Retirement visa pathway to subclass 143: who still qualifies in 2026?
How the 8 May 2018 test decides whether subclass 405 and 410 holders can still use the retirement visa pathway to subclass 143.
If you held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa, you can still apply for the Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) as a retiree in 2026 — but only if three conditions set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) page, as at July 2026, all line up: on 8 May 2018 you held or had previously held a 405 or 410 visa; you have not held any other substantive visa between 8 May 2018 and the day you apply; and you are in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when you lodge. This article is general information drawn from that page and from the Migration Regulations 1994; it is not advice on your own circumstances, so confirm your position against the official page before you commit to an application.
What does the 8 May 2018 test actually ask?
The department treats 8 May 2018 as a fixed snapshot date, not as a deadline you can move. Three elements have to be true at the same time:
- Status on the snapshot date. On 8 May 2018 you held, or had previously held, an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa.
- Continuity since then. Between 8 May 2018 and the date you apply, you have not held any other substantive visa.
- Location when you lodge. You are in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when you submit the application.
Because these sit under the same eligibility heading, they read as cumulative: satisfying the snapshot date alone does not put you in the retiree pathway. The practical consequence is that the pathway is decided almost entirely by your visa history after 8 May 2018, rather than by your age, your children's location or your financial position.
| Requirement | Standard subclass 143 application | Retiree pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor | Required, and sponsorship must be approved | Not required |
| Balance of family test | Required | Not required |
| Assurance of Support | Required unless exempt | Not required |
| Place of lodgement | In or outside Australia, not in immigration clearance | Must be in Australia, not in immigration clearance |
| Place at decision | Must be outside Australia for most applicants | In or outside Australia |
| Partner | Partner documents required | Partner can be included if they are also a Retirement or Investor Retirement visa holder |
| Children | Dependent children can be included | Children cannot be included |
Which condition ends most retiree claims?
The continuity condition is the one that disqualifies people who otherwise look like obvious candidates. The wording is about what you have held since 8 May 2018, not about what you hold on the day you apply.
Assume an applicant whose subclass 410 visa had already ceased before 8 May 2018, and who then held a different substantive visa for a period in 2019 before later returning to a retirement-related arrangement. On the face of the official wording, that 2019 visa breaks the chain, even though the applicant's connection to the retirement category is genuine and long-standing. The same logic applies to anyone who moved onto another substantive visa after May 2018 and has since come back.
The page does not itself set out how every visa category is classified for this purpose. Where your own history sits close to the line, the classification question should be checked against the official page and the Migration Regulations 1994 rather than assumed.
What are you exempted from — and what still applies?
Applying as a retiree removes three of the heaviest structural requirements in the parent visa system:
- you do not need to meet the balance of family test;
- you do not need to have an Assurance of Support;
- you do not need a sponsor.
The Migration Regulations 1994 describe this concession in clause 143.214, which is framed as displacing clauses 143.211, 143.212 and 143.213 — that is, the requirement to be the parent of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, the sponsorship requirement, and the balance of family test. The Home Affairs page is the operative statement of what you must actually show when you lodge, and where the two appear to differ, the official page governs.
What is not switched off is the rest of the criteria. You and any family members applying with you must still meet the health requirement and the character requirement, and non-migrating family members can be asked to meet them as well. Any debt to the Australian Government must be repaid or be subject to an approved arrangement. Your immigration history is still considered, so a cancelled visa or a previously refused application can affect eligibility. Applicants aged 18 or over must still have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet and sign the Australian Values Statement.
Two further bars apply regardless of pathway: you cannot apply if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa, and if you have a different Parent visa application still awaiting a decision, you must withdraw it as part of the new application.
Can your partner or children be included?
This is where the retirement pathway is most restrictive. You can include your partner when you apply, but only if they are also a Retirement visa or Investor Retirement visa holder. You cannot include your children, or your partner's children, in the application at all.
