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Pathway

Australia Temporary Sponsored Parent Visa

Australia Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Australia's Sponsored Parent visa lets a parent visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years at a time.

Type
Temporary parent stay
Sponsor
Approved Parent Sponsor
Core requirements
Sponsor approval, temporary intent, funds, and health insurance
What to know
No work rights and no direct path to permanent residence
What it gives
The parent can stay in Australia temporarily for the period granted—up to 3 or 5 years—and travel in and out while the visa and travel rights remain valid.
Main limit
Subclass 870 does not allow work and does not grant permanent residence, Medicare access as a permanent resident, or an automatic path to citizenship.

Summary

The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870) lets an eligible parent spend a longer temporary period with family in Australia. A grant is for up to 3 or 5 years, and the parent's total stay across 870 visas cannot exceed 10 years.

The process has two stages: the Australian child or other eligible person must first become an approved Parent Sponsor; only then can the parent lodge the visa application within the allowed period. This route is designed for temporary family reunion, not permanent migration.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The visa applicant must be the biological, legal, adoptive or qualifying step-parent of the approved sponsor. The sponsor must normally be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is at least 18 and meets the residence and household-income rules.

The parent generally must:

There is no balance of family test for Subclass 870. However, the sponsor has legal obligations, including support, accommodation where necessary, record keeping, notification of changes, and payment of certain outstanding public health debts incurred by the parent.

Home Affairs normally requires the parent to be outside Australia when applying unless it has granted permission to apply in Australia. The sponsorship approval letter and visa page should be checked for the exact deadline and location.

What This Route Allows

The parent can stay in Australia temporarily for the period granted—up to 3 or 5 years—and travel in and out while the visa and travel rights remain valid. A later 870 may be possible within the 10-year lifetime maximum and subject to the rules then in force.

The long stay can provide more family time than an ordinary visitor visa. It does not use the permanent Parent visa cap and queue.

What This Route Is Not

Subclass 870 does not allow work and does not grant permanent residence, Medicare access as a permanent resident, or an automatic path to citizenship. The parent must maintain private health insurance and meet every visa condition.

It is not a bridge that automatically converts to a 103, 143, 804 or 864 visa. Home Affairs restricts holding or applying for certain permanent or temporary Parent visas while an 870 application or visa exists. Sequence the options before lodging either route.

The 10-year cap is cumulative, not 10 years per child or sponsor. A parent who has used the maximum cannot simply restart the clock with a different sponsor.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the child or eligible sponsor meets the current citizenship/residence, age and household-income rules.
  2. Have the sponsor lodge and obtain Parent Sponsor approval before the parent's visa application.
  3. Read the approval letter for the 6-month or special 60-day application deadline.
  4. Choose 3 or 5 years only after budgeting the visa charge, insurance and living costs; the charge differs by stay length.
  5. Review any existing Parent visa application before lodging because the categories can conflict.
  6. Prepare identity, parent-child relationship, funds, insurance, health and character evidence.
  7. Track all previous 870 stays against the 10-year maximum and comply with no-work and insurance conditions.
Compare your options

Other routes in Australia.

Sources