Parent Visa Processing Time 2026: Queue Dates, Caps and Waits by Subclass

The Department of Home Affairs gives an estimated processing time frame of 42 years for a new Parent (subclass 103) or Aged Parent (subclass 804) application, and 18 years for a new Contributory Parent application. Those estimates are on its queue release dates page, updated 6 October 2026. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) is not on the Department’s list of capped and queued parent visas, and its processing time guide, updated 2 November 2026, shows 90% of 870 visa applications processed in 9 months.

Numbers like 42 years are hard to read when the person waiting is your mother or father. They are estimates, not promises, and the Department says they move with planning levels, withdrawals and refusals. Below is exactly what the Department publishes for each parent subclass, and how the cap works in law.

Parent visa queue dates and processing times by subclass

The Department processes capped parent visa applications in two stages. It first assesses the application against the core visa criteria and, if they are met, gives it a queue date. Later, as places become available, it releases applications from the queue for final assessment. The table shows how far each stage had reached.

Source: Department of Home Affairs, Parent visas: queue release dates and processing times, milestones as at 31 August 2026, page updated 6 October 2026. The estimates table lists “Contributory Parent visas” at 18 years and “Parent & Aged Parent visas” at 42 years.

Read across a row and the size of the wait becomes clearer. As at 31 August 2026, the Department’s queue assessment had only reached Parent (103) applications lodged in February 2023, three and a half years earlier, while the applications being released for a final decision had queue dates up to March 2014. The Department acknowledges new applications in about four weeks for every parent subclass, but that is a receipt, not a step forward in the queue.

Two other things stand out. The contributory aged parent queue (864 and 884) had been released two years further than the contributory parent queue (143 and 173): November 2020 against November 2018. And for people moving from a 173 to a 143, or an 884 to an 864, the Department’s table shows “N/A” for queue assessment and “May 2026” in its visa assessment (queue release date) column.

The Department is direct about its limits: “We can’t give exact processing timeframes for these visas.” It also says, “We generally update this information on a yearly basis at the beginning of each program year.” For eligibility and the staged route through the 173, see our Contributory Parent visa 143 guide.

What capping and queueing mean

The Department lists the 103, 804, 143, 173, 864 and 884 as “subject to capping and queueing”, and defines it this way: “‘Capping’ means there is a maximum number of visas that we can grant each migration program year. Once we reach that number, we cannot grant more visas in that year. All remaining visa applications will stay in the ‘queue’ until a place becomes available in a future program year.”

The power comes from the Migration Act 1958. Section 85 lets the Minister, “by legislative instrument, determine the maximum number” of visas of a class “that may be granted in a specified financial year”. Once that number is reached, section 86 says “no more visas of the class or classes may be granted in the year.” Section 88 adds that the cap “does not prevent any other action related to the application”, so assessment can continue even when grants have stopped for the year. Section 89 adds that the Minister not yet granting or refusing a capped visa does not mean, “for any purpose”, a failure to decide.

Source: Migration Act 1958, compilation in force from 8 October 2026; Department of Home Affairs queue release dates page, updated 6 October 2026.

Two details matter. For contributory parent applications lodged before 1 June 2018, the queue date is the lodgement date; for everything else it is assigned once the core criteria are met. And an application that does not meet those criteria is refused rather than queued. The Department also warns that “If we have already met the migration program outcomes for the year, we will not release any more visa applications in the current migration program year.”

Parent places in the 2026-27 Migration Program

On 12 May 2026 the Government announced a Permanent Migration Program of 185,000 places for 2026-27, with 52,460 in the Australian Family Program. Parent places went down.

Source: Department of Home Affairs, Migration Program planning levels, updated 21 September 2026.

That is 1,440 fewer parent places than in each of the previous two years. The Department explains that “small adjustments in the Parent and Other Family categories accommodate increases to the Partner and Child planning levels”. It also lists “changes in planning levels” first among the things that can change parent visa processing times.

A planning level is a plan. The legal cap is set separately, by instrument under section 85. For 2025-26, the Migration (Granting of Contributory Parent Visas, Parent Visas and Other Family Visas During Financial Year 2025-26) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/042), dated 10 June 2026, capped Contributory Parent visas (subclasses 143, 864, 173 and 884) at 6,800 and Parent visas (subclasses 103 and 804) at 1,700. Together that matches the 8,500 planning level. The instrument was repealed on 1 July 2026, so a cap for 2026-27, if one is set, would come in a new instrument. Our post on the 2026-27 Migration Program planning levels covers the wider program.

Within family visas, processing order is set by Ministerial Direction 117. The Department says it gives “highest priority to Family visa applications made while the primary applicant was in Australia, for a visa that can be granted while the applicant is in Australia”, and within each group puts contributory parents ahead of carers, with “a parent, aged parent, remaining relative or aged dependant relative” last. Our explainer on Ministerial Direction 117 and family visa processing goes through the order.

