GUIDE TO CONTRIBUTORY AGED PARENT (TEMPORARY) VISA

With this visa you can

• live in Australia for up to 2 years
• work and study in Australia (you will not receive government support)
• apply for a permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864)

Apply for a Contributory Aged Parent (subclass 864) visa

You can apply for the permanent subclass 864 visa as a two-step process by first applying for a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) subclass 884 visa. Applying for the subclass 884 visa and then the subclass 864 visa allows you to spread the cost of the visas over a number of years.

How long you can stay

This is a temporary visa. You can stay in Australia for 2 years.

The visa period starts on the date we grant the visa.

Stay longer

You can’t stay in Australia longer by extending or reapplying for this visa. You can apply for a different visa.

Include family

You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply. 

You will be required to include details of all your family members, whether they are migrating or not, in the application form.

If you have a partner, include their details in your application, even if they are not applying for the visa with you.

Family members who apply for the visa must meet our health and character requirements. Family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet our health and character requirements.

Newborn child

Find out what to do if your child is born after you apply. There is also an additional charge for each family member who applies with you.

Cost

This visa costs AUD33,895. There is an additional charge for each family member who applies with you.

Pay the first instalment when you apply. Pay the second instalment when we ask you to.

There is also a charge for any family member who applies for the visa with you.

You might also have to pay other costs for each applicant for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

Use the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out what your visa will cost. The estimator does not take into account the second instalment or other costs.

See more about visa fees and charges.

Apply from

You must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply and when we make a decision on your application. 

Any family members who apply for the visa with you must also be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply.

If you apply for this visa in Australia while on a temporary visa with a no further stay condition, your application will be invalid, unless you apply for a waiver of this condition. 

Processing times

The demand for these visas is greater than the number of places available each year. As a result, processing times for these applications can be lengthy.

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

Your application might take longer to process if:

• you do not fill it in correctly
• you do not include all the documents we need, or we need more information from you
• your information takes a long time to verify.

We cannot process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. We will notify you if this is the case and if necessary return your application.

The Reports on Migration Programs have further information on Migration Program outcomes against planning for each migration program year.

Applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing.

Learn more about the Parent visa queue and processing priorities.

Assessment

We assess applications for this visa in 2 stages:

• • Check eligibility and either add the application to the queue or refuse it.
  • Continue assessing the application when a place becomes available and make a decision.

  Do not arrange to stay permanently in Australia until your visa is granted. We will let you know in writing if we grant you the visa.

  Learn more about the Parent visa queue and processing priorities.

Consider another visa 

Other Parent visas available include the:

• Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864) which is a permanent visa but costs more.
• Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884), then a permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864). This 2-step visa process costs more than the subclass 804 visa. It also costs more than applying directly for the Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864), but the cost is spread across the 2 visas over a longer period.
• Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) which is a temporary visa allowing parents to visit their children in Australia for up to three or five years at a time and a cumulative maximum 10-year period.

You can view all visa options on our Visa list page.

Your obligations 

You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.

Visa label

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.