. There is no waiver — where it fails, the 870 (which has no balance-of-family test) is usually the realistic option.
What is the 173 two-stage route?
The Contributory Parent (Temporary) 173 grants two years onshore first and splits the contributory charge — roughly $29,130 at the 173 stage and $19,420 at the later 143 stage — a higher total in exchange for staged payments and earlier time in Australia.
Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 20 August 2026 — instalments, queue estimates and AoS figures verified against the Department of Home Affairs website and Services Australia; processing-times references from the Home Affairs global visa processing times tool on that date. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.
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