Who Can Apply for the Subclass 884 Contributory Aged Parent Temporary Visa in 2026?

Who qualifies for Australia's Subclass 884 in 2026, including sponsor, balance of family and age rules, and the 864 pathway.

Published: 8 October 2026

You can apply for the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) if you are old enough to receive the Australian Age Pension, you have an eligible child who is a settled Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, an eligible sponsor formally sponsors you, you satisfy the balance of family test, and you meet the health, character, debt and immigration-history requirements. This is the eligibility set published by the Department of Home Affairs on its Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) page, as at the August 2026 version of that page. One disqualifier is absolute: you cannot apply if you have already applied for, or you hold, a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 870) visa.

This article is general reference material written for people mapping out a permanent residence pathway. It is not personalised migration advice, and it is not a substitute for checking the current Regulations and official guidance or taking advice from a registered professional about your own circumstances.

Who exactly can be the main applicant?

The main applicant must be the parent of a settled Australian citizen, a settled Australian permanent resident or a settled eligible New Zealand citizen. Being "settled" is a separate requirement from being a citizen or permanent resident; in practice it is commonly understood as having lived lawfully in Australia for a sustained period, often spoken of as around two years, but the official 884 page does not put a figure on it. Treat that definition as something to verify against the Migration Regulations 1994 (Schedule 2, Part 884) and current Home Affairs policy guidance rather than assuming a fixed number.

You must also be old enough to receive the Age Pension in Australia, which is the test the Department uses for "aged parent". The Department of Social Services publishes the current qualifying age, so check that figure at the time you plan to lodge rather than relying on any remembered number.

Location matters too. You, and any family members applying with you, must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance both when you apply and when the Department makes its decision. If you apply while holding a temporary visa with a "no further stay" condition, the application will be invalid unless you obtain a waiver of that condition.

Who can sponsor a Subclass 884 application?

You must have an eligible sponsor, and the sponsorship must be approved by the Department.

Usually your own child sponsors you.
If your child is under 18, an eligible relative or a community organisation can sponsor instead.
The sponsor's eligibility is assessed separately from your own; a parent relationship alone does not create a valid sponsorship.

The official page switches between applicant and sponsor views, so if you need the full sponsor criteria, read that version of the same page rather than assuming you have covered it from the applicant side.

What is the balance of family test, and do I pass it?

The balance of family test looks at where your children actually live. You satisfy it if either limb is met:

Test limb	What it requires
Numerically at least half	At least half of your children and step-children are eligible children
Largest single country	There are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country

Step-children are counted, which matters in blended families where a rough headcount excluding step-children could give the wrong answer. Worked examples are set out on the Department's balance of family test page, and that page is worth reading before you commit to a two-stage, fee-bearing application.

Consider a hypothetical applicant with four children in total: one eligible child living in Australia and three living overseas in the same country. The first limb fails, because one is fewer than half of four. The second limb also fails, because Australia does not have more eligible children than that other single country. If two of the four were eligible children living in Australia and the other two lived in different countries, both limbs would be met — which is exactly why counting rules matter more than intuition.

What health, character and other requirements apply?

You and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement and the character requirement. The Department can also ask non-migrating family members to meet those same requirements.

Other standard requirements are:

Debt to the Australian Government. Any debt owed by you or a family member must be repaid, or there must be an approved arrangement to repay it.
Australian Values Statement. Applicants aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet, and must sign the Australian Values Statement confirming they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
Best interests of the child. The visa will not be granted if doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Immigration history. Previous cancellations or refusals are taken into account and can make you ineligible, though some circumstances still permit a permanent visa application.

Can previous visa problems block a Subclass 884 application?

Yes, potentially. The Department considers your immigration history when deciding the application, and a past cancellation or refusal may make you ineligible for the 884 specifically. If you have previously lived in Australia, further return criteria may also apply, and the Migration Regulations 1994 sets out where an earlier parent visa application must already be finalised before another can proceed. Anyone with a cancellation or refusal on record should resolve that question before paying any part of the application charge.

What does the 884 lead to, and how does it compare with other parent visas?

The 884 is the first stage of a two-stage pathway. It lets you live in Australia for two years, work and study here without access to government support, travel in and out as often as you like during that period, and then apply for the permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (Subclass 864). You must lodge the 864 application before the 884 expires so that you meet the applicable lodgement criteria. The 884 itself cannot be extended and cannot be reapplied for; if it runs out, the alternative is a different visa.

Visa	Nature	Stay	Role in planning
Subclass 884	Temporary	2 years	First stage before the permanent 864; spreads cost over several years
Subclass 864	Permanent	Indefinite	Direct permanent option; may be processed faster but costs more
Subclass 870	Temporary	3 or 5 years at a time, up to 10 years total	Visiting option; applying for or holding it bars a 884 application

Choosing 884-then-864 costs more overall than applying directly for the 864, and more than the Aged Parent visa (Subclass 804), but the cost is spread across two applications over a longer period. That is the trade the two-stage structure exists to make.

How much does the Subclass 884 cost, and what about processing?

The visa costs from AUD35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member included in the application. Payment is made in two instalments — the first when you apply, the second when the Department asks for it. Budget separately for health checks, police certificates and biometrics for each applicant, since those sit outside the application charge. Concessions apply in limited circumstances.

From 1 July 2026, a lower application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, based on the primary applicant holding a valid passport from one of thirteen listed countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Family members attract the lower cost on the basis of the primary applicant's passport.

There is no published figure you can rely on for waiting time. Demand for parent visas exceeds the places available each year, so 884 applications are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order received. Applications are assessed in two steps: an initial assessment to decide whether to place the application in the queue or refuse it, then a final assessment as places become available. Incomplete applications, missing documents and slow verification all make an application take longer. Do not make arrangements to settle permanently in Australia until the visa is granted in writing.

Can family members be included?

Yes. You can include members of your family when you apply, and you must list details of all family members in the application form even if they are not migrating. Family members who apply must meet the health and character requirements, and non-migrating family members may also be asked to meet them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for the Subclass 884 while holding a Subclass 870 visa?

No. The eligibility criteria state that you cannot apply for the 884 if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (Subclass 870) visa. If family reunion during a long wait is your priority, weigh that bar against the two-stage cost before choosing a route.

How old do I have to be?

The test is being old enough to receive the Age Pension in Australia, not a specific number stated on the 884 page. Check the qualifying age published by the Department of Social Services at the time you intend to apply, because pension eligibility age is set outside migration law.

What happens if half my children live overseas?

You can still pass the balance of family test through either limb: at least half of your children and step-children being eligible children, or more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country. Step-children are counted, so the result depends on the full composition of your family rather than a simple majority.

Must I be in Australia to lodge the application?

Yes. You and any family members applying with you must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, both when you apply and when the decision is made. Holding a temporary visa with a "no further stay" condition makes the application invalid unless that condition is waived.

Do I have to apply for the Subclass 864 afterwards?

The 884 lasts two years, cannot be extended and cannot be reapplied for, and the official purpose of the pathway is that you then apply for the permanent Subclass 864. You must lodge the 864 application before the 884 expires in order to meet the applicable lodgement criteria.

Can I add a family member after lodging?

The detailed rules sit in the Migration Regulations 1994 and current policy guidance rather than the summary eligibility page. As a general planning point, the Department expects all family members to be declared in the application form from the outset, even those who are not migrating, so decisions about who to include should be settled before lodgement.