Should I Choose the 870 or 143 Parent Visa for My Parents?

Start with the end state, not the application form. The 870 buys time together. The 143 is the permanent-residency route, but its queue can dominate every other part of the decision. For a household-level view of the financial capacity behind either option, use the same discipline as calculating net worth accurately: list known commitments, then leave room for costs the official estimator cannot fully settle in advance.

Should I apply for the 870 visa while my parents wait for a 143 visa?

It can be a practical sequencing option when the family needs time together sooner, but it is not a queue-jumping device. The Department of Home Affairs describes the 870 as a temporary pathway for parents of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens, allowing stays of up to 3 or 5 years at a time and no more than 10 years in total.

The important split is administrative. The Department says capping and queueing applies to parent visas but excludes the 870. A 143 application moves through initial assessment for queue placement, then awaits final assessment when a place is available. The 870 is therefore useful for temporary reunification during a separate long-term plan; it does not cause the 143 to be granted sooner.

Run the two-clock check. First clock: how soon do the parents and family need to live in the same country? Second clock: is permanent residence still the required finish line? If the first clock is urgent and the second remains important, the two visas can address different problems. If permanent residence is not required, paying and planning for both processes may create complexity without changing the desired outcome.

Do not assume the 870 solves every practical issue. The supplied Department material frames it as a temporary visa designed to reunite families without additional taxpayer costs. It does not, in the materials provided here, set out work rights or Medicare access. Confirm those conditions from the visa grant materials and official guidance before treating them as part of the household budget.

Is the Sponsored Parent visa a pathway to permanent residency?

No. The Sponsored Parent visa is a temporary visa, while the Contributory Parent subclass 143 is the permanent option. That distinction is the whole decision, not fine print.

The Department of Home Affairs says the 143 lets a parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen move to Australia permanently. It also says demand for permanent parent visas exceeds available places and that only a limited number of permanent parent-visa places are available each Migration Program year. Once that number is reached, no further grants are made in that program year.

That creates a common planning error: treating the 870 as a bridge that automatically becomes a 143. Stronger wording is: “The 870 gives temporary time in Australia; the 143 is a separate permanent-residency application with its own queue and grant decision.” That sentence keeps the family’s expectations aligned with the official rules.

As at 31 August 2026, the Department estimated an 18-year processing timeframe for new Contributory Parent applications. At that date, final processing had been released for Contributory Parent applications with queue dates up to November 2018. The Department also warns that this estimate is not a guarantee because planning levels, demand, withdrawals, checks and individual circumstances can change timing.

Age, care needs and urgency matter because they change the value of temporary proximity. They do not change the 870 into a permanent visa or remove the 143 queue. Keep those two facts separate.

How much does a 143 parent visa cost compared with the 870 visa?

The official sources provided do not give a single fixed dollar comparison for the 870 and 143 application charges, so a reliable article should not invent one. Use the Department of Home Affairs Visa Prices table at lodgement, because charges can change and can vary with the applicant’s circumstances.

The 143 cost is broader than its first application charge. The Department says some visas require an additional charge before grant and specifically warns that second instalments for some Contributory Parent subclass 143 applicants can be significant. A high first payment is not a promise of a quick grant; annual caps and queueing still apply.

Then add the support obligation. For a 10-year Assurance of Support, Services Australia lists a guarantee of $10,000 for one adult or $14,000 for two adults when the assurer is an individual. For an organisational assurer, Services Australia lists $20,000 for one or two adults. The assurance starts on the later of the visa holder’s arrival in Australia or visa receipt, lasts 10 years for Contributory Parent visas, and can expose the assurer to recovery of recoverable income-support payments.

Health costs also belong in the comparison. Services Australia states that a person who has applied for a permanent parent visa is not covered by the general Medicare rule for other permanent-residency applicants. During assessment, a 143 applicant can enrol only in the stated reciprocal-health-care or former subclass 173 circumstances; once the Parent visa is granted, they can enrol in Medicare. That makes private health insurance and any applicable reciprocal arrangement a live budget question during the wait.

Use a three-bucket budget: visa charges confirmed at lodgement, the 10-year Assurance of Support, and the cost of remaining adequately covered while the permanent application is assessed. If one bucket has no verified figure yet, mark it as unresolved rather than quietly assuming it is zero.

The clean decision rule is simple. The 870 fits a defined temporary-reunification period. The 143 fits a permanent-residency objective supported by patience, cash reserves and a willingness to manage a capped queue. This week, write one sentence answering: “Are we buying time together, or are we pursuing permanent residence?” Then price only the path that actually answers it.