Visitor Visas for Parents

For many people, a Parent visa may be out of reach due to the high costs, extended processing times, or failing to meet the Balance of Family test.

Other visa options include the Subclass 870 Temporary Sponsored Parent visa or Visitor (tourist) visas.

A visitor visa may be a fast and inexpensive alternative to bring parents to spend time with family in Australia. Longer validity visitor visas are available for parents of Australian permanent residents and citizens.

Note that none of the Visitor visas allow the holder to work in Australia.

Electronic Travel Authority/eVisitor

These are short-stay visitor visas which can be applied for online. They are relatively inexpensive and approval is quite fast - usually within 24 hours.

They are only available if you hold a passport from certain countries - generally Europe, North America or East Asia. You must be outside Australia at the time of application.

These electronic visas are generally valid for 12 months at a time, allow multiple entries, and have a maximum stay of 3 months from each entry.

Subclass 600 Visitor visa

Applicants from all countries can apply for a Subclass 600 Visitor visa. This can be applied for while the person is in Australia or overseas, and generally allow a stay for up to 3 months at a time.

If you have Australian permanent resident or citizen children, you could choose to apply for a longer stay Subclass 600 Visitor visa.

These longer stay periods are only possible when applying whilst you are outside Australia. The length of stay is determined on a case-by-case basis, but is generally valid for a maximum of 3 years, with multiple entry, and a 12 month stay out of any 18-month period.