Permanently join your child in Australia — the affordable option with a longer wait
The Parent visa (subclass 103) lets the parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen move to Australia permanently.
It's one of two main offshore parent visa options. The other is the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143), which is faster but costs many times more.
The big thing to know about the 103 is the wait. IMMI's own current estimate is that new applications take around 30 years to process. The backlog sits at more than 150,000 applications, and the yearly cap on places is far smaller than the number of new applications coming in.
The visa is permanent and the application fee is low compared to the 143, but the queue is the trade-off.
Applicants need to meet a few core rules. The child in Australia has to be settled (usually a permanent resident or citizen for at least 2 years). The parent has to meet the balance of family test, which generally means that at least half of the parent's children live permanently in Australia, or that more of them live in Australia than in any other single country.
The parent also needs a sponsor (the child or the child's partner) and an Assurance of Support. The Assurance is a financial guarantee covering social security benefits the parent might claim in their first 10 years here.
Once granted, the 103 gives full permanent residency: live, work, and study anywhere in Australia, access to Medicare, and a 5-year travel facility. Holders are eligible for citizenship after meeting the standard residence rules (typically 4 years in Australia, with at least the last 12 months as a permanent resident).
A much smaller retiree pathway exists for older applicants who don't have eligible children in Australia. The retiree pathway has different rules (no sponsor, no balance of family test, no Assurance of Support required) but is rarely used in practice.
These are the published requirements for the 103. Check each one applies to your situation.
IMMI's own current estimate for new 103 applications is around 30 years.
The backlog sits above 150,000 applications, and the yearly cap on parent visa places is far smaller than the rate of new applications. Most parents lodging a 103 in 2026 won't see a decision for decades.
This isn't a worst-case figure. It's the central estimate published by the Department.
The 30-year wait shapes everything about the visa. The people lodging it tend to be doing so because the much faster Contributory Parent visa (143) is out of reach financially. The 103 first instalment lets the family at least join the queue while they keep working on other options (visitor visas, Sponsored Parent Temporary visa, or saving toward a 143).
Whether to lodge a 103 at all is a conversation worth having with a registered migration agent before paying any money.
The balance of family test is checked at the time of decision, not at the time of application. That sounds harmless, but it has real consequences.
A parent who lodges a 103 with three of five children in Australia (passing the test) may see one of those Australian-resident children move overseas during the wait. By the time the application is decided, the parent may fail the test.
Conversely, a parent who fails the test now but whose other children later move to Australia may pass by the time the application is decided.
The 30-year wait makes the balance of family test a moving target. Some parents and families plan around this deliberately.
The Assurance of Support is a financial commitment by an Australian-based person to cover social security payments the parent might receive in the first 10 years here.
The bond required by Services Australia can be several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on family size.
The income requirement on the Assurance-giver is also substantial. Someone earning a typical Australian wage may not qualify to give an Assurance on their own.
Many families don't realise the Assurance of Support is a separate financial test until they're in the second-instalment stage, years into the wait.
The 103 fee is split into two payments. The first is paid at lodgement and is significantly smaller than the second. The second is paid only when IMMI moves the application toward decision.
For families that can't afford a 143 in one hit, this two-instalment structure makes the 103 financially workable.
The family commits a smaller amount up front to hold their place in the queue. Then they have decades to save toward the second instalment, the Assurance of Support bond, and the cost of moving the parent to Australia.
