Australian Parent Visas (Subclasses 143, 864, 103, 804 & 870) Comparison & PIC 4005 Health Requirement Guide

Park & Co Lawyers · General Legal Consultation Guide Consultation Guide

Planning an Australian Parent visa requires carefully comparing your parents' ages, government contributory charges, multi-decade queue times, and the strict PIC 4005 health criterion—which offers zero health waiver flexibility—before lodging any application. This information is general guidance current as at 2 November 2026; legal assessment varies depending on your individual visa history and factual circumstances, and no specific outcome is guaranteed.

1. 2026 Parent Visa Fees, Online ImmiAccount Lodgement, and Estimated Wait Times

Australian parent migration pathways divide broadly into Contributory permanent visas (Subclasses 143 and 864), Non-Contributory permanent visas (Subclasses 103 and 804), and the long-stay temporary Sponsored Parent visa (Subclass 870), which confers no permanent residency pathway. Under 2026 Department of Home Affairs rules, all four permanent parent visas (103, 143, 804, 864) must be lodged online via ImmiAccount rather than by paper post, with paper filing retained solely for two-stage temporary contributory visas (Subclasses 173 and 884).

1. Contributory Permanent Parent Visas (Subclass 143 and Onshore Aged Subclass 864): Total government Visa Application Charges stand at AUD $49,900 per adult, split into a first instalment of AUD $6,300 at lodgement and a second contributory instalment of AUD $43,600 payable immediately prior to visa grant. Separately, a 10-year Assurance of Support (AoS) administered through Services Australia (Centrelink) with a refundable bank bond (approximately $10,000 for 1 adult or $14,000 for a couple) is required before grant. With the annual parent visa planning ceiling capped near 7,060 places, Home Affairs' published 2026 queue estimate for newly lodged Contributory applications is approximately 18 years.
2. Non-Contributory Permanent Parent Visas (Subclass 103 and Onshore Aged Subclass 804): Total government visa charges are AUD $8,665 per adult (across two instalments) alongside a 4-year AoS (bond $5,000 for 1 adult, $7,000 for 2 adults), lowering upfront cost at the expense of an estimated wait time of approximately 42 years for new applications.
3. Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 870): Beyond the AUD $420 prior sponsorship approval fee, visa charges are AUD $6,370 for a 3-year stay or AUD $12,440 for a 5-year stay (paid across two instalments including a $1,515 first instalment). Parents may stay up to a cumulative maximum of 10 years, but paid work is strictly prohibited (Condition 8103) and the visa never leads directly to permanent residency.

2. Onshore Aged Parent Visas (864 & 804), Age 67 Threshold, and Bridging Visa Misconceptions

One of the costliest practical misconceptions is assuming that bringing parents into Australia on a Visitor visa (Subclass 600) or ETA (Subclass 601) and lodging Subclass 143 online will generate a Bridging Visa permitting them to remain onshore. In law, Subclass 143 does not generate an onshore Bridging Visa A (BVA) even when lodged online while physically inside Australia, meaning parents must depart before their current visitor stay expires.

To obtain a BVA upon lodgement and lawfully reside in Australia throughout processing, the primary parent must qualify for an Aged Parent visa (Subclass 864 or Subclass 804) by meeting all three criteria on the date of application:

1. The primary applicant parent must have reached Australian Age Pension age—67 years or older—on the exact day of lodgement.
2. The parent must be physically and lawfully inside Australia at the time of lodgement.
3. The substantive visa currently held must not carry Condition 8503 (No Further Stay).

Families contemplating Subclass 804 to reside onshore indefinitely on a BVA must realistically weigh ongoing living costs. Because South Korea does not hold a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia, Subclass 804 BVA holders receive zero Medicare access across decades of waiting, requiring continuous self-funded private health cover for older age brackets as well as a freshly approved Bridging Visa B (BVB) prior to every overseas trip.

3. Balance of Family Test and the Statutory Bar Against Lodging Permanent Visas While on Subclass 870

All permanent and contributory parent visas (103, 143, 173, 804, 864, 884) require both an eligible settled sponsor (generally resident in Australia for at least 2 years) and strict compliance at lodgement with the Balance of Family test. Counting every biological, step, and adopted child of both parents worldwide—irrespective of estrangement—at least 50% of all children must reside permanently in Australia, or more eligible children must reside permanently in Australia than in any single overseas country. Neither Home Affairs nor the ART holds any legal discretion to waive this mathematical test.

