Subclass 173 to subclass 143 second stage: 2026 rules, deadlines and documents
How the second stage from subclass 173 to subclass 143 works: lodgement windows, document waivers and what you must still provide.
Yes — if you hold a Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 173), you can move to the permanent Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) without re-running your whole case, provided you lodge inside the window set out on the Department of Home Affairs Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) page. The practical shape of that transition is narrow: a timing rule, a shorter document list, and a handful of criteria that never get waived. What follows describes the published rules only; it is general information, not advice about your own circumstances, and where a family's history is unusual the official criteria — and any professional opinion you obtain — should be what you rely on.
Who qualifies for the second-stage 143 pathway
The second stage exists for people already inside the two-step contributory parent structure. If you hold a subclass 173 visa when you apply, you can apply through the second-stage permanent pathway option.
Timing, not identity, is what most applicants get wrong. There are three recognised situations:
| Your position when you lodge the 143 application | Still a second-stage application? |
|---|---|
| You hold a subclass 173 visa on the day you apply | Yes |
| You held a subclass 173 visa at any time in the 28 days before applying | Yes |
| More than 28 days have passed since your 173 visa ended, and you can demonstrate compelling and compassionate circumstances | Only if the Minister is satisfied those circumstances exist |
That third row is not a formality. You must provide evidence of the circumstances, and the Minister must be satisfied they exist. Where none of the three apply, the Department processes your subclass 143 application as a standard application rather than the two-stage pathway.
One further gate sits in front of everyone: you cannot apply for this visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870).
When should you actually lodge?
The official guidance is unusually direct on this point: apply as soon as your subclass 173 visa is granted. The Department encourages lodging the stage-two permanent application immediately after grant, on the basis that doing so helps ensure you meet all applicable lodgement criteria.
There is a second reason to lodge early. Your eligibility for the second stage depends on holding the 173 visa (or having held it very recently), while your ability to be granted depends on still meeting criteria that can drift over time — family composition, health, character, debts to government. Waiting until the temporary visa is close to expiry compresses all of that into a few weeks, and if you slip past expiry into the 28-day tail you are relying on a window that is measured in days.
Separately, the hard outside limit is unchanged: you must apply for the permanent visa before your subclass 173 visa expires. Once it has ceased, you are no longer applying as a current holder.
What changes if you miss the 28 days
Lodging more than 28 days after your 173 visa ended is possible, but the burden moves onto you. You need to demonstrate compelling and compassionate circumstances that justify regaining your previous visa status, support that with evidence, and satisfy the Minister that those circumstances exist.
This is where families most often lose the structural advantages of the two-step route. If the argument fails, the outcome is not a refusal but a reclassification: your application is processed as a standard subclass 143 application rather than through the second-stage pathway, which brings back the full criteria set, including the balance of family test as a fresh requirement.
Do you meet the balance of family test again?
No, not while you are still a current holder. As a subclass 173 holder you have already met the balance of family test, and you will not need to meet it again if you apply for the subclass 143 visa before your temporary visa ceases.
That waiver follows you into the documentary stage: because you hold the 173 visa, you also do not need to supply the balance of family documents a new applicant would — evidence of how you are related to each child, evidence of each child's Australian citizenship or country of permanent residence, or evidence that a child should be excluded from the test.
Which documents can you skip as a 173 holder?
You do not need to give some of the documents usually asked for, provided either you hold a subclass 173 visa or your subclass 173 visa ended in the 28 days immediately before you apply.
What survives that waiver is narrow and worth reading twice, because it is easy to assume an "abbreviated" application means almost nothing is needed. You still need to provide documents telling the Department you are getting help with your application, and documents covering any change in your situation since the 173 visa was granted.
Getting help means forms, not providers. Appointing someone to receive correspondence uses Form 956A (Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient); appointing someone to give immigration assistance uses Form 956 (Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person).
What counts as a change in situation?
The Department lists the changes it wants evidence of, and the list is specific:
- a family member is no longer a dependant
- your partner relationship has changed
- you have had a baby
- your contact details have changed
- you have a new passport
- you want to nominate a new sponsor
- your sponsor has died
Two of these deserve attention because they interact with eligibility rather than paperwork. Nominating a new sponsor changes who is assessed; the death of a sponsor does not automatically end your prospects, since a subclass 173 holder may still be eligible for the subclass 143 visa where their sponsor dies. Either way, the change must be evidenced rather than merely mentioned in the form.
Assume a family whose second child turned 23 during the temporary stage. "No longer a dependant" is precisely the kind of change the waiver does not cover — the reduced list assumes your circumstances have held still since grant.
What the second stage costs and when you pay
The visa costs from AUD49,900 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you and concessions available in limited circumstances. Costs may be lower for Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) holders and for substituted Visitor (subclass 600) visa holders.
Payment is split into two instalments: the first is paid when you apply, the second when the Department asks for it. The second instalment must be paid before the visa can be granted, and non-payment results in refusal. You may also face separate related costs per applicant for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste who lodge a valid application, recognised through a valid passport from a specified country and extending to family members on the basis of the primary applicant's passport.
