Australia Sponsored Parent Visa Subclass 870 from India
The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) is a temporary visa that lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per visa. The Australian Department of Home Affairs states that the holder can apply for further visas, up to a maximum period of 10 years in Australia, and cannot work in Australia. The visa is temporary: it does not lead to permanent residence, and a parent cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa while holding it or having applied for it. Home Affairs also says there is no balance of family test and no Assurance of Support requirement for this visa. IndoWorld Visa & Education Services helps families in Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, Surat and across India prepare an application against the requirements Home Affairs publishes.
The process has two parts. First, an approved Parent Sponsor is needed: the parent cannot apply for or be granted the visa without one. The visa application is then made online, from outside Australia, within 6 months of the sponsorship approval (60 days if Home Affairs has given permission to apply in Australia, which is approved only in limited circumstances). The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and the applicant must be at least 18 years old and the biological parent, legal parent (including adoptive parent), step-parent or parent in-law of the sponsor. A sponsor’s household is limited to one sponsorship at a time, covering up to 2 parents, and a sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until the current approved sponsorship ends. Home Affairs sets the sponsor’s own eligibility requirements; see the Home Affairs page on the visa and sponsorship.
Requirements for the parent. Home Affairs lists: meeting the health requirement and the character requirement; having, or having access to, enough money to support yourself while in Australia; a genuine intention to stay in Australia only temporarily and to do only what the visa allows; having and keeping adequate health insurance arrangements from an Australian health insurance provider to cover unforeseen medical treatment; having met any previous visa obligations; and having no debt to the Australian Government, or arrangements in place to repay it. As evidence of a genuine temporary stay, Home Affairs gives examples such as itemised bank statements for a 3-month period, tax records, pension or other regular income, evidence of previous international travel, significant financial ties to the home country, and a letter explaining the purpose and plans for the visit. Police certificates are needed from every country where the applicant spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, and Form 80 is also required. Home Affairs may ask for biometrics and health examinations.
Cost, time and conditions. The visa charge is paid in 2 instalments and differs for a visa of up to 3 years and a visa of up to 5 years; other costs can apply for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Home Affairs publishes the current charges in its Visa Pricing Estimator and processing times in its processing time guide tool, so this page does not quote figures. The holder can travel to and from Australia as many times as wanted while the visa is valid, cannot work, and cannot include family members in the application. Home Affairs lists some unpaid activities that are allowed, such as providing care for grandchildren in a domestic environment or volunteer work in a non-commercial capacity. The visa cannot be extended; to stay longer a new visa is needed, and a parent applying for another subclass 870 visa from outside Australia must have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since the relevant departure day.
Official rules, sponsorship obligations and charges are set by the Department of Home Affairs: see Home Affairs: Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, subclass 870. IndoWorld Visa & Education Services is an independent consultancy; Home Affairs makes the decision on every application. We do not guarantee visa approvals or processing times.
Why Apply Through IndoWorld?
✦ Sponsor-First Sequencing: Checking that the sponsorship is approved before the visa application, and that the visa is lodged within the time Home Affairs sets.
✦ Parent and Sponsor Relationship Check: Checking that the parent’s relationship to the sponsor fits the categories Home Affairs lists (biological parent, legal parent, step-parent or parent in-law) and that the sponsor’s household limits are respected.
✦ Health Insurance Review: Comparing the planned policy with Home Affairs’ description of adequate health insurance arrangements.
✦ Funds and Genuine Temporary Stay Evidence: Organizing bank statements, tax records, pension income and ties, using the examples Home Affairs lists.
✦ Health, Character and Police Certificates: Guidance on health examinations, police certificates and Form 80 when Home Affairs asks for them.
What IndoWorld Does, and What Stays With You
IndoWorld assists with: an eligibility check against the Home Affairs criteria; review of the relationship and funds evidence; guidance on the health insurance and health requirements; organizing documents and translations; and a consistency check of the application before it is lodged.
You remain responsible for: genuine, unaltered documents; truthful travel and refusal history; attending health examinations and any biometrics appointment; and providing police certificates when Home Affairs asks for them.
The final decision is made by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. We cannot guarantee visa approval or processing times.
Documents Required
Approved Parent Sponsor
An approved Parent Sponsor is required before the visa application. If Home Affairs gives permission to apply in Australia, a copy of the Permission to Apply letter must be attached.
Passport and identity
Passport pages showing the photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if there is one; and proof of any change of name.
Relationship to the sponsor
Documents showing that the applicant is the biological parent, legal parent (including adoptive parent), step-parent or parent in-law of the sponsor.
Funds and ties
Evidence of enough money for the stay and to leave Australia, and of the intention to stay only temporarily: for example itemised bank statements for 3 months, tax records, pension income, previous travel and ties to the home country.
