At a glance
- Visa type
- TemporaryUp to 3 or 5 years
- Two stages
- Sponsorship approval, then the visaThe sponsorship comes first
- Work
- Not permittedThis is the key limitation
- Balance of family test
- Does not applyUnlike the permanent parent visas
- Consultation
- AUD 150 for 60 minutesCredited towards your professional fee
Subclass 870
The pragmatic option most families end up needing
The 870 is frequently the right answer for people who came in asking about permanent parent visas. It does not confer residence, and it does not allow work — but it does allow a parent to be here for years at a time, and it does not depend on the balance of family test.
Families who fail the balance of family test
Because the permanent parent visas are then closed, and this one does not apply that test.
Parents waiting in a permanent queue
A 103 or 143 in the queue plus an 870 is a coherent plan rather than years of hoping.
Grandparents helping with young children
A long continuous stay is what is actually needed, and permanent residence often is not.
Parents who do not need to work
This is the hard constraint. No work is permitted on an 870, so it does not suit a parent who intends to earn here.
Eligibility
What is required
This visa has an unusual shape: the child applies to be an approved sponsor first, and only then can the parent apply.
- 01
An approved sponsor
The child applies for and is granted sponsorship approval before the parent can lodge a visa application. There are income requirements for the sponsor.
- 02
A qualifying relationship
The applicant must be the biological, legal (including adoptive), step or parent-in-law of the sponsor.
- 03
A sponsor who is settled
An Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
- 04
Health insurance
Adequate arrangements for the period of stay, which is a real cost to budget for over several years.
- 05
Health and character
Examinations and police certificates.
- 06
No work
The visa does not permit work in Australia. Plan around this.
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
Check the sponsor first
Income requirements and eligibility sit with the child, not the parent. If the sponsor does not qualify, nothing else proceeds.
- 02
Lodge the sponsorship application
And wait for approval. The parent cannot apply before this is granted.
- 03
Then the visa application
With health insurance arrangements and supporting evidence in place.
- 04
Plan the health cover honestly
Over three or five years this is a significant cost, and it is a visa condition, not an optional extra.
- 05
Think about what follows
An 870 is finite. If permanent residence is the eventual goal, that application should be running in parallel.
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.
Parent applies before sponsorship is approved
The sequence is fixed. Applications lodged out of order waste time and money.
Sponsor income requirement not met
This sits with the child in Australia and is the most common reason the pathway stalls before it starts.
Assuming a parent can work
They cannot. Families sometimes plan household finances on the assumption they can.
Treating it as a route to permanent residence
It is not a pathway to PR by itself. If PR is the goal, a permanent application has to be running as well.
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
Sponsored Parent (Temporary) Visa (Subclass 870)
Our professional fee
Document preparation, drafting and lodgement, and responses to the Department through to a decision.
On quoteSponsorship and visa stages quoted separately
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.
Parent visa
103The cheaper permanent parent visa, with a far longer queue.
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.