Eligibility Review
Check whether your age, family circumstances and current visa position support an application.
Permanent Parent Visa · Subclass 864
Contributory Aged Parent Visa (Subclass 864)
The Contributory Aged Parent Visa Subclass 864 is a permanent visa option for eligible aged parents who have a settled child in Australia.
Plan the pathway carefully
Because the pathway involves strict eligibility requirements, significant government costs and a long processing period, getting the application strategy right from the beginning is important. Think Higher Consultants can assess your circumstances, explain the available parent visa options and help prepare the application correctly.
Parent Visa Support
How We Can Help
Sponsor Assessment
Review the proposed sponsor and the evidence needed to establish eligibility.
Family Test
Work through your children and stepchildren to determine whether the Balance of Family Test is met.
Application Support
Prepare the required evidence, lodge through ImmiAccount and assist with Home Affairs requests during processing.
Permanent Residence
What You Receive After Grant
Once granted, Subclass 864 gives you Australian permanent residence and access to the following benefits:
✓Permanent Stay in Australia
✓Work & Study Rights
✓Medicare Access
✓Eligible Family Sponsorship
✓5-Year Travel Facility
✓
Live in Australia permanently
✓
Work in Australia
✓
Enrol in Medicare
✓
Sponsor eligible family members in the future
✓
Travel to and from Australia for 5 years from the visa grant date
✓
Apply for Australian citizenship later if eligible
✓
Access eligible Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) classes
✓
Receive permanent resident rights, subject to any applicable waiting periods for certain government benefits
Who Can Qualify?
Age is only one part of the assessment
Your sponsor, family structure, current visa and migration history also need to meet the relevant requirements.
Age Requirement
The age test is linked to Australia's Age Pension age.
| Requirement | Current Position |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 67 years or older |
| Age benchmark | Australian Age Pension age |
| Receiving Age Pension | Not required |
Age Pension age is 67 or older. This does not mean you need to receive an Age Pension. The visa is concerned with whether you have reached the qualifying age; Centrelink's income, assets and residence tests are separate.
Financial Support
Assurance of Support
Before grant, an eligible assurer generally needs to provide an Assurance of Support (AoS).
What the AoS involves
Financial Support Commitment
Certain Centrelink Repayments May Apply
Assurer Can Be Different From Sponsor
Individual Assurer: 18+, Australia Resident, Income Requirements
Organisations: Separate Financial-Capacity Rules
How Long Does the AoS Last?
For Contributory Parent and Contributory Aged Parent visas, the Assurance of Support generally lasts 10 years. It begins when the person arrives in Australia or receives the visa, whichever happens later.
Bank guarantees
As at August 2026, the required bank guarantees are:
| Assurer | Bank Guarantee |
|---|---|
| Individual – 1 adult | AUD 10,000 |
| Individual – 2 adults | AUD 14,000 |
| Organisation – 1 or 2 adults | AUD 20,000 |
ImportantDo not arrange the bank guarantee in advance. Services Australia will write to the assurer when it is time to establish the guarantee and term deposit.
Government Charges
Cost
The government visa charge starts from AUD 49,900 for one applicant.
| Cost Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Starting visa charge | From AUD 49,900 for one applicant |
| First instalment | Paid when the application is lodged |
| Second instalment | Paid when requested by Home Affairs before visa grant |
| Additional applicants | Including family members can increase the total visa charge |
| Other possible costs | Health examinations, police certificates and biometrics |
| Reduced charges | May apply to certain Subclass 884 holders, substituted Subclass 600 visa holders and eligible Pacific Island or Timor-Leste applicants |
Visa charges and concessions can change, so current Home Affairs pricing should be checked before lodgement.
Queue & Processing
Processing Time and Queue
A higher visa charge does not mean a quick decision. Contributory Parent visas are still subject to annual limits and queueing.
| Processing Detail | Current Position |
|---|---|
| Estimated processing time | Around 15 years |
| Applies to | New Contributory Parent applications |
| Queue system | Yes |
| Visa places | Limited each migration program year |
As at 31 May 2026
Current Subclass 864 Queue Position
| Stage | Current Position |
|---|---|
| New application acknowledgement | Around 4 weeks |
| Queue assessment | Applications lodged around April 2023 |
| Released for final assessment | Lodged/queued up to November 2018 |
These dates help show where Home Affairs has reached, but they should not be used to calculate an exact personal decision date.
