MARA Registered Migration Agents | MARN: 2518738
The Subclass 143 gives your parents permanent residency in Australia. It skips the non-contributory Subclass 103 queue, which now runs at roughly 30 years.
Three things decide whether it's right for your family: the Balance of Family test, the total cost, and a wait of 12 to 15 years.
Let's work out where you stand before you spend anything.
Before you look at the cost or the wait, check one thing. Can you sponsor at all?
This is the test that stops most parent visa applications before they start.
It looks at where your parents' children live. Not where your parents live. So count every one of their children. That includes you, your brothers and sisters, any step-children, and any adopted children.
Your parents pass if either of these is true:
At least half of their children live in Australia as citizens, permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens.
More of their eligible children live in Australia than in any other single country.
Here's how that plays out:
| Where the children live | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4 children, 2 settled in Australia | Pass | Exactly half are in Australia. |
| 3 children: 1 Australia, 1 India, 1 UK | Pass | Australia has more than any other single country. |
| 3 children: 1 Australia, 2 Canada | Fail | Canada has more, and 1 of 3 isn't half. |
A few children don't get counted. A child who has died, for example, or a child removed from your parents' custody by law. Some other narrow exceptions apply too. Home Affairs explains the full rule in its Balance of family test guidance.
Get the count wrong and the application is refused after you've already paid. It's the first thing we check for any family, before anyone sends money to the Department.
The 143 is capped. Australia grants only about 8,500 parent visa places each year, across all parent visa types. Your application joins a queue and waits for a place.
Lodge now and you're realistically looking at 12 to 15 years. Much faster than the Subclass 103, but still a long time. The wait isn't about your paperwork. It's about the cap.
A lot changes in fifteen years: jobs, health, addresses, relationships. Two habits protect your application across that time.
Tell Home Affairs every time your address, phone, email, passport, or relationship status changes (Form 1022). If the Department can't reach you, your file stalls at the exact moment it starts moving.
Near the end, the Department invoices the large second charge and asks for fresh health and character checks. You'll be given a deadline, and the visa can't be granted until it's paid.
Most families lodge now and use visitor visas, so their parents can spend long stretches here while they wait.
Your application doesn't just sit untouched in a queue. It moves through clear stages.
The smaller of the two charges, paid up front.
Your sponsorship, the Balance of Family test, and whether the application is valid.
It's given a queue date, and that date sets your place in line.
This is the long part, and it's governed by the annual cap rather than by anything you do.
Health checks, police checks, the Assurance of Support, and the second instalment.
Your parents become permanent residents, with a pathway to citizenship from there.
Knowing which stage you're at matters. Everything you can control sits at the start and the end.
Here's the part that catches families out. The big contribution is charged per adult. Bring both parents, and you pay it twice.
| Charge | Single parent | Couple |
|---|---|---|
| First instalment (at lodgement) | ~AUD 6,300 | ~AUD 6,300 + additional-applicant charge |
| Second instalment (before grant), per adult | AUD 43,600 | AUD 87,200 |
| Assurance of Support bond (refundable) | ~AUD 10,000 | ~AUD 14,000 |
| Indicative all-in (excludes refundable bond) | ~AUD 49,900 | ~AUD 93,500+ |
Reference: Charges for visas
The second instalment is invoiced near the end, not at lodgement. The visa can't be granted until it's paid.
The subclass 143 needs an Assurance of Support. The 173 doesn't. It's a refundable bond that sits on top of the visa charges, so budget for it separately.
About AUD 10,000 for one parent, plus about AUD 4,000 for each extra adult.
Services Australia holds it for 10 years, then returns it, less any welfare your parents claimed.
Usually the sponsor. But the assurer is income-tested through Centrelink. If your income falls short, someone else who qualifies can provide it instead.
You're asked for it at final assessment, not at lodgement. Check it early anyway. If your assurer doesn't qualify, you'll want time to find one who does.
You can withdraw any time before the decision. You do it through the online Parent visa processing centre form.
Here's what follows. Your parents' visa may be refused. The Department may give them a chance to find another sponsor. If there's no one, the application usually ends.
By then your parents have paid the charges and spent years preparing, plus more on checks and translations. So if you have doubts, raise them early rather than late.
If you stop meeting your obligations after grant, the Department may cancel your parents' visa.
One thing to be clear on. Being released from sponsorship doesn't release you from an Assurance of Support. They're two separate commitments.
A 143 visa isn't a job you finish in a month. It's a file someone has to hold for fifteen years.
That file sits with a MARA-registered migration agent, MARN 2619480. You can check the registration yourself on the OMARA register of migration agents. We work from our Harris Park office in Sydney.
Here's where we earn it:
We confirm your parents pass the Balance of Family test before anyone pays anything.
We work out who should sign the Assurance of Support, and whether a second assurer helps.
We price both instalments, the bond, health, and checks as one number. The cost lands once, not in three shocks.
We keep your file live across the queue, so the second instalment invoice is expected rather than a surprise.
We handle 173-to-143 conversions, where the deadline is usually what causes the damage.
Big decision. Let's make it a confident one.
Any parent of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, as long as your family passes the Balance of Family test. Your parents also need an Assurance of Support, and they must pass health and character checks. There's no age limit and no points test.
About AUD 49,900 for one parent, and AUD 93,500 or more for a couple. The second instalment is AUD 43,600 per adult. A refundable Assurance of Support bond sits on top of that. Check the current figures on Home Affairs before you budget.
Yes. The 143 is permanent, so your parents can enrol in Medicare from the day it's granted. They also get full work and study rights, and a path to citizenship.
The 173 is temporary. You pay less upfront and treat it as a first step. The 143 is permanent. If you can fund the full charge now, going straight to the 143 saves you a second application later. Our parent visa guide compares the options side by side.
Same visa, same cost. You lodge the 143 from outside Australia, and the 864 from inside.
The application generally ends. Some charges may be refundable, but only in limited situations. It's a hard scenario, and one to plan for with an agent at the start.
No, it isn't required. But there's a lot of money at stake and a very long queue, so getting it right the first time matters. Every case here is run by a registered agent, MARN 2619480. You can contact our team to talk it through.
One wrong Balance of Family count, or a missed second-instalment deadline, can change the outcome for your whole family. In 30 minutes, a MARA-registered agent works out whether your parents are eligible, what the 143 will really cost you across both instalments, and what timeline to plan for.
