What is the actual difference between the 143 and 864 visa?

Both are contributory parent visas leading to permanent residency, testing the same core eligibility (the balance of family test and sponsorship). The main practical difference is who they're designed for: the 864 is specifically for parents who have already reached Australian aged pension age at the time of application, while the 143 applies to parents who haven't yet reached that age. Processing arrangements and queue management can differ between the two as a result.

What is the balance of family test?

It requires that at least half of your children live permanently in Australia, or that you have more children living permanently in Australia than in any other single country. It's assessed at the time of application and is a threshold requirement — you generally cannot apply for either visa without meeting it.

Why are contributory parent visas so much more expensive than the standard parent visa?

The contributory visa application charge is deliberately set higher than the standard (non-contributory) parent visa charge, largely reflecting a contribution toward the future health and aged-care costs the government expects parent visa holders may draw on. In exchange, contributory visas are processed in a considerably shorter queue than the standard subclass 103 or 804, which can otherwise take decades.

What is an Assurance of Support?

An Assurance of Support is a legally binding undertaking by an approved assurer (often the sponsoring child, but it can be another eligible person) to financially support the visa holder for a set period and to repay the government for certain welfare payments if the assurer's undertaking is called upon. It's a mandatory requirement for both the 143 and 864, alongside a bond that's held for the assurance period.

Is there a cheaper option than the 143 or 864?

Yes — the non-contributory Subclass 103 (Parent) and Subclass 804 (Aged Parent) visas have a much lower application charge but are processed in a queue that has historically taken well over a decade, sometimes considerably longer. Which option makes sense depends heavily on your family's timeline and financial circumstances, and is worth discussing properly before you commit to either path.

Parent Visa 143 vs 864 — Which One Applies to You?

Parent visas in Australia: the landscape

Australia offers several parent visa categories, broadly split into contributory visas (higher cost, shorter queue) and non-contributory visas (lower cost, historically a very long queue running well over a decade). The Subclass 143 (Contributory Parent) and Subclass 864 (Contributory Aged Parent) sit in the faster, contributory category, and both lead directly to permanent residency. Their non-contributory equivalents — the Subclass 103 and Subclass 804 — test similar eligibility but at a much lower cost and a dramatically longer wait.

Deciding between the contributory and non-contributory pathways — and, within the contributory category, correctly identifying whether the 143 or 864 applies to you — is often the single biggest decision in a parent visa strategy, since it affects both your budget and how many years your family should realistically plan around.

What is the Subclass 143 (Contributory Parent) visa?

The Subclass 143 is a permanent visa for parents of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, who have not yet reached Australian aged pension age at the time of application. It requires meeting the balance of family test, having an eligible sponsor, and satisfying health and character requirements, alongside the financial contribution and Assurance of Support obligations that apply to all contributory parent visas.

What is the Subclass 864 (Contributory Aged Parent) visa?

The Subclass 864 is the equivalent contributory visa for parents who have already reached Australian aged pension age when they apply. The core eligibility tests — balance of family, sponsorship, health and character — are the same as the 143. Because it's designed around applicants who are already of pension age, some processing administration differs, but the fundamental pathway to permanent residency is structurally the same.

143 vs 864: how to know which applies to you

In practice, this isn't really a choice — it's determined by your age against the current Australian aged pension age at the time you apply. If you're below that age, you apply for the 143; if you've already reached it, you apply for the 864. Because the qualifying age is periodically reviewed, we confirm your correct category before you lodge, rather than assuming based on an outdated threshold.

The balance of family test

Both visas require you to meet the balance of family test, which looks at where your children live permanently. You'll generally meet this test if at least half of your children live permanently in Australia, or if you have more children living permanently in Australia than in any other single country. This is assessed as a threshold requirement — without it, neither the 143 nor the 864 is available to you, regardless of how strong the rest of your application is.

Assurance of Support and the sponsorship requirement

Both visas require an eligible sponsor in Australia (typically, though not always, the child you're joining) and an Assurance of Support — a legally binding commitment from an approved assurer to financially support you for a set period after your visa is granted, backed by a bond. This is designed to reduce reliance on Australian government welfare support in your first years as a permanent resident, and it's a mandatory piece of both applications, not an optional extra.

What does it cost?

Contributory parent visas carry one of the highest application charges in the entire migration program, deliberately set well above the non-contributory Subclass 103 and 804. In exchange, contributory visas are processed in a substantially shorter queue. On top of the visa application charge, budget for the Assurance of Support bond, health examinations, police clearances, and any professional fees. Because government charges and bond amounts are indexed and reviewed periodically, we provide an itemised, current cost estimate as part of your initial assessment rather than quoting a fixed figure.

Processing times

Contributory parent visa queues are considerably shorter than the non-contributory Subclass 103 and 804, though they still typically run for a number of years rather than months, and published processing times are updated regularly by the Department. If your family's timeline can't accommodate the contributory queue or its cost, it's worth having an honest conversation with us about whether the non-contributory pathway makes more sense for your circumstances.

Waiting for the 143 or 864: the Subclass 870 option

Because contributory queues still run for years, some families use the temporary Sponsored Parent (Visitor) Subclass 870 visa to allow a parent to live in Australia for extended periods while a permanent parent visa application is pending. It's a separate visa with its own sponsorship and financial requirements and doesn't count toward, or guarantee, the outcome of a 143 or 864 application — but it's worth discussing as part of an overall family reunification strategy.

We regularly advise families on combining a temporary visa arrangement with a longer-term contributory parent visa strategy, so a parent isn't left waiting overseas for the entire duration of the permanent application if a temporary alternative is available.

Documents you'll typically need

Identity documents — passport and birth certificate.
Evidence for the balance of family test — details and residency evidence for all of your children.
Sponsorship documents — your sponsor's citizenship, permanent residency or eligible New Zealand citizen status.
Assurance of Support paperwork from your approved assurer.
Health examinations and police clearance certificates from Australia and every country you've lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

Why work with a MARA registered migration agent

Parent visa applications involve significant cost and a genuine, multi-year commitment — getting the category, the sponsorship arrangement and the Assurance of Support right from the outset matters. As your registered agent, we confirm which visa actually applies to you, structure the sponsorship and assurance arrangements correctly, and manage the application through to grant.

Parent Visa 143 vs 864: Which One Applies to You?

At a Glance