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Australia

Parent visa (subclass 103, non-contributory). The cheaper but far slower version of Australia’s parent visa — a queue measured in decades.

Free · The law behind every answer · Checked Sep 24, 2026

Parent visa (subclass 103, non-contributory)

Permanent residence in Australia for the sponsored parent, once granted.

Who qualifies

  • Applicant must have a child who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen who sponsors them, and must meet the balance-of-family test.
    Parent visa (subclass 103)
  • A visa application charge of about AUD 8,665 per applicant, indexed each 1 July.
    Parent visa (subclass 103)

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

1

It could fit.

The cheaper but far slower version of Australia’s parent visa — a queue measured in decades.

Every door that fits your family

Not legal advice.

2

What it takes.

Time
The Department of Home Affairs' own current estimate is about 33 years; the latest queue release was still working through applications lodged in February 2014.
Cost
About AUD 8,665 (roughly $6,100) per applicant — a fraction of the contributory visa’s cost, in exchange for the much longer wait.
The hard part
The wait itself: this is realistically a visa for families willing to plan multiple decades ahead, not a near-term option.
3

Citizens by 2032.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

  1. 2027
    First residence permit

    5 years, renewable for 5 years at a time.

  2. 2031
    Apply for citizenship

    With a language test and a civics test.

  3. 2032
    Citizenship
Language
Basic English; there is no separate language exam, but the test and interview are in English.
Civics
The citizenship test: 20 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes; pass with 75% overall and all 5 questions on Australian values right.
Time away
Four years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, the last 12 months as a permanent resident; no more than 12 months away in total in the four years, and no more than 90 days in the last year.
Two passports
Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.
  • Permanent from the grant, but the queue before a grant is measured in decades; the four-year citizenship clock starts once you live in Australia.
  • Permanent residence comes from a permanent visa (skilled, family, parent), not from years of residence, so `permanent` is null; each program sets its own.
  • Home Affairs publishes processing times monthly but the page could not be read today, so no decision range is given; ceremonies add weeks to months.
  • The test details come from Home Affairs' test page as returned in search; applicants aged 60 and over follow different rules.
  • How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.
The law behind these dates
4

Living there.

Time you must spend there
The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax
Once resident in Australia, worldwide income generally becomes subject to Australian tax.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

5

Start today.

  1. Review the Parent visa (subclass 103) with Australia's Department of Home Affairs.Open immi.homeaffairs.gov.au ↗
  2. Round up the papers.
    • Proof of how you will support yourselves
    • Request your FBI Identity History Summary
    • Health cover for the move
6

Or let us run it.

$900for your first year as a founding member. Then $399 a year, automatically.Standard first year: $1,200. Everyone renews at $399.One membership, the whole family. Accounts and activation included.

16 steps, from the first paper to the passport. You do 4 of them: send what we ask for, sign, and show up. We run the rest, and keep every permit renewed on time. Accounts and activation are included, whether you move now or keep the plan ready. Accounts depend on provider availability. Government, record and approved third-party charges are extra.

Run it for my family →
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ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

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