143 Visa – Overview
The Contributory Parent Visa (143 Visa) allows you to:
- Move to and/or stay in Australia indefinitely
- Work and study in Australia
- Enrol in Medicare (Australia’s publicly-funded healthcare scheme)
- Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
- Travel to and from Australia for five years
- Apply for Australian citizenship (once residence requirements have been met)
Am I eligible for a 143 Visa?
143 Visa – Main criteria
Both applicants and sponsors for the Subclass 143 Visa must meet eligibility criteria for an application to be successful.
For example, sponsors are required to demonstrate that they are “settled”, which generally means they have been lawfully resident in Australia for a period of two or more years. This period can include time spent on temporary visas.
To qualify for a 143 Visa, the applicant must meet the balance of family test.
This test states that to be eligible, the applicant must have:
- At least half of their children living in Australia as an Australian citizen or permanent resident, OR
- More of their children living in Australia than in any other single country
All children are included in the balance of family test, including:
- Biological children
- Stepchildren
- Adopted children (of both parents)
Both the sponsor and applicant are generally expected to meet standard health and character requirements.
Contributory Parent Visa Types
Subclass 143 Visa
The 143 Visa is a permanent parent visa.
The “contributory” element refers to the additional contribution to Australian government funds included in the second part of the application fee.
This contribution is intended to reflect the access rights to healthcare granted by this visa to individuals who have not previously been resident in Australia and therefore have not contributed through payment of taxes.
The initial application fee is:
- $5,040 for the first applicant
- $1,700 for their spouse
However, the second instalment for each applicant is:
- $43,600
This visa takes approximately 14 years to process, but once approved, it is a permanent visa.
Subclass 173 Visa
The 173 Visa is a temporary contributory parent visa.
The initial Australian government fee is:
- $3,395 for the main applicant
- $1,700 for their spouse
A second, larger fee of $29,130 is required to be paid upon request before any final visa approval is granted.
Applications for the 173 visa typically take around the same time as the permanent 143 Visa, with a current processing time of approximately 14 years.
If successful, applicants are granted a 2-year temporary visa and will be expected to:
- Pay an additional $19,420, and
- Apply for the permanent subclass 143 visa before the temporary visa expires
For both the 143 visa and 173 visa, the second instalment of fees will only be requested if a provisional decision has been made to grant the visa.
In no circumstances will the second instalment be requested and the overall visa application then denied.
Contributory Parent Visas – Length of Stay
Permanent.
Contributory Parent Visas – Processing Times
Due to the annual cap on the number of Australian Parent Visas that can be granted, processing times for these visas can be long.
At present, applicants for the Subclass 143 and Subclass 173 visas should expect a total processing time of around 14 years.
Contributory Parent Visa Fees
The fees for a Permanent Subclass 143 Visa are as follows.
All amounts are in AUD, and any VisaEnvoy fees are payable in full prior to lodgement of your visa application.
Permanent Subclass 143 Visa fees (SC143)
VisaEnvoy Professional Fee – Contributory Parent Visa (Permanent – SC143)
$4,500 +
1st Visa Application Charge (at time of application)
- Main Applicant*: $5,040
- Additional applicant charge 18 and over (Spouse)*: $1,700
2nd Visa Application Charge (at time of decision)*
- Main Applicant: $43,600
- Spouse: $43,600
*1.4% Credit card surcharge applies.
Temporary Subclass 173 Visa fees (SC173)
VisaEnvoy Professional Fee – Contributory Parent Visa (Temporary – SC173)
$4,500 +
1st Visa Application Charge (at time of application)
- Main Applicant*: $3,395
- Additional applicant charge 18 and over (Spouse)*: $1,700
2nd Visa Application Charge (at time of decision)
- Main Applicant*: $29,130
- Additional applicant charge 18 and over (Spouse)*: $29,130
*1.4% Credit card surcharge applies.
Permanent Subclass 143 stage after 173
VisaEnvoy Professional Fee – Contributory Parent Visa (Permanent – SC143)
$2,000 +
1st Visa Application Charge (at time of application)
- Main Applicant*: $445
- Additional applicant charge 18 and over (Spouse)*: $225
2nd Visa Application Charge (at time of decision)
- Main Applicant*: $19,420
- Additional applicant charge 18 and over (Spouse)*: $19,420
*1.4% Credit card surcharge applies.
Contributory Parent Visas – Assurance of Support (AoS)
In addition to the above fees, there is an Assurance of Support (AoS) which is payable at around the time of decision.
For two applicants, the AoS is currently $14,000.
This bond is refunded 10 years after a contributory parent visa holder enters Australia.
It is subject to deductions for any debts that may be owed to the Australian government.
Contributory Parent Visa Cap 2024–25
The number of parent visas that can be issued each year is capped according to the Australian government’s annual Migration Program planning levels.
For 2024–25, the maximum number of Parent Visas that can be issued is 8,500.
Contributory Parent Visas – Additional Information
- If you are over 65 years old, you may wish to consider applying for the Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864), as this visa permits you to stay in Australia while your application is being processed.
- If you have already applied for a permanent parent visa (143 visa) and already hold a temporary 173 or 884 visa, you are permitted to enrol in Medicare.
