Parent visas
Sponsored Parent (870)
Long temporary stays without the parent queue. Three or five years at a time, up to ten years in total, once your child is approved as your family sponsor.
Requirements
What the 870 asks of you and your sponsor.
This is a temporary visa with no permanent stage. It suits families who want years together without waiting on the capped parent queue.
An approved family sponsor
Your child, step-child or child-in-law applies first to become your family sponsor. They must be 18 or over and an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who has been usually and lawfully resident in Australia for at least the last four years.
A household income test
The sponsor must meet a taxable income threshold, alone or combined with their partner or one other of your Australian children. The threshold can change, so we confirm the current setting before the sponsorship is lodged.
Enforceable sponsor obligations
Sponsors must support and accommodate you, pay any public health debts you leave unpaid, keep records and tell the Department within 28 days when key events occur. Breaches can bring financial penalties, sponsorship bars and cancellation.
What you must show
A genuine temporary stay, funds for your time here, adequate health insurance for the whole stay, no outstanding Australian public health debts, and the standard health and character checks.
No work rights, and structured further stays
The 870 does not generally allow work in Australia. There is no balance-of-family test. Further 870s are possible up to the ten-year cap, but you must first spend at least 90 consecutive days outside Australia.
The pathway
How we run your 870.
Initial assessment
You and your sponsor are both assessed before anything is lodged: visa history, income, health, character and the stay you want.
Sponsorship application
We prepare and lodge your child's family sponsorship application. It must be approved before your visa can be lodged.
Visa application
Once the sponsorship is approved, we lodge your visa application within the required window, requesting the three or five year stay that fits your plans.
Grant and renewal planning
If granted, the visa runs for the period requested. We plan any further 870 around the 90-day offshore rule and the ten-year cap.
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.