Health insurance
Evidence of the health insurance arrangements from an Australian health insurance provider that cover unforeseen medical treatment during the stay.
Health examinations
Check ImmiAccount for whether health examinations are required. Home Affairs says they can be done before lodging the application.
Character documents
Police certificates from every country where the applicant spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, military service records if the applicant served in the armed forces, and Form 80.
Translations and scans
English translations of any non-English documents, with the translator’s details where Home Affairs requires them, and clear colour scans of every document.
IndoWorld Application Intelligence for Australia Subclass 870
Core dimensions from our Application Intelligence Framework that matter most for this route.
Sponsor-First Sequence
Checking that the sponsorship is approved first and that the visa application is lodged within the time Home Affairs sets.
Insurance Arrangements Check
Comparing the planned health insurance with Home Affairs’ description of adequate arrangements before the visa application is lodged.
Genuine Temporary Stay Evidence
Showing the applicant’s ties, finances and plans for the visit, using the examples Home Affairs lists.
Consistency With Earlier Applications
Cross-checking names, family details and answers against earlier Australian applications, including any visitor visa, where relevant.
ROUTE DISTINCTIONS & ELIGIBILITY COMPARISON
Australia Subclass 870 vs Visitor Visa Subclass 600
| Feature | Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, subclass 870 | Visitor visa, subclass 600 |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | A parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen visits Australia | For tourists, business visitors or to visit family |
| Length of stay | Up to 3 or 5 years per visa; further visas up to a maximum of 10 years in Australia | A stay of 3, 6 or 12 months |
| Basic eligibility | An approved Parent Sponsor, the family relationship Home Affairs lists, health, character, funds and adequate health insurance arrangements | Be a genuine visitor and have enough funds to support the stay and leave |
| Where to apply | Online, from outside Australia; permission to apply in Australia is approved only in limited circumstances | Separate tourist stream pages for applying outside Australia and in Australia |
| Official page | Home Affairs: subclass 870 | Home Affairs: subclass 600 |
The official Home Affairs pages set the rules. Charges and processing times differ and change, so check them on the Home Affairs site. How we think about route fit.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions Indian Families Ask About This Visa
What is the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa, subclass 870?
A temporary visa that lets a parent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen visit Australia for up to 3 or 5 years per visa, with further visas possible up to a maximum of 10 years in Australia.
Who can be the parent and who can be the sponsor?
The applicant must be at least 18 and the biological parent, legal parent (including adoptive parent), step-parent or parent in-law of the sponsor. The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and must be approved as a Parent Sponsor before the visa application.
Is there a balance of family test?
Home Affairs says there is no balance of family test and no Assurance of Support requirement for this visa.
What are the time limits for applying?
The visa application must be lodged within 6 months of the sponsorship approval, or within 60 days if Home Affairs has given permission to apply in Australia, which is approved only in limited circumstances.
Can the parent work in Australia?
No. The holder cannot work. Home Affairs lists some unpaid activities that are allowed, such as providing care for grandchildren in a domestic environment or volunteer work in a non-commercial capacity.
Is health insurance required?
Yes. Home Affairs requires the applicant to have and maintain adequate health insurance arrangements from an Australian health insurance provider to cover unforeseen medical treatment during the stay.
Can a parent stay longer than 3 or 5 years?
The visa cannot be extended. A parent who wants to come again must apply for another subclass 870 visa from outside Australia and must have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since the relevant departure day. The cumulative maximum is 10 years.
Where can I see the current charges and processing times?
Home Affairs publishes the charges for a visa of up to 3 years and up to 5 years, a Visa Pricing Estimator and a processing time guide tool. IndoWorld does not quote figures here because they change.
If an application was refused
Home Affairs says it will tell an applicant in writing why a visa was refused and whether there is a right to review the decision, so start with the reasons in the letter. If an earlier Australian visitor visa (subclass 600) was refused, our guide to Australia visitor visa refusal reasons explains the common grounds, and the genuine visitor, funds and review rows of the wording guide show how that phrasing reads in plain language. Compare each reason with the new file and answer it with documents rather than explanation. The decision on every application rests with the Department of Home Affairs, and no outcome can be promised.
Have a refusal letter in front of you? You can email your documents, and the review takes place by video call, phone call or in person at the Vadodara office. There is no charge for the review of a refusal: IndoWorld experts read the letter and compare it with the application that was refused. The review does not promise an outcome. The visitor / tourist visa refusal letter review page is written for visitor visa letters, including an earlier Australian visitor visa (subclass 600) refusal. Subclass 870 is a temporary parent visa rather than a visitor visa, so for a refusal of subclass 870 itself please ask through the contact page first.
Related routes: Family & Dependant Visas hub · New Zealand Parent Boost Visitor Visa · Canada Super Visa
Every visa application is assessed individually by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Published case studies illustrate procedural and evidentiary approaches and do not guarantee any application result.
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