The Subclass 870 visa lets a parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years at a time, without joining the long permanent parent queue. It is a temporary visa, so it does not lead to permanent residence on its own. This post is for adult children who want a parent or parents close by while life happens, weddings, new babies, recovery from illness, or simply more years together, and who need to understand the sponsorship step, the income test, the cost, and the health cover rule before anyone lodges anything.
If your longer-term goal is for your parents to settle permanently, that is a different pathway, and we cover where it fits below.
What is the Subclass 870 visa?
The Subclass 870 is a temporary visa for parents. It does not give permanent residence, and time spent on it does not count towards citizenship. What it does is let your parent live with you, the sponsoring child, for a set number of years.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years. You choose the duration you want to apply for, and the longer option costs more.
A “parent” here is broader than many people expect. It covers a biological parent, a legal parent including an adoptive parent, a step-parent, and a parent-in-law of the sponsor. So your partner’s mother or father can be sponsored by you too, as long as the relationship and the sponsorship requirements are met.
One thing to be clear on from the start. The 870 is built around visiting and being together, not working. Treat it as a long visit with proper structure, not a back-door work visa.
The sponsorship step comes first
Here is the part people miss. The parent does not apply on their own. Before a parent can lodge the 870, the child in Australia has to be approved as a family sponsor, and that is a separate application with its own assessment.
The order matters. The sponsorship is lodged and approved first, then the parent lodges the visa application referencing that approval. Home Affairs sets out who can sponsor and what they must show on the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa listing, so the child needs to read that closely before starting.
To sponsor, the child generally needs to be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, settled in Australia, and aged 18 or over. The sponsor takes on real obligations once approved, including financial responsibility for the parent during the stay. This is not a formality you sign and forget. If you are weighing up family reunion options more broadly, our overview of parent visa pathways for families puts the 870 in context next to the permanent routes.
The sponsor income test
Money is where most 870 plans either firm up or fall apart. The sponsoring child has to meet an income test, because the policy intent is that the parent is supported by the family and does not rely on the public purse.
The income requirement is set by a legislative instrument and is checked against the sponsor’s taxable income for the income year before the sponsorship application. Home Affairs explains the income evidence on the official 870 page, and because the threshold figure is updated from time to time, you should confirm the current amount there before relying on a number you read anywhere else.
A few practical points that matter when you plan:
- The income is measured for a specific past income year, so a recent pay rise may not help if last year’s figure was lower.
- In some cases the income of more than one person in the family can be counted together to reach the threshold, but the rules on whose income counts are specific.
- Evidence usually means tax records, not just payslips, so gathering documents early saves time.
Because the test turns on a fixed past year, getting advice before you choose which year and which application timing works best can make a real difference. Our family migration team regularly works through these income calculations with sponsors who are close to the line.
How much does the Subclass 870 visa cost?
The 870 is one of the more expensive temporary visas, and the cost depends on how long you apply to stay. A 5-year visa costs more than a 3-year visa.
The charge is paid in two parts. As the Department sets out under visa application charge instalments, the first instalment is payable when the visa application is made, and the second instalment is payable before the visa is granted, with the Department notifying you when that second amount is due.
The visa application charge was AUD 6,070 for a visa of up to 3 years, or AUD 12,140 for a visa of up to 5 years, as set out on the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa page, current as of June 2026. These charges are revised periodically, so check the live amount on the visa pricing estimator before you budget, and factor in that the second instalment lands later in the process, not upfront.
Health insurance is not optional
Parents on the 870 cannot access Medicare in the normal way, so health cover is a condition of the visa, not a suggestion.
The 870 carries condition 8501, which requires the holder to maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance while in Australia. Home Affairs describes what counts as adequate health insurance for visa holders, and the cover needs to be in place for the whole stay, which can be a meaningful annual cost over a 5-year visa. Build this into your numbers alongside the visa charge, because a lapse in cover is a breach of the condition.
This is one reason families sometimes overestimate how affordable the 870 is. The visa charge is the headline figure, but years of private health insurance for an older parent can rival it.