What the wait means in practice

Where your parent lives during the wait depends on the visa. The Department’s Parent visa page says a 103 applicant “must be outside Australia while we process your visa application, unless you hold another valid visa.” The onshore visas work differently.

Source: Department of Home Affairs visa pages for subclasses 103 (updated 8 September 2026), 143 (24 September 2026), 864 (12 October 2026), and 804, 173 and 884 (1 July 2026). “Likely” is the Department’s word: “When you apply for this visa in Australia, we are likely to grant you a bridging visa.”

A few other things follow from a wait measured in years:

• Children who will turn 23. “If your child is likely to turn 23 while we process your application, you will need to provide evidence they are dependent on you due to disability.”
• Checks come later. The Department asks for character documents when it needs them: “Do not arrange a police check until we ask you to.”
• No progress updates. “We will not respond to individual visa application status enquiries.”
• The second instalment comes before grant. “You must pay the second instalment before we will grant the visa. We will send you an invoice when it is due. If you do not pay the invoice, we will refuse your application.”
• Switching counts your 103 date. For a 103 applicant who moves to a contributory visa, the Department says “we will take the date you originally applied for a subclass 103 visa into account for your new application.”

Where the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa fits

The 870 is not on the Department’s list of capped and queued parent visas. Its page directs families to the processing time guide instead, which “will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.” Each of the two stages has its own figures.

Source: Department of Home Affairs, visa processing times guide, updated 2 November 2026.

The figures can change, so check the guide close to the day you plan to lodge. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa page, updated 26 October 2026, also notes that “The increase for Sponsored Parent (Temporary) sponsorship processing times can be attributed to targeted efforts to finalise older on hand cases.”

There are two steps: the sponsor (the parent’s child, or the child’s partner) is approved first, then the parent applies. The sponsorship ends “if the prospective visa applicant does not apply for a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa within 6 months after approval of the sponsorship”. The order of applications matters. The 870 page contemplates parents who “have already lodged a permanent parent visa application” visiting on an 870, but the reverse is blocked: “You cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold this visa.”

Our Subclass 870 visa guide covers eligibility. For what each route costs, see our breakdown of parent visa costs in Australia.

When it is worth getting legal advice

Legal advice does not change the cap or the queue order. What it can help with is preparing an application against the core criteria the Department assesses before giving a queue date, and choosing a route that fits the time your family actually has. It may be worth speaking to a lawyer if:

• a parent’s age or health makes a wait of decades unrealistic, and you are weighing the contributory or temporary routes
• a 103 or 804 application is already queued and you are considering a switch
• your parent is in Australia and their current visa is expiring, since bridging visa entitlements differ by subclass
• a child included in the application may turn 23 before a decision
• there are compassionate circumstances that may support a request for priority under Ministerial Direction 117
• a previous application was refused at the queue assessment stage

If one of these applies, our family migration lawyers can look at your parents’ options and timing.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a parent visa take in Australia?

For new applications, the Department estimates 18 years for Contributory Parent visas and 42 years for Parent and Aged Parent visas. As at 31 August 2026, it had released Contributory Parent applications with queue dates up to November 2018 and Parent visa applications up to March 2014. The temporary 870 is not queued: its guide, updated 2 November 2026, shows 90% of visa applications processed in 9 months.

What is the parent visa queue?

Once an application meets the core criteria, the Department gives it a queue date. Because parent visas are capped each year, queued applications wait until a place is available and are then released for final assessment in queue date order.

How long does the 870 visa take?

The Department’s processing time guide, updated 2 November 2026, shows 50% of Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa applications processed in 7 months and 90% in 9 months. The sponsorship approval that must come first showed 4 months at both points. The guide is based on recently decided applications, so check it before you lodge. The 870 is not on the Department’s list of capped and queued parent visas.

Can I switch from a Parent (103) to a Contributory Parent visa without losing my place?

The Department says “we will take the date you originally applied for a subclass 103 visa into account for your new application” and that switching “will not disadvantage you”. Schedule 1 requires any earlier parent visa application to have been decided or withdrawn when the new one is made, so the 103 application is withdrawn, and the contributory charges apply.

Will fewer parent places in 2026-27 mean longer waits?

The Department lists “changes in planning levels” among the reasons processing times change. It bases its 18 and 42 year estimates on “the current number of places available per year” and generally updates them at the start of each program year.

Can a parent visa application be prioritised?

Only in limited cases. The Department says Ministerial Direction 117 allows priority where an application “involves special circumstances of a compassionate nature, and there are compelling reasons to depart from the order of priority”, decided case by case.

A realistic next step

The queue is long and nobody can promise a date. What you can control is choosing a route your family can live with and lodging a complete application. If you are weighing those choices for your parents, 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 admitted as an Australian Legal Practitioner, 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 November 2026; always check immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before lodging.