The 173 visa allows parents of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia temporarily
With this visa, you can:
With this visa, you can:
- Live in Australia for up to 2 years
- Work and study in Australia (without access to government support)
- Apply for a permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143)
You must:
Have an eligible child who is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
Comply with all visa conditions and obey Australian law
Not have already applied for, or currently hold, a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) when applying for this visa
Apply for a Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa
You can apply for the permanent Subclass 143 Visa through a two-step process, starting with the Contributory Parent (Temporary) Subclass 173 Visa. This pathway allows you to divide the overall visa cost over several years by first applying for the temporary visa and then the permanent one.
Apply from
You can apply for the visa while in or outside Australia.
If you apply from within Australia, all family members applying with you must also be in Australia (but not in immigration clearance) at the time of your application. If you apply from outside Australia, all accompanying family members must be outside Australia when you apply.
If you apply for this visa in Australia while on a temporary visa with a “no further stay” condition, your application will be invalid unless you apply for a waiver of that condition.
Assessment
Applications for this visa are assessed in two stages:
Initial assessment – We review your application to determine if you meet the eligibility requirements. If eligible, your application will be placed in the queue; if not, it will be refused.
Final assessment – When places become available, applications are released from the queue for final processing.
Do not make arrangements to stay in Australia permanently until your visa has been granted. You will receive written notification if your visa is approved.
For more information, please refer to our resources on the Parent visa queue and processing priorities.
Your obligations
You must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter, which is typically set at 12 months from the date the visa is granted.
You and your family members are required to meet all visa conditions and comply with Australian laws.
For details on the conditions that may be attached to this visa, please visit our visa conditions page.
You must meet the follwoing requirements to be able to apply for the Contributory Parent visa (Subclass 173)
Not have this visa
You cannot apply for this visa if you have already applied for or currently hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.
Have a sponsor
You must be sponsored for this visa.
Typically, you will be sponsored by an eligible child. If your child is under 18, you may be sponsored by an eligible relative or community organization.
The sponsorship must be approved by us.
Meet the balance-of-family test
You must meet the balance-of-family test. You satisfy this test if:
- At least half of your children and stepchildren are eligible children, or
- There are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country.
For examples of how the balance-of-family test is applied, please refer to our resources.
Health requirement
You and any family members applying for the visa with you must meet our health requirements.
We may also request that other non-migrating family members fulfill these requirements.
Character requirement
You and any family members applying for the visa with you must meet our character requirements.
We may also request that other family members fulfill this requirement.
Have paid back your debt to the Australian Government
If you or any family members owe money to the Australian Government, you must have repaid it or have an approved arrangement in place to repay it.
Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
We will take your immigration history into account when making a decision on your application. This means you may not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa canceled or refused.
In certain circumstances, you may still be able to apply for a permanent visa even if you have had a visa canceled or an application refused. Please refer to the section on Limitations on Applications in Australia for more information.
Sign the Australian Values Statement
If you are 18 years of age or older, you must:
- Have read, or had explained to you, the “Life in Australia” booklet
- Sign the Australian Values Statement, confirming your commitment to respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
This visa is paid in two parts, called instalments.
First instalment
Pay the first instalment when you apply.
| Applicant type | Cost – Main applicant | Cost – additional applicant 18 and over | Cost – additional applicant under 18 |
| You applied for a Parent visa (subclass 103) before 1 July 2003 and you withdraw the application when you apply for this subclass 173 visa. | AUD Nil | AUD Nil | AUD Nil |
| All other applicants | AUD 3,300 | AUD 1,650 | AUD 830 |
Second instalment
Pay the second instalment when we ask you to.
| Applicant type | Cost |
| You are applying as a dependent child or step child of an applicant for this visa. | AUD 2,095 |
| All other applicants | AUD 32,525 |
How long will it take to receive a decision on your application?
Processing time frames for new applications
| Visa type | Estimated processing time |
|---|---|
| Contributory Parent visas | 15 years |
| Parent and Aged Parent visas | 33 years |
Note: These time frames are estimates and are generally updated annually at the end of each program year.
Processing Times Updated 1 November 2025
Get a quote
Know what visa you want to apply for but need some pricing? Get in touch with us and we will get back to you with a fixed price quote.
Book a consultation
Our team of Registered Migration Agents can help reunite you with your children in Australia. At Australian Skilled Migration, our experienced migration agents assess all your visa options. Taking into consideration costs, timeframes and your preferences.