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Visitor visa for parents

Visitor Visas - Parents

Visitor Visa for Parents: Get Them Here for the Moments That Matter.

A wedding, a new baby, a graduation, or just time together at last. When you want your parents over for a season of life rather than for good, a visitor visa is usually the quickest, simplest way to do it. Here's how the options work, and how to choose the right one.

The quickest way to get them hereHonest about what a visit can and can't doA bridge to the 870 if you want years
Book a Family Visa ConsultSee Which Family Visa Fits
When a Visitor Visa Is the Right Call

For a holiday, a special occasion, or a stretch of family time.

A visitor visa is the fastest and simplest of all the options for bringing parents here, with none of the long queues of the permanent parent visas. For most families, this is the visa that gets Mum and Dad off the plane in time for the wedding, the birth, or the graduation.

The key thing to understand is what a visitor visa is for. It's for visiting, not living. The stay is measured in weeks and months, not years, and it doesn't lead to permanent residence. If that fits what your family actually wants right now, it's a wonderful, low-fuss way to be together.

Which Stream Fits Your Family

Two main routes, depending on the risk.

The 600 Tourist Stream, for a straightforward visit. For most parents, the everyday option is the 600 visitor visa in the Tourist Stream. Your parents apply, show they have a genuine reason to visit and the means to support themselves, and that they intend to go home at the end. If your parents have a settled life back home, a clear reason to come, and a history of travelling and returning, this is usually all you need.

The 600 Sponsored Family Stream, when an ordinary visit is high risk. If your parents are from a country the Department views as higher risk, have little or no travel history, or have been refused before, the case officer may doubt they'll leave. That's where the Sponsored Family Stream comes in - you formally sponsor your parents and can be asked to lodge a security bond. It can turn a likely refusal into a workable application.

If your goal is years rather than weeks, a visitor visa is the wrong tool. Stacking back-to-back visits isn't a substitute for living here. If what you really want is your parents around for the long haul, the 870 sponsored parent visa lets them stay for years at a time. Don't bend a visitor visa into something it was never meant to be.

Watch for the No Further Stay condition (8503). Many visitor visas carry this condition - if it's on the visa, your parents generally can't apply for most other visas while in Australia and have to leave first. It's one of the first things we check, because being caught out by it can undo an otherwise good plan.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

Modest fees, and usually quick.

Compared with the permanent parent visas, a visitor visa is light on both cost and waiting. The Subclass 600 [Visitor] visa carries a government application charge of around AUD 190 for an adult applicant, and processing is generally measured in weeks rather than the years a permanent parent visa can take. Charges and timeframes do change, and the Sponsored Family Stream can sit at the longer end of that range, so we confirm the current figures with you before lodging.

The figures at a glance. Government application charge: around AUD 190 for an adult (Subclass 600, conditional - confirm the current charge at the time you apply). Processing: usually quick, commonly a matter of weeks, with the Sponsored Family Stream often taking longer. Our professional fee is separate and depends on your parents' circumstances and which stream fits - we set it out in writing before you commit. See fees and how we quote.

That low cost is one reason a visit makes sense when your parents want time here rather than to live here for good. If their plan is really to stay long-term, weigh the visitor route against the permanent options on our parent visas page before you spend on repeat visits.

Common Questions

Visitor visa for parents - questions.

Stay periods are commonly granted for three, six or twelve months at a time, depending on the application and your parents' circumstances. For parents who want to be here for years at a time, a visitor visa isn't the right tool - the 870 sponsored parent visa is built for that purpose. We help you choose the right approach for your family's actual needs.
Yes - a previous refusal isn't permanent, but it does need to be addressed directly in the next application. The Declaration on any visa application asks about previous refusals, and a strong application acknowledges the history and explains why circumstances are different. Reapplying without addressing the refusal reasons usually just leads to another one.
Condition 8503 stops your parents from applying for most other visas while they're here on that grant. If there's any plan for them to apply for something else onshore - a parent visa, an extension - this condition is critically important. We check whether it applies and raise the issue before the application is lodged, not after.
No. A visitor visa is for visiting only - it doesn't allow employment, and study is limited to a short period. If your parents want to stay long-term and contribute, that's a different conversation about a different visa. We'll map out what's actually available based on what they want to do here.
The Tourist Stream is the standard route, suited to parents who have a settled life back home and clear ties that show they intend to return. The Sponsored Family Stream is for cases where the Department may doubt your parents will leave - you formally sponsor them, and a security bond can be requested as part of the application. If your parents have little or no travel history, or are from a country the Department treats as higher risk, the Sponsored Family Stream is often the only realistic option. We assess which stream genuinely fits before lodging.
It depends on the conditions on their visa. If condition 8503 (No Further Stay) is attached, they generally cannot apply for most other visas onshore and would need to leave Australia first. If your parents might want to extend or move onto a longer-term option while they're here, that condition is critical, so raise it with us before lodging rather than after they arrive. Where 8503 applies, the practical reality is that they apply for the next visa from outside Australia.
The government application charge for the Subclass 600 [Visitor] visa is around AUD 190 for an adult applicant, which is modest next to the permanent parent visas, and processing is usually quick. That charge can change and varies by stream and location, so we confirm the current figure before you apply. Our professional fee for preparing and lodging the application is separate and depends on your parents' circumstances - we set it out in writing first. You can read how we approach this on our fees and how we quote page.
No - a visitor visa is for visiting, not for settling, and it doesn't convert into permanent residence. Stacking repeat visits isn't a substitute for living here either. If what your family really wants is for your parents to stay for the long haul, the permanent parent visa options are the route to look at, and you can compare them on our parent visas page. We can talk through whether a visit, a longer-term temporary stay, or a permanent application suits what your family actually needs.
Related Help

Where to from here.

Standard optionVisitor Visa 600The main visitor visa for most nationalities.Long-term staysSponsored Parent 870Designed for years, not months. No PR queue.Sponsored visitsSponsored Family StreamWhen an Australian family member sponsors the visit.

Written and reviewed by Brian Chan, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2217857)

Visa Store Australia, Perth · Last reviewed June 2026 · Verify on the MARA register · General information only, not personal migration advice.

Want to get your parents here?

Tell us about their situation and we'll work out which stream fits - and handle everything from there.

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Visitor Visa for Parents Get them here for what matters
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