The household and stay limits
The 870 is designed to be temporary and to manage how many sponsored parents are in the country, so there are limits on how it stacks up.
A parent can hold these visas for a maximum total of 10 years in Australia, and there are limits on how many sponsored parent visa holders a family can have at one time. The exact limits are set in the migration rules, and the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa listing is the page to check for the current position. The practical takeaway is simple. The 870 buys you years of time together, not an indefinite arrangement, so it works best as a bridge rather than a permanent solution.
How the 870 differs from the permanent parent visas
If you want your parents to live in Australia permanently, the 870 is not the visa. It is temporary by design, and it does not convert into permanent residence.
The permanent route most families compare it against is the Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa, which lets a parent of a settled sponsor live in Australia permanently. The trade-offs are real. Permanent parent visas are subject to capping and queueing with long processing times and a mandatory Assurance of Support bond, while the 870 is faster to plan around but ends. Many families use the 870 to be together now and keep a permanent application running in the background.
We break down that comparison in detail in our guide to the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143), which is worth reading if permanent residence is the real goal. If you are early in the process and weighing online lodgement, our notes on parent visa applications in 2026 cover the practical side.
Here is a quick side-by-side of the temporary and permanent options.
| Feature | Subclass 870 (temporary) | Subclass 143 (permanent) |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Stay up to 3 or 5 years at a time | Permanent residence |
| Sponsorship | Child approved as family sponsor first | Parent sponsored, no separate income test of this kind |
| Cost structure | Charge by duration, two instalments | High contribution charge plus Assurance of Support bond |
| Capping and queueing | Not the permanent program queue | Subject to capping and queueing, long waits |
| Health cover | Condition 8501 health insurance required | Pathway to Medicare as a permanent resident |
Frequently asked questions
Can a Subclass 870 visa lead to permanent residence?
No. The 870 is a temporary visa and does not lead to permanent residence on its own. If your parents want to settle in Australia permanently, you would generally look at the permanent parent visas, such as the Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa, which the Department describes as letting a parent live in Australia permanently. Many families hold an 870 while a permanent application is in the queue.
Can my parent work on a Subclass 870 visa?
The 870 is built for parents to spend time with family in Australia, not to work. Treat it as a long visit rather than a work visa, and check the conditions attached to the grant on the official 870 listing before your parent makes any plans involving employment. If income is a concern, the income support is meant to come from the sponsoring family.
Do I have to choose between the 3-year and 5-year option?
Yes, you apply for a set duration. The visa application charge was AUD 6,070 for up to 3 years and AUD 12,140 for up to 5 years, current as of June 2026. Think about how long you realistically want your parent here, the ongoing health insurance cost across that period, and the maximum total of 10 years these visas allow in Australia. Confirm the current charges on the visa pricing estimator.
What is the income test for the sponsor?
The sponsoring child must meet an income requirement, assessed against taxable income for the income year before the sponsorship application. The threshold is set by a legislative instrument and is updated from time to time, so confirm the current figure on the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa page rather than relying on an old number. In some cases more than one person’s income can be combined to reach it.
Does my parent need health insurance the whole time?
Yes. The 870 carries condition 8501, which requires adequate health insurance for the duration of the stay, because 870 holders are not covered by Medicare in the usual way. The Department explains what counts as adequate health insurance. Budget for this across the full 3 or 5 years, as it is a real and ongoing cost.
The realistic next step is to confirm your own income year against the current threshold and decide whether the 870 is a bridge to a permanent application or your main plan. To work through your family’s situation, you can book a consultation with our migration lawyers.
About the author: Tina Nematian is the Principal Lawyer at One Planet Migration Law. She is an Australian Legal Practitioner and a Registered Migration Agent, and has guided clients through partner, skilled, employer-sponsored, student, and humanitarian visa applications across Australia.
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa rules change frequently and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Speak with a registered migration lawyer or agent before making any application. Figures were current as of June 2026; always check immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before lodging.