The restriction carries through to later additions. If you applied as a retiree and want to add a spouse or de facto partner after lodgement, they must be in Australia when you add them; for applicants who did not use the retiree pathway, a partner can be added while in or outside Australia.
Do you have to stay in Australia while it is processed?
Not for the whole wait. You must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, at the moment you submit. Once the application is in, you can be in or outside Australia when the department makes its decision — an outcome the page extends to retirees and to subclass 173 and substituted Visitor (subclass 600) holders, while other Contributory Parent applicants must be outside Australia at decision.
Retirees are also in a different position on lawful status. The page states that a bridging visa associated with a subclass 143 application is available only to three groups: those applying under the retirement visa pathway, those who held a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa when they applied, and family members of a subclass 173 holder. Everyone else must hold another valid visa or be outside Australia while the application is processed.
Health insurance: the running cost until grant
Retirees carry a cost that standard applicants do not. The page states that if you apply as a retiree you are personally liable for all of your healthcare costs in Australia while the visa is processed, and that medical insurance helps limit that financial liability.
You must maintain adequate health insurance until the Parent visa is granted, and the cover should include medically necessary treatment, including transport. Reciprocal healthcare agreements exist between Australia and some countries, and Services Australia publishes details of them, but the department's requirement is stated in terms of maintaining adequate health insurance for the whole processing period. Given that the page also notes Parent visa applications are subject to capping and queueing, this is an open-ended commitment rather than a short one.
What it costs and how you lodge in 2026
The visa costs from AUD49,900 for a single applicant, payable in two instalments — the first when you apply, the second when the department asks for it. Additional charges apply for each family member who applies with you, and concessions apply in limited circumstances. The second instalment must be paid before the visa can be granted, and the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Related costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics can apply to each applicant. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, based on the primary applicant's passport.
Lodgement mechanics changed during 2026: if you apply on or after 22 April 2026, you must lodge online using ImmiAccount. Paper applications can be considered only where a technical issue is first raised through the department's ImmiAccount Technical Support Form and cannot be resolved.
How long will the wait be?
The department's position is stated in general terms rather than as a number: demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year, applications are subject to capping and queueing, and they are processed in the order received. Assessment happens in two stages — an initial assessment to decide whether the application joins the queue or is refused, then a final assessment as places become available. The department does not provide progress updates within normal processing times, and says applications can take longer where they are incomplete, documents are missing, or information takes a long time to verify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my 405 or 410 visa have to have been active on 8 May 2018?
No. The official wording is that on 8 May 2018 you "held or had previously held" an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa, so a visa that had already ceased before that date can still satisfy the snapshot element. What still has to hold is the continuity condition: no other substantive visa between 8 May 2018 and the date you apply.
Do I still need a child in Australia to sponsor me?
A retiree applicant does not need a sponsor, does not need to meet the balance of family test, and does not need an Assurance of Support. The Migration Regulations 1994 also frame clause 143.214 as displacing clause 143.211, which is the requirement to be the parent of a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
Can I include my adult child or grandchild in the application?
No. The page states that if you apply as a retiree you cannot include your children, or your partner's children, in your application. This applies whether or not they would otherwise qualify as dependants.
Can my partner join me later if they are not a retirement visa holder?
The page allows a partner to be included when you apply only if they are also a Retirement visa or Investor Retirement visa holder. For partners added after lodgement, the restriction is on location rather than status: if you applied as a retiree, your spouse or de facto partner must be in Australia when you add them.
Do I need private health insurance if my country has a reciprocal healthcare agreement?
The retiree requirement is stated as an obligation to maintain adequate health insurance until the visa is granted, covering medically necessary treatment including transport, because you are personally liable for your healthcare costs during processing. Reciprocal healthcare agreements are described separately by Services Australia and are not presented on the visa page as a replacement for that requirement.
Can I lodge the retiree application from overseas?
No. You must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when you submit the application. You can be in or outside Australia when the department makes its decision on a retiree application.