At a glance
- Visa type
- Permanent residenceOnce a place becomes available
- Cost
- Much lower than ContributoryThe trade-off is time
- The queue
- Capped and queuedSubstantially longer than 143
- The gate
- Balance of family testSettle this first
- Consultation
- AUD 150 for 60 minutesCredited towards your professional fee
Subclass 103
Who this is realistically for
A 103 makes sense when the contribution for a 143 is genuinely out of reach and the applicants are young enough that a very long wait is survivable. Outside those conditions, it is often a way of feeling like something is happening while nothing is.
Younger parents
Where a long queue can be absorbed without the plan collapsing. If your parents are already elderly, be realistic about what a lengthy wait means.
Families where the contribution is out of reach
The 103 exists precisely for this. Just enter it with clear eyes about the timeframe.
Applicants who also have an interim plan
A 103 in the queue plus a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa or visitor arrangements is a coherent strategy. A 103 alone often is not.
People who want the cheaper option on the record
Lodging preserves a place in the queue. That has value, provided nobody mistakes it for an imminent outcome.
Eligibility
What is required
The criteria closely mirror the contributory pathway; what differs is the charge and the queue.
- 01
A sponsor in Australia
Generally a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen child.
- 02
The balance of family test
At least half your children living in Australia, or more in Australia than in any other single country. Stepchildren and adopted children count.
- 03
An Assurance of Support
A financial commitment, potentially including a bond.
- 04
Health and character
Examinations and police certificates, which will be requested again if the queue is long.
- 05
Capping and queueing
Applications wait until a place is available in a program year. This is the defining feature of the subclass.
How we work
What we actually do for you
You should know whether an application is viable before you spend money on it. If it is not yet, we say so and set out what would change that.
- 01
Balance of family test
First, always. If it fails, this pathway is closed.
- 02
An honest comparison with the 143
Cost against queue, with your parents' ages in the equation. Sometimes the answer is that neither is right and the 870 is.
- 03
Lodge to hold a queue place
With the Assurance of Support arrangements identified.
- 04
Plan the interim properly
A long queue needs a parallel plan for how parents spend time here meanwhile.
- 05
Keep the file alive
Health, character and circumstances get revisited. Long waits mean updates.
Where it goes wrong
Why these applications fail
Refusals are rarely a surprise in hindsight. These are the patterns we see most, and all four are avoidable with advice before lodgement rather than after a decision.
Treating a lodged 103 as an outcome
It secures a place in a queue. That is not the same as a visa, and families sometimes make life decisions as though it were.
No interim plan at all
Years pass. If nobody planned how parents would visit meanwhile, the wait becomes the problem.
Failing balance of family
The single most common hard stop, and it can be checked in a first consultation.
Ageing into a health problem
The longer the wait, the more likely health becomes the obstacle. Understand that risk when choosing between 103 and 143.
Fees
What we charge
General information, not personal advice. This page explains how the visa works in general terms. It is not immigration assistance for your circumstances, and reading it does not create a client relationship.
Requirements, thresholds, charges and processing priorities change. The Department of Home Affairs is the authority on current settings, and we confirm them against your case in a consultation. Reviewed August 2026.
Advice on this page is provided by a MARA-registered migration agent, MARN 1793706. In Australia only registered agents may lawfully give immigration assistance for a fee.
Migration agent consultation
60 minutes, in person or online
Full assessment of your options with customised advice. Credited towards your visa professional fee if you proceed.
AUD 150Free for Scholar Hub students
Parent Visa (Subclass 103)
Our professional fee
Document preparation, drafting and lodgement, and responses to the Department through to a decision.
On quoteAfter a consultation, fixed in writing
Our professional fees only. They exclude Department of Home Affairs visa application charges, skills assessment fees, English test fees and medical examinations.
See the full pricing page for other services.
Related pathways
Other visas we advise on
Most people are choosing between two or three of these. The immigration services page compares them side by side.
Parent visas
FamilyAll the parent pathways compared, including the queues nobody warns you about.
Contributory Parent
143/173The faster permanent route for parents, at a substantially higher contribution.
Sponsored Parent
870Up to five years for a parent, no balance of family test, and no work rights.
Visitor visa
600Tourism, business or family visits for 3, 6 or 12 months. No work permitted.
Questions
What people ask
General guidance only, and policy changes. Your own circumstances are assessed in a consultation.