A short family visit can use an ordinary visitor route
If a parent plans a temporary visit, check the passport's short-visit options first. Some passports may qualify for an ETA or eVisitor; other visitors can consider the Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream. The overseas Tourist stream covers visiting family or friends without a formal sponsor. It is not restricted to people staying in hotels.
Your invitation can explain the relationship, approximate dates, accommodation and who will pay. If you offer financial support, include genuine evidence of funds as the Tourist stream page directs. The parent still needs their own visa application and must meet the visa's genuine temporary visitor, funds and other requirements.
Compare short-visit passports → · Visitor 600 Tourist guide → · Official Tourist stream
Sponsored Family 600 is a separate visitor stream
The Sponsored Family stream also permits a temporary family visit, but it requires an eligible sponsor. Home Affairs says a sponsor may be asked to pay a security bond and must meet the stream's status and other conditions. An adult child living in Australia is not automatically eligible to sponsor: check the sponsor eligibility tab before choosing this stream.
The sponsor completes Form 1149 and the applicant attaches it to their online application, with evidence connecting parent and child such as birth certificates or other records accepted by Home Affairs. Each visiting parent makes their own application. A family invitation for the Tourist stream does not, by itself, create this formal sponsorship.
Sponsored Family stream and sponsor eligibility · Official Form 1149 · Compare the two visitor streams → · Invitation outline →
Sponsored Parent 870 starts with a separate sponsor approval
The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa can allow a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to visit for up to three or five years. It has a maximum cumulative ten-year stay and does not permit work. It is separate from Visitor 600 Sponsored Family and is not a permanent residence pathway.
Check future parent-migration plans before choosing it: Home Affairs says you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary Parent visa when you have applied for or hold an 870. Read that restriction alongside any existing application and plans; do not assume a longer temporary stay leads to permanent residence.
1. The prospective sponsor checks the sponsor rules
The sponsor must meet the current age, relationship, citizenship or residence, income, character and other requirements. The sponsor rules distinguish Australian citizenship from permanent residence and eligible New Zealand citizenship, including residence-history requirements. Being an adult child living in Australia is not, by itself, enough.
A household can have one sponsorship at a time, covering up to two parents under the stated family combinations. Sponsorship brings obligations including financial support and accommodation, reporting changes, and repaying outstanding public health debts. Some obligations can continue after the parent leaves Australia. Read the full sponsor eligibility and obligations before lodging the separate sponsorship application in ImmiAccount.
2. The parent checks the approval and application window
An approved Parent Sponsor is required before the visa application. The normal application is from outside Australia within six months of sponsorship approval. If Home Affairs has granted exceptional Permission to Apply in Australia, the visa application must be lodged within 60 days of sponsorship approval. A current Visitor visa or a family invitation does not automatically provide that permission.
Record the actual approval date, location instructions and any permission in the written decision. Check the official step-by-step document list for identity, genuine temporary intention, character, health examinations, assistance and document preparation. Each parent has their own visa application; family members cannot be included in it.
3. Budget for both instalments and appropriate health cover
The visa application charge is paid in two instalments: one when applying and another when Home Affairs asks. The official Visa Pricing Estimator excludes the second instalment and other costs. Check the current 870 charge for the proposed stay, any applicable country concession, the separate sponsorship charge, and costs such as health cover, examinations and certificates before treating an estimate as a total.
The applicant must have and maintain adequate health insurance from an Australian Health Insurance provider covering unforeseen medical treatment while in Australia. Ask the provider to confirm the policy's suitability for subclass 870, cover dates, exclusions and waiting periods in writing. Do not assume ordinary travel insurance meets the visa requirement.
4. Check the actual grant and any later application
An 870 cannot be extended. Another stay requires a new application and grant, within the cumulative limit and current rules. For a further visa granted outside Australia, Home Affairs sets a 90-consecutive-day period outside Australia calculated from a defined relevant departure day; permission to apply in Australia is a separate exception. Check the official calculation for your visa history before booking a return.
The written grant controls the dates and conditions. Sponsor withdrawal or death also has specific replacement-sponsor deadlines; use the official “When you have this visa” instructions promptly if either occurs.
Official 870: choose For Sponsors or For Applicants · Official application steps and documents · Questions to ask about visitor health cover →
Private sponsor and parent planning record .txt ↓
These selected steps were checked on 28 September 2026. Read the complete official requirements; this guide does not assess a parent or sponsor's eligibility.
A parent migration visa addresses a different goal
If the aim is to live in Australia, use the parent visa categories rather than describing the trip as a temporary visit. Home Affairs lists permanent Parent, Contributory Parent and Aged Parent routes, among others, each with separate eligibility and application requirements. Parent migration places are limited; permanent Parent applications are subject to capping and queueing, so do not use a Visitor processing estimate to plan that move.
If you have an existing parent application and want to visit while it is pending, assess any visitor application and current visa conditions separately. Do not assume a visitor visa can be extended or converted after arrival.
Official parent visa options · Parent processing and queues · Family migration starting guide →
Prepare each parent's actual circumstances
- Record each parent's travel passport, current residence, planned dates and real purpose. Residence can affect biometrics or health follow-up; passport eligibility depends on the travel document.
- Read the exact visa and stream page, including where the applicant must be when lodging and when Home Affairs decides it.
- For a Visitor 600 application, prepare identity, relationship and visit details, funding arrangements and evidence of the parent's circumstances and intention to stay temporarily. Use the online document prompts, not a universal checklist.
- If choosing Sponsored Family 600, check sponsor eligibility, complete Form 1149 and attach relationship evidence as Home Affairs directs. If choosing 870 or migration, follow that route's distinct sponsorship and visa steps.
- Watch the application channel for requests and read each written decision's stay period and conditions before finalising travel.
No invitation, bond, agent or family relationship guarantees approval. The Department decides each application on its own facts.
Visitor evidence guide → · Understand entries and stay periods → · Download invitation outline ↓ · Biometrics requests →
Get a parent-visit starting plan
Choose the parent's citizenship and current country of residence in the planner, then select Tourism or visiting family. Use the result to check the appropriate official visitor route.