Before the queue
Core assessment
Queue date
If requirements are not met
What Happens Before You Enter the Queue?
Home Affairs first checks whether the application meets the core requirements for queue placement.
If it does, a queue date is assigned and provided in writing. The application then waits until it is released for final assessment.
If the core requirements are not met, the application can be refused instead of receiving a queue date.
While waiting
Medicare While Waiting
Not automaticSimply lodging a Subclass 864 application does not mean every applicant automatically receives Medicare.
Reciprocal agreement countriesServices Australia currently allows certain applicants waiting for this permanent visa to enrol where they are from a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement country and meet the relevant agreement conditions.
Subclass 884A person who previously held a temporary Subclass 884 visa may also qualify.
After grantAfter the permanent visa is granted, the holder can enrol in Medicare as a permanent resident.
Application Process
How to Apply
Since 22 April 2026, permanent Parent visa applications including Subclass 864 must generally be lodged online through ImmiAccount. Temporary Subclass 884 applications continue to use the applicable paper application process.
Check age, sponsorship, family position and current visa conditions.
Prepare identity, relationship, sponsor and family evidence.
Lodge through ImmiAccount and pay the first installment.
Wait for Home Affairs to complete the initial queue assessment.
Receive a queue date if the application meets the required criteria.
Wait until the application is released for final assessment.
Complete updated health, character and Assurance of Support requirements when requested.
Pay the second installment before the visa is granted.
If another Parent visa application is still undecided, it must be withdrawn when the new application is made.
Application Evidence
Document Required
The exact documents depend on your family and migration history, but a typical application may require:
01Passport & ID
02Parent-Child Evidence
03Sponsor Documents
04Form 40
05Family Test Evidence
06Partner Documents
07Dependant Documents
08Form 47A
09Dependency Evidence
10Health & Character
11Assurance of Support
12Previous Parent Visa Evidence
Home Affairs advises applicants not to arrange police certificates or an Assurance of Support prematurely where they have been told to wait.
Parent Visa Pathways
Compare Your Parent Visa Options
| Visa | What Makes It Different |
|---|---|
| Subclass 864 | Permanent contributory pathway for parents who meet the aged-parent requirement |
| Subclass 804 | Permanent aged-parent option with much lower government cost but a considerably longer estimated wait |
| Subclass 884 | Temporary 2-year contributory pathway that can lead to permanent 864 |
| Subclass 143 | Permanent contributory Parent visa that is not specifically an aged-parent pathway |
| Subclass 870 | Temporary sponsored Parent visa offering 3 or 5-year stays |
Think Higher Consultants
Why Choose Think Higher Consultants?
Registered Migration Agent
Your matter can be guided by Aneel Khowaja, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1571699, whose registration is currently listed as active with OMARA.
11+ Years
Experienced guidance across Australian migration and family visa matters.
Parent Visa Planning
We look beyond the application form to help you understand sponsorship, family eligibility, costs, queueing, bridging visa implications and alternative Parent visa pathways.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Subclass 864 Queue Calculator?
No official calculator can tell you the exact date your application will be decided. Home Affairs instead publishes current queue-assessment dates, queue-release milestones and broad processing estimates.
Can Family Members Be Included?
Eligible family members may be included in the application, and all family members must still be declared even if they are not migrating. For children, the dependency rules depend on age and circumstances. A child may qualify if they are under 18, aged 18 to under 23 and dependent, or 23 or older where they remain dependent because they are unable to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations. For an adult dependent, Home Affairs may ask for evidence showing that the person has been financially dependent on the parent for at least 12 months before the application.
Can I Apply While I Am on a Visitor Visa?
Potentially, but it depends on the conditions attached to your Visitor visa. A condition such as 8503 – No Further Stay can prevent another substantive visa application in Australia unless a waiver is available and granted. Check your grant notice or VEVO before relying on an onshore pathway.
What Happens if My 884 Visa Has Already Expired?
The second-stage pathway may still be available where the 884 ended within the previous 28 days. Where more time has passed, the applicant would need to establish the relevant compelling and compassionate circumstances to regain access to that special pathway.
Parent Visa Enquiry
Get Professional Help With Your Parent Visa
Think Higher Consultants can assess whether the Contributory Aged Parent Visa 864 is suitable for your family and assist with eligibility, sponsorship, documentation, ImmiAccount lodgement and ongoing Home Affairs requirements.
EligibilitySponsorshipDocumentationImmiAccount lodgementOngoing Home Affairs requirements