Subclass 864/884 — Aged Parents Already in Australia Applying for PR Onshore

Among the permanent residence pathways for parents there is one branch that few people know about, yet it transforms the waiting experience entirely: the subclass 864 (Contributory Aged Parent) and 884 (its temporary version) — for parents who are older and already lawfully in Australia, lodging from inside the country rather than queueing from Vietnam.

The short answer: if a parent has reached Australian pension age (currently 67 — check the current figure) and is lawfully in Australia on a visa without condition 8503, they can lodge an 864 application onshore. The decisive advantage: during the wait — which is not short — the parent receives a bridging visa allowing them to remain in Australia with the family, instead of waiting in Vietnam as with the 143. The cost is no cheaper though: equivalent to the 143, around AUD 49,900 per person (2026–27 rates, first instalment raised in the 1 July 2026 indexation).

How the 864 and 884 differ

• 864 — Contributory Aged Parent (Residence): the permanent visa, the end point of this pathway.
• 884 — Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary): the two-stage temporary version of the same stream — it lets families split the large contribution into two phases before converting to permanent residence. Useful for spreading cash flow; the total cost of the full route is usually higher than going direct — compare against the current fee schedule.

This article refers to them together as “the 864/884 pathway” because the core criteria are the same.

The core requirements — three gates to pass

1. “Aged” — Australian pension age: the parent must have reached the Australian Age Pension age at lodgement — currently 67 (set by social security law and subject to change — check the Services Australia page). Only one member of a parent couple needs to meet the age requirement as the main applicant, with the spouse included in the family application; confirm the details against current rules.
2. Lawfully in Australia at lodgement: the application must be lodged onshore while the parent holds a valid visa — and that visa must not carry condition 8503 (No Further Stay). This is why we always say: check the conditions on a 600 visa the moment it is granted.
3. Balance of family test — still required: as with the 143/103, at least half the children must be settled in Australia, or more children in Australia than in any other country — full calculation here. The onshore stream does not waive this criterion.

The application also still requires an Assurance of Support — the 10-year financial guarantee — like the other contributory parent streams.

The biggest advantage: a bridging visa — waiting in Australia, not Vietnam

With the offshore 143, parents essentially wait in Vietnam through a queue currently estimated at ~12–14 years. With an onshore 864/884:

• Parents receive a bridging visa after a valid lodgement, allowing them to stay in Australia lawfully for the entire processing wait — living with their children and grandchildren from the day of lodgement.
• No need to run the 12-in-18-month entry–exit cycle of