Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 870)

What is the 870 visa?

The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) is the pragmatic middle of Australia's parent program: it gets parents here for 3 or 5 years at a time, up to 10 years in total, without the 15–33 year permanent queues — because it never becomes permanent residency. No balance-of-family test, no Assurance of Support bond, no queue measured in decades. The trade: no work rights, no PR, and a sequencing trap for families who also want the permanent 143.

At a glance (updated 20 August 2026)

Figures change — confirm on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodgement.

How the two-step process works

1. Sponsorship first. The child in Australia applies to become an approved parent sponsor — including a household income test. Sponsorships are currently processing at 50% in 73 days (tool, 20 Aug 2026). A sponsorship can cover at most two parents.

2. Then the visa. Only after sponsorship approval can the parent apply — currently 50% in 7 months, 90% in 10. Each parent applies separately; family members cannot combine onto one application.

The rules that decide 870 strategies

• No work — the visa is for family time; informal study is fine

• 10-year lifetime cap — 3+5, 5+5 or shorter combinations, then the pathway is exhausted; plan the last visa before granting it matters

• The 143 trap: an 870 holder cannot apply for a permanent parent visa while in Australia holding the 870. Families who want both the years-now of the 870 and the eventual PR of the 143 must sequence deliberately — usually the 143 lodgement first, then 870 time while the queue runs. Order of operations is the strategy; full comparison on the parent visas hub

• Health insurance — 870 holders must hold adequate health insurance for the stay; Medicare does not cover them

870 vs visitor visas

Grandparents already visit on visitor visas — so why the 870? Length and certainty: a visitor visa tops out around 12 months at a time with genuine-visitor scrutiny on repeat stays, while the 870 gives 3 or 5 continuous years designed exactly for this purpose, renewable to 10 — the difference between visiting the grandchildren and living their childhood alongside them.

Where 870 plans go wrong

1. 870 first, 143 intended later — then discovering the onshore application bar; sequence before lodging anything

2. Sponsor income test failed — the household income test is assessed on the sponsor's documents; check before paying

3. The 10-year cap treated as renewable forever — it is not; the endgame (return home, or a permanent pathway lodged years earlier) needs to exist from day one

4. No health insurance continuity — a condition, not a suggestion

5. Both parents on one plan — each parent needs their own visa; budget 6, 370–12,440 each

Parent planning — Australia-wide and from overseas

Migration Vision plans parent migration for families across Australia and parents applying from overseas — the 143-vs-870 sequencing decision, sponsor income-test check, and lodgement done properly the first time. Online consultations in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the 870 visa cost in 2026?

$6,370 for a visa of up to 3 years, or $12,440 for up to 5 years, per parent. The sponsor's parent-sponsorship application is separate. Health insurance for the stay is additional and required.

Can parents work on the 870?

No. The 870 carries no work rights. It is designed for extended family time — grandparenting years, not employment.

How long does the 870 take to process?

On the Home Affairs tool (20 August 2026): the sponsorship stage is running at 50% in 73 days and 90% in 5 months; the visa stage at 50% in 7 months and 90% in 10.

Is there a balance-of-family test on the 870?

No — and no Assurance of Support either. That is why the 870 is the realistic pathway for families who fail the balance-of-family test that closes the permanent 103 and 143.

Can we hold an 870 and apply for the 143?

Not from inside Australia — an 870 holder cannot apply for a permanent parent visa while holding it onshore. Families wanting both need the sequence planned before either application is lodged.

How many years can a parent stay in total?

Ten years maximum across all 870 grants — for example 5 + 5, or 3 + 5 + shorter grants. After the cap, the 870 pathway is exhausted.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 20 August 2026 — charges, caps and rules verified against the Department of Home Affairs website; processing times from the Home Affairs global visa processing times tool on that date. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.