Families unable to pass the Balance of Family test often turn to Subclass 870, which waives both the Balance of Family test and AoS. Instead, the sponsoring child must satisfy a taxable income threshold of AUD $83,454.80 for the most recently completed financial year (where combined with a spouse or co-sponsor, the primary sponsor's own taxable income must comprise at least 50%, namely AUD $41,727.40, limited to one active sponsorship per household). Crucially, however, migration legislation bars any parent who currently holds a Subclass 870 visa or has an undecided Subclass 870 application pending from lodging a permanent or contributory parent visa (143, 864, 804, 103), rendering any attempted application legally invalid. Families combining both streams must therefore validly lodge Subclass 143 (or another permanent parent visa) first, and apply for Subclass 870 only afterwards.

4. PIC 4005 Health Criterion (Zero Health Waiver) and the AUD $86,000 Threshold

The single greatest refusal hazard in parent migration is the PIC 4005 health requirement. Because every standard parent visa (143, 864, 103, 804, 870) is governed by PIC 4005 rather than PIC 4007, there is no statutory health waiver available at law—even if sponsoring children hold comprehensive private health insurance or offer legally binding undertakings to pay every hospital bill personally.

A Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) assesses whether, given the severity and prognosis of the applicant's condition, hypothetical public health care, PBS pharmaceuticals, and Commonwealth-funded aged care services over a 5-year period (or up to 10 years / remaining life expectancy for permanent or progressive conditions) are likely to exceed the AUD $86,000 significant cost threshold or prejudice access to scarce resources such as dialysis or organ transplants. Once a legally valid adverse MOC opinion is issued, both Home Affairs and the ART are statutorily bound to refuse:

1. Repeat Medical Risk After Years in the Queue: Because medical clearances generally remain valid for 12 months, passing an upfront health check at lodgement does not protect against refusal if dementia, renal failure, malignancy, or diabetic complications emerge during repeat medicals immediately prior to grant over a decade later.
2. Spousal 'One Fail, All Fail' Rule: Both the primary applicant and their spouse (including a non-migrating spouse unless unreasonable) must satisfy PIC 4005; if either parent fails, the entire application faces refusal. However, uncomplicated hypertension or early-stage diabetes stably managed on oral medication does not automatically fail PIC 4005, making carefully structured specialist prognostic reports submitted before a final MOC opinion indispensable.
3. Rare Substituted 600 Exception: Only in the exceptional minority of cases where, following visa refusal and ART affirmation, the Minister personally intervenes under s 351 to grant a Substituted Visitor (Subclass 600) visa does a subsequent parent visa shift from rigid PIC 4005 to the waivable PIC 4007 health criterion.

5. Documents Useful to Prepare Before a Consultation

To design a legally valid lodgement sequence and evaluate PIC 4005 health exposure before committing substantial fees, please prepare:

• Exact dates of birth (to verify age-67 eligibility) and passport bio-pages for both parents
• Parents' current country of residence, plus Visa Grant Notices and current VEVO checks if onshore (checking for Condition 8503)
• Complete worldwide list of all children from current and prior marriages for both parents, including each child's country of residence and visa/citizenship status
• Sponsoring child's (and partner's) Australian PR or citizenship grant date and length of Australian settlement
• For Subclass 870 planning: ATO Notice of Assessment for the most recently completed financial year for the sponsor (and co-sponsoring partner)
• Summary of all chronic medical diagnoses, recent pathology/imaging results, and current prescription lists for both parents (including any non-migrating spouse)
• Copies of any prior Australian visa refusals, cancellations, or MOC health correspondence

6. Scope of Legal Services at Park & Co Lawyers

Park & Co Lawyers provides strategic pathway design and legal representation across Contributory, Non-Contributory, and Temporary Parent visas (143, 864, 103, 804, 870), alongside specialist medical-legal structuring and MOC submissions addressing PIC 4005 health risks for parents with pre-existing conditions.

With tens of thousands of dollars in government charges, multi-decade waitlists, and strict spousal health rules at stake, sequencing mistakes can invalidate an application at the threshold. Send your parents' dates of birth, current visa details, family composition, and medical summary to enquiry@parkcolawyers.com or via our Official Inquiry Hub for a comprehensive assessment and matter-specific fee quote. We do not guarantee visa grant, queue acceleration, or specific health outcomes.

Official Sources

1. Department of Home Affairs: Subclass 143 Contributory Parent Visa
2. Department of Home Affairs: Subclass 864 Contributory Aged Parent Visa
3. Department of Home Affairs: Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa
4. Department of Home Affairs: Parent Visas Queue Release Dates and Processing Priorities
5. Department of Home Affairs: Health Requirement - Protecting Health Care and Community Services
6. Park & Co Lawyers Official Inquiry Hub