Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa
Up to 5 years at a time to visit family, with an approved sponsor.
What this visa is for#
The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) is for parents of settled Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens who want to spend extended time in Australia with family. What it is: Up to 5 years at a time to visit family, with an approved sponsor.
This is a temporary visa in the Parent stream. Category: partner. Stream: Parent.
It is designed for longer family visits than a standard Visitor visa. It is not a permanent parent visa and it does not turn into one automatically. A separate application process applies for any other visa.
The visa depends on an approved parent sponsor. In practice, the sponsorship step comes first, then the visa application is lodged after the Department invites the parent to apply.
Who it is generally for#
This visa is for people who are the parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and who want to stay in Australia for a longer temporary period to be with family.
This visa is for people who have an approved sponsor before the visa application can proceed. The sponsor is usually the child, or in some cases another eligible person connected to the family unit.
This visa is for parents who want a temporary stay of up to 3 years or up to 5 years at a time, depending on what is granted. It exists for longer visits, not for permanent migration through the same application.
This visa is also used by families who want a more structured, longer-term visiting arrangement with clear visa conditions and a defined end date. The parent must still hold a valid visa and comply with all conditions while in Australia.
What it costs#
The government visa application charge listed here is:
- Main applicant: $12,150
This is the government charge for the visa application itself. The government charge is the same no matter who lodges it, whether that is the applicant, a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner.
Separate costs can apply outside the visa application charge. These can include the sponsorship application charge, health examinations, police certificates, document translation and any professional fees charged by a registered migration agent or lawyer. Professional fees are set by the agent or lawyer, not by the government, so they vary from one provider to another.
Government charges are indexed and usually change on 1 July. The amount payable is generally the amount in force on the day a valid application is lodged.
How long it takes#
Processing times can change during the year. They depend on application volumes, how complete the documents are at lodgement, whether health and character checks are needed, and how quickly the sponsor and applicant respond to requests.
There are two stages that affect timing. First, the parent sponsor must be approved. Second, after sponsorship approval, the parent is invited to lodge the subclass 870 visa application and the visa application is processed.
Applications can take longer if identity documents are unclear, police certificates are delayed, health examinations expire and need to be repeated, or the Department asks for more information. Delays also happen when a document is uploaded in the wrong place, not translated properly, or is inconsistent with information already held by the Department.
Because timeframes move, many families track the process in practical steps rather than by a fixed number of weeks. The main timing points are sponsorship approval, invitation to apply, visa lodgement, any request for further information, and the final decision.
What the process involves#
The process usually starts with the sponsor application. The sponsoring child, or another eligible sponsor if the rules allow it, applies to become an approved parent sponsor. The Department checks the sponsorship requirements before a visa application can move forward.
If the sponsorship is approved, the Department issues an invitation for the parent to apply for the subclass 870 visa. The visa application must be lodged within the period stated in that invitation. If that window is missed, a new process may be needed.
The visa application is then lodged online with identity documents and supporting material. Typical documents can include passports, birth certificates or other documents showing the parent-child relationship, and any documents the Department asks for about family composition, identity or previous travel.
The Department may ask for health examinations or police clearances. These requests often come after lodgement, but some applicants prepare likely documents early because overseas records can take time to obtain. Any document not in English usually needs a translation.
After lodgement, the Department may contact the applicant or sponsor for more information. It is important that contact details stay current during processing, because requests usually come with a deadline.
If the visa is granted, the grant notice sets out the visa period and conditions. Temporary visas can carry conditions about work, study, length of stay and compliance with Australian laws. The grant notice is the key record of what the visa allows.
What commonly goes wrong#
A common problem is incomplete evidence at the sponsorship stage or the visa stage. Basic identity records, proof of the parent-child relationship, or civil documents may be missing, uploaded incorrectly or be hard to read. This can lead to a request for more information and a longer processing time.
Expired documents are another frequent issue. Passports, police certificates and some medical results can expire while an application is being processed. When that happens, the Department may ask for fresh documents, which adds cost and time.
Names and dates that do not match across documents also cause trouble. Differences between passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates and older records can trigger questions about identity or family links. Even a small spelling difference can matter if there is no explanation document.
Some families do not realise that the sponsor and the visa applicant both need to monitor email and post carefully. If the Department asks for information and the deadline is missed, the application can be decided on the information already on file. That can be a serious problem when a simple missing document could have been provided.
Another practical issue is failing to tell the Department about a change of address, passport or contact details. If the Department sends a request to an old email address or old residential address, important deadlines can be missed. Contact details should stay current from sponsorship through to visa decision.
Travel planning can also go wrong when people book flights too early. A temporary parent visa is not granted on a guaranteed timetable. Non-refundable flights, event bookings and long-term commitments can become expensive if the application is delayed.
Some people assume a bridging visa, if one exists in a different visa context, carries the same rights as the visa they held before. That assumption can cause work, travel or Medicare problems because bridging visa conditions are set by the actual bridging visa grant, not by the previous substantive visa. The visa grant notice or VEVO record needs to be checked for the exact conditions in effect.
Health and character steps are another source of delay. Police checks from overseas can take longer than expected, and health examinations may not be available quickly in every country. If these are left until the last minute after a request arrives, the response deadline can become difficult to meet.
Finally, some applicants treat the subclass 870 like a permanent parent visa pathway. It is a temporary visa with its own rules, its own period of stay and its own conditions. Assuming it automatically leads to permanent residence can result in poor planning about later visa steps, travel and family arrangements.
Frequently asked questions#
How long can a parent stay on the 870 visa?#
This visa allows a temporary stay for a longer family visit period than a standard visitor visa. What it is: Up to 5 years at a time to visit family, with an approved sponsor. The exact period granted is shown on the visa grant notice.
Can a parent apply for the subclass 870 without a sponsor?#
No. The process requires an approved parent sponsor before the visa application can move ahead. In practice, the sponsorship application is assessed first, and the parent applies for the visa after an invitation is issued.
Is the subclass 870 a permanent visa?#
No, it is a temporary parent visa. It allows a defined stay period and does not become a permanent visa automatically. Any permanent parent visa involves a separate application under its own rules and charges.
How much is the government charge for the 870 visa?#
The government charge listed here is $12,150 for the main applicant. That government charge is the same no matter who lodges the application. A registered migration agent or lawyer may also charge a separate professional fee for their work.
Can a parent work in Australia on the 870 visa?#
Visa conditions are set out in the grant notice and can change over time, so the exact conditions need to be checked on the granted visa. Work rights are not something to assume from another visa held in the past. The grant notice and VEVO record are the practical sources to check for the conditions attached to the current visa.
About this page. This is general information about how the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) works. It is not immigration assistance and it is not advice about your situation. Under section 280 of the Migration Act 1958 only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner can give you that. Charges are indexed and most change on 1 July, so check any figure against immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you rely on it, and check any agent's registration on the OMARA register.