The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) is a temporary visa that allows a parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen to stay in Australia for up to 3 or 5 years. Unlike the permanent parent visa streams (subclass 103, 143, 804, 864), the subclass 870 is not subject to capping and queueing — it is processed as a non-capped temporary visa, meaning it does not wait in the long queue that permanent parent applications face.

The 870 visa is designed to allow parents to temporarily reunite with their children in Australia without placing ongoing costs on taxpayers — the sponsor is responsible for private health insurance, and the parent has no work rights and no access to Medicare or Centrelink. The 870 is not a pathway to permanent residence by itself, but a parent may separately apply for a permanent parent visa while in Australia on the 870. For current guidance, refer to the DHA subclass 870 page.

• Migration Regulations 1994 — Subclass 870 (Sponsored Parent Temporary) — the visa criteria
• DHA: Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/sponsored-parent-870
• DHA: Family Migration program — About parent visas — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-parent-visas

Who can be the applicant

The applicant (the parent) must be the parent of a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. "Settled" means the sponsor is lawfully and permanently residing in Australia. Step-parents and adoptive parents may also qualify depending on the circumstances.

Who can be the sponsor

The sponsor is the Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible NZ citizen child of the applicant. The sponsor must:

• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible NZ citizen who is settled in Australia
• Be 18 years of age or over
• Arrange private health insurance for the parent covering the duration of the visa
• Meet any other sponsorship requirements set by DHA — refer to the DHA 870 page for current sponsor eligibility criteria

3-year or 5-year visa

The subclass 870 can be granted for either 3 years or 5 years. The duration is selected at the time of application. A parent can hold up to two consecutive subclass 870 visas — giving a maximum total stay in Australia of 10 years across both grants (for example, a 5-year 870 followed by a further 5-year 870).

What the 870 permits and does not permit

Permitted under the 870:

• Live in Australia for the duration of the visa
• Travel to and from Australia as many times as needed during the visa period
• Study in Australia

Not permitted under the 870:

• No work rights — the parent cannot work in Australia on the 870. This is a fundamental condition of the visa.
• No Medicare access — the parent is not enrolled in Medicare; the sponsor must provide private health insurance covering the parent's health care costs
• No Centrelink or social services access — the parent cannot access government social security payments or most government-funded services

Health insurance requirement

The sponsor must arrange adequate private health insurance for the parent for the full duration of the 870 visa. This is a condition of sponsorship and a condition of the visa. The insurance must be in place before the visa is granted and maintained throughout the stay. Failure to maintain health insurance can jeopardise the sponsor's ability to sponsor further and may affect the visa.

Not capped or queued

A significant practical advantage of the 870 over permanent parent visas is that it is not subject to the capping and queueing system. Permanent parent visa applications (subclass 103, 143, 804, 864) wait in a long queue — often many years. The 870 is processed as a standard temporary visa application, so the wait is considerably shorter. For current 870 processing times, refer to the DHA processing times page.

Relationship to permanent parent visas

Holding a subclass 870 does not give priority in the permanent parent visa queue, nor does it count as time toward any permanent parent visa criteria. A parent who wants to eventually migrate permanently to Australia must separately lodge a permanent parent visa application (subclass 103, 143, 804, or 864 depending on circumstances) and wait in that queue. Many families use the 870 to allow parents to be in Australia with the family during the (lengthy) wait for the permanent visa.

The subclass 870 was introduced as a measure to reduce pressure on the permanent parent visa queue by providing a long-stay temporary option. It is funded entirely by the sponsor (through private health insurance costs and visa application charges) rather than by taxpayers. For current visa application charges for the 870 (which vary based on the duration selected and whether it is a first or second grant), refer to the DHA Visa Pricing Estimator. For current processing times, refer to the DHA processing times page.