Staying lawful while you wait
Being eligible is not the same as being lawfully present. If you are in Australia and your current temporary visa is about to expire, you need to hold a valid visa while the application is being processed.
Most parent visa applicants are not entitled to a bridging visa attached to their subclass 143 application. The exceptions are:
- you are applying under the Retirement visa pathway
- you held a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa when you applied
- you are a family member of a subclass 173 visa holder
Unless you hold another valid visa, you must generally be outside Australia while the application is processed. However, you may be in or outside Australia when the decision is made if you hold or held a subclass 173 visa (or a substituted Visitor visa, subclass 600) before submitting your application. Those two statements operate together rather than cancelling each other: the first governs the processing period, the second the moment of decision.
What happens after you lodge
Parent visas are capped and queued. Demand exceeds the number of places available each year, so processing times are long, and applications are processed in the order they are received.
Assessment runs in two stages. An initial assessment checks eligibility either to add the application to the queue or to refuse it; then, as places become available, applications are released from the queue for final assessment. Other things that can slow a case include an incomplete application, missing documents, or information that takes a long time to verify.
Lodgement is online. Applications lodged on or after 22 April 2026 must be made through ImmiAccount, unless a technical issue cannot be resolved through the Department's technical support process.
Two administrative traps are worth flagging before you submit:
- If you have another undecided Parent visa application, you must withdraw it when you apply for this visa — you can do that as part of the new application.
- If you later want to add family members, use Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement), along with evidence of the relationship and a copy of the family member's passport.
The criteria that are never waived
Even on the reduced second-stage list, the rest of the eligibility framework applies. You must have an eligible sponsor who is approved by the Department — usually an eligible child, or where the child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation — unless you qualify to apply as a retiree. Your sponsor completes Form 40 (Sponsorship for migration to Australia). Retiree applicants are exempt from the sponsor requirement, the balance of family test and the Assurance of Support.
You must be able to obtain an Assurance of Support, which guarantees that you will not rely on government assistance for the Assurance of Support period after entering Australia on this visa. It does not have to come from the sponsor or a family member; an individual, several people, or an organisation can provide it, and the Department will tell you when it is needed.
You and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement and the character requirement, and non-migrating family members may also be asked to meet them. You must also sign the Australian Values Statement if you are 18 or over, have no outstanding debt to the Australian Government without an approved repayment arrangement, and satisfy the Department on immigration history — a previously cancelled visa or refused application can affect eligibility. Where an applicant is under 18, the visa will not be granted if doing so would not be in that child's best interests.
Practical point on identity: the identity requirement is strict. If you cannot prove your identity, the application will be refused, and the Department might not grant another visa to you, or to any family members listed on your application, for 10 years.
Once granted, the visa is permanent. You can stay indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, and travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of grant, after which you would need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident. For citizenship purposes, permanent residency starts on the day of grant if you are in Australia, or the day you first enter Australia on the visa if you are outside Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is the 28-day rule for moving from subclass 173 to subclass 143?
You can apply through the second-stage pathway if you hold the subclass 173 visa when you apply, or if you held it at any time in the 28 days before applying. You also must apply before your subclass 173 visa expires, and the Department encourages applying immediately after the temporary visa is granted.
Can I still apply for subclass 143 if my subclass 173 visa ended more than 28 days ago?
Yes, but only if you can demonstrate compelling and compassionate circumstances to regain your previous visa status. You must provide evidence, and the Minister must be satisfied those circumstances exist; otherwise your application is processed as a standard subclass 143 application.
Do I need to pass the balance of family test again at the second stage?
Not if you are a subclass 173 holder applying before your temporary visa ceases, because you have already met the test. If you fall outside that window and your application is treated as a standard application, the test applies again.
Which documents do I avoid re-submitting as a 173 holder?
You do not need some of the documents usually requested, including the balance of family documents, if you hold a subclass 173 visa or your 173 visa ended within the 28 days before you apply. You still need documents relating to help with your application and to any change in your situation since grant.
What is still required even on the reduced list?
An approved eligible sponsor (Form 40), health and character requirements, an Assurance of Support when requested, payment of both instalments, the Australian Values Statement for applicants aged 18 or over, and proof of identity. Any outstanding debt to the Australian Government must also be repaid or covered by an approved arrangement.
Can I stay in Australia on a bridging visa while waiting?
Only in limited cases. You are not entitled to a bridging visa attached to the subclass 143 application unless you are applying under the Retirement visa pathway, you held a subclass 173 visa when you applied, or you are a family member of a subclass 173 visa holder.
Where can I be when the decision is made?
If you hold or held a subclass 173 visa, or a substituted Visitor visa (subclass 600), before applying, you may be in or outside Australia when the decision is made. All other Contributory Parent applicants must be outside Australia at decision time.