Assurance of Support for Parent Visa 103 in 2026: What It Costs and Who Can Give It
What an Assurance of Support is for Parent visa 103, when it is requested, who can provide it, and how it differs from the visa charge.
For a Parent visa (subclass 103), an Assurance of Support (AoS) is a guarantee given to the Australian Government, not money your sponsor hands over to cover your living costs. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Parent visa (subclass 103) official page, as of July 2026, you must be able to obtain an AoS unless you apply as a retiree under the Retirement visa pathway, and the department — not the applicant — decides when the document is actually required.
What does an Assurance of Support actually guarantee?
It guarantees the Australian Government that you will not need to rely on government assistance after you enter Australia on this visa, for the duration of the Assurance of Support period. The Home Affairs page is explicit that the assurance is for you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa.
Two things follow from that wording, and they are where most confusion starts:
- The commitment runs to the government, not to you. An assurer is not "paying for your visa", and the AoS is not a fee paid to Home Affairs.
- The commitment covers the people who actually migrate on the visa. Relatives who stay behind are outside its scope.
When will you be asked for it?
Not at lodgement. The Home Affairs criteria say simply: "We will let you know when you need to provide the Assurance of Support." The same message is repeated in the document checklist section — you provide it "when we ask for it".
That distinction matters for subclass 103 in particular. Applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing, are processed in the order received, and are handled in two stages: an initial assessment to decide whether the application joins the queue or is refused, then a final assessment once places become available. Because the request for an AoS arrives at a point the department chooses, the practical implication for applicants is to keep contact details current so the request reaches you, rather than locking in financial arrangements years before they are tested.
Other after-lodgement steps work the same way — health examinations, biometrics and the second visa instalment are all requested by the department when they fall due.
Who can give an Assurance of Support?
An individual, more than one person, or an organisation can provide it. The Home Affairs page also states directly that the sponsor or a family member does not need to provide the Assurance of Support — these are two separate roles and the same person can hold either, both, or neither.
The assurer's own eligibility to act in that role is assessed under the Assurance of Support arrangements administered through Services Australia, which is where Home Affairs points applicants for detail.
Does your sponsor have to be the assurer?
No. Sponsorship and the AoS are distinct requirements. For sponsorship, you must have an eligible sponsor, usually an eligible child; if that child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation can sponsor you, and Home Affairs must approve the sponsorship (the sponsor completes Form 40). For the AoS, the assurer is whoever can satisfy the Assurance of Support arrangements — a different person, several people, or an organisation.
What does it cost?
The visa application charge
This is separate from the AoS. The visa costs from AUD 8,665 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you. It is paid in two instalments: the first when you apply, the second when Home Affairs asks for it. The department sends an invoice when the second instalment is due, and failure to pay it means the application will be refused. Application fees are not refunded if the visa is refused.
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application and hold a valid passport from a specified country (including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and others); family members are eligible on the basis of the primary applicant's passport.
The Assurance of Support itself
The AoS is not part of the visa application charge and is not collected by Home Affairs as a visa fee. Home Affairs points applicants to the Assurance of Support arrangements administered by Services Australia for the amount and terms, so the AoS is a separate line item from the visa application charge.
Other costs to budget for
For each applicant you may also need to pay related costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
Do retiree applicants need one?
No. If you apply under the Retirement visa pathway, you do not need a sponsor, do not need to meet the balance of family test, and do not need an Assurance of Support.
The trade-off is a different set of conditions. To apply as a retiree you must, on 8 May 2018, have held or have previously held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa, must not have held any other substantive visa between that date and the date you apply, and must be in Australia (but not in immigration clearance) when you apply. You are personally liable for your healthcare costs while the visa is processed, and must maintain adequate health insurance until the Parent visa is granted. You also cannot include your children, or your partner's children, in the application.
What if you cannot arrange one?
The ability to obtain an AoS is listed as an eligibility criterion, and Home Affairs states that applicants must meet all of the listed criteria. If no assurer can be arranged, that criterion is not satisfied. It is also worth noting that you cannot apply for a Parent visa (subclass 103) if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa, so the 870 visa cannot be taken up before or alongside a subclass 103 application.
This article is general information about published criteria, not personalised advice on individual circumstances, and amounts, forms and arrangements change over time — the official pages listed below should be treated as the controlling source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an Assurance of Support when I lodge my subclass 103 application?
No. Home Affairs states it will let you know when you need to provide the Assurance of Support, and the document checklist repeats that you provide it when asked. You do need to be able to obtain one, since that is an eligibility criterion.
Does my sponsor have to be the person who gives the Assurance of Support?
No. Home Affairs states that the sponsor or a family member does not need to provide the AoS, and that an individual, more than one person, or an organisation can provide it. Sponsorship and the AoS are separate requirements.
Can more than one person provide the Assurance of Support?
Yes. The Home Affairs criteria allow an individual, more than one person, or an organisation to provide it.
Does the Assurance of Support cover family members?
Yes, for family members who come to Australia with you on this visa. The assurance is described as covering you and any family members who migrate on the same visa.
Is the Assurance of Support the same as the visa application charge?
No. The visa charge for subclass 103 starts from AUD 8,665 for a single applicant and is paid in two instalments to Home Affairs; the AoS is a separate guarantee to the government arranged under the Assurance of Support arrangements.
Do retiree applicants under the Retirement visa pathway need an Assurance of Support?
No. Retiree applicants do not need an AoS, a sponsor, or the balance of family test — but they must be in Australia when they apply and maintain adequate health insurance until the visa is granted.
What happens if I do not pay the second instalment?
Home Affairs sends an invoice when the second instalment is due, and states that if you do not pay it, the application will be refused. The application fee is not refunded on refusal.