Withdrawing Another Parent Visa Application for Subclass 884 in 2026
Explains the rule requiring withdrawal of an undecided Parent visa application before lodging Subclass 884, and how Part B of Form 47PA works.
Yes. If you have already applied for a different Parent visa and the Department has not decided it, you must withdraw that application at the time you apply for the Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884). This is set out by the Australian Department of Home Affairs on its official page Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884), as at October 2026. The same page specifies the mechanism: you withdraw the other application by completing Part B of Form 47PA Application for a parent to migrate to Australia. This article is general information only and is not personalised advice about your circumstances; the official page and the current form should be treated as the controlling source.
Which point in the process does this rule sit at?
The withdrawal requirement appears under Step 1: Before you apply, not after lodgement. In other words, it is treated as something you resolve while preparing the 884 paperwork, rather than something the Department invites you to fix later.
Practically, that means Part B of Form 47PA is completed inside the 884 application itself. You are lodging one document set that simultaneously triggers the withdrawal of the other pending Parent visa matter.
What kind of application has to be withdrawn?
The official wording is conditional, and each condition matters:
- It must be a different Parent visa application — a subclass other than 884.
- No decision has been made on it yet. A pending or queued application falls within the rule; one that has already been decided does not.
- The withdrawal must happen when you apply for Subclass 884, not some later date.
A useful way to read the condition is to take it literally. The trigger is the absence of a decision, not the passage of time, and not the visa's place in any queue. Assume an applicant lodged a Parent visa subclass several years ago and has heard nothing since: on the face of the rule, there is still no decision, so the withdrawal obligation is live.
Note also what the page does not say. It does not say the earlier application is refused, transferred, or converted. It describes withdrawal only, and it gives Part B of Form 47PA as the means of doing it.
How do you actually withdraw it?
Follow these steps in order:
- Confirm that your other Parent visa application is still undecided.
- Obtain the current version of Form 47PA Application for a parent to migrate to Australia.
- Complete the main parts of Form 47PA for your Subclass 884 application.
- Complete Part B, which is the section that withdraws the other Parent visa application.
- Name the other application accurately in Part B.
- Sign and date the form.
- Lodge the form together with the rest of your 884 application.
Complete every form in English. If your application includes a sponsor or family members aged 18 or over, their paperwork — Form 40 Sponsorship for migration to Australia and Form 47A Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over — sits alongside Form 47PA, but the withdrawal itself is made in Part B.
A separate bar: Subclass 870
The withdrawal rule is not the only conflict on this page. The Department also states that you cannot apply for Subclass 884 if you have already applied for, or hold, a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870).
That is a different kind of restriction. A pending 870 application is not something Part B of Form 47PA clears; on the official wording it disqualifies the 884 application outright. The two rules sit next to each other and are easy to conflate, so keep them distinct when you assess your own position.
| Situation | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Undecided application for a different Parent visa | Withdraw it when you apply for 884, via Part B of Form 47PA |
| Subclass 870 applied for or held | Cannot apply for Subclass 884 |
| Earlier Parent visa already decided | The withdrawal condition is not triggered by its terms |
Lodgement conditions that sit around the withdrawal
Completing Form 47PA properly is necessary but not sufficient. The same page sets several lodgement conditions that affect whether the application is accepted at all:
- Online lodgement is not available. Temporary Contributory Aged Parent applicants must apply on paper.
- You must be in Australia when you submit, and not in immigration clearance.
- You must pay the first instalment when you apply.
- Applications go by post or courier to the address on the form; they cannot be lodged in person.
- Send certified copies, not original documents (police certificates excepted).
A second instalment is payable before the visa can be granted; the Department issues an invoice when it falls due, and non-payment leads to refusal. Separately, the Department warns that the bridging visa that is likely to be granted on lodgement depends on your current visa remaining valid, so do not cancel it.
What follows if a step is incomplete?
The page's own language is that if any of the above steps are incomplete, your application may be invalid, that invalid applications are not processed, and that the Department will notify you and, if requested, return the application.
Read carefully: the page does not spell out as a separate, stated consequence that a missing Part B alone causes invalidity. What it does establish is that the withdrawal is a required part of applying for Subclass 884, and that incomplete steps expose the application to invalidity. Treating a pending other Parent visa as something to tidy up afterwards risks exactly that outcome, and the Department has no obligation to correspond about it in a valid application's stead.
How this fits a longer permanent residence plan
Form 47PA carries the one-version constraint that often catches applicants out: it is the same application form used for several Parent visa subclasses. Part B is the withdrawal instrument, and Part B only works if the rest of the form identifies your Subclass 884 application correctly.
What this page does not do is describe any later stage. It covers eligibility, documents, lodgement, and the outcome of the Subclass 884 decision — including the requirement to be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when the decision is made. Anything beyond that, including how a temporary Contributory Aged Parent visa relates to a later permanent subclass, is outside its scope and should be confirmed against the Department's current published requirements for that visa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to withdraw my other Parent visa application before lodging Subclass 884?
Yes, if you applied for a different Parent visa and the Department has not yet decided it. The official Subclass 884 page requires you to withdraw that application when you apply for Subclass 884. The withdrawal is made by completing Part B of Form 47PA.
How is the withdrawal actually made?
The Department directs applicants to complete Part B of Form 47PA Application for a parent to migrate to Australia. There is no separate step described on the official page. Part B is lodged with your Subclass 884 application, alongside your other forms.
Does the rule apply if my earlier Parent visa application was already refused?
By its own terms, no. The condition is that you applied for a different Parent visa and no decision has been made on it. Once a decision has been made, that limb is not met. Because the wording turns on whether a decision exists, confirm the status of the earlier matter before relying on this.
Can I hold a Subclass 870 application and still lodge Subclass 884?
No. The official page states you cannot apply for Subclass 884 if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870). This is a separate bar from the withdrawal requirement and is not cured by Part B of Form 47PA.
What happens if I lodge without completing Part B?
The page states generally that if any of the required steps are incomplete, your application may be invalid, that invalid applications are not processed, and that the Department will notify you and return the application if requested. Any such outcome should be treated as adverse to your plans, since nothing is assessed in an invalid application.
Can I lodge Subclass 884 online?
No. Online lodgement is not available for temporary Contributory Aged Parent visa applicants. You must apply on paper by post or courier to the address on the form, and you must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance at the time of submission.
Is withdrawal the same as asking for a refund?
The official page does not present Part B as a refund mechanism. It records separately that no refund of the application fee is available if the application is refused. Any question about charges already paid should be checked against current published Departmental information.