Parent visas
Contributory Parent (143/173)
The practical permanent pathway for parents of settled Australians. The permanent 143 takes the contribution in one step; the two-year 173 splits it into two parts.
Requirements
What the contributory pathway asks of you.
Standard health and character checks apply to everyone included. The program is capped, so grants follow the queue rather than processing speed.
Contributory Parent
Permanent residence for parents of settled Australians. The larger second instalment of the contribution is paid just before grant, once your place in the queue is reached.
Contributory Parent (Temporary)
A two-year visa that lets your family spread the contribution across two stages. Holders then apply for the permanent 143 to complete the pathway.
A settled sponsor and the balance-of-family test
Your child, or your child's partner, sponsors you. The sponsor must be 18 or over, an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and settled here, generally meaning at least two years of residence. Where your child is under 18, a relative or guardian of the child, or a community organisation, can sometimes sponsor instead. At least half of your children must live in Australia, or more of them than in any other single country; eligible 173 holders are not tested again at the 143 stage.
Assurance of Support
Before the permanent 143 is granted, including when you move from a 173, your sponsor or another eligible person gives a legal undertaking to repay any recoverable social security you receive in your first ten years here. The assurer is income tested and lodges a bond, refundable after the ten years.
The pathway
How we run your 143 or 173.
Eligibility assessment
Sponsor, balance of family and whether the direct 143 or the staged 173 suits your family, assessed honestly before anything is lodged.
Preparation and lodgement
We lodge decision-ready. Your queue date is set from lodgement, so getting the application right the first time matters.
The queue
Places are capped each program year. We keep your details, passports and family circumstances current while you wait.
Assurance of Support
When your turn approaches, your assurer completes the Assurance of Support through Services Australia and lodges the bond.
Second instalment and decision
The second contribution is paid, and the application moves to decision.
General information only, not immigration advice. Your circumstances matter. Visa requirements, fees and processing times change regularly. Facts on this page last reviewed 15 July 2026. Check current details with the Department of Home Affairs , or speak with us for advice on your situation. Website terms.
Begin with a conversation.
Speak with a MARA-registered migration agent in Melbourne about your pathway. Book a time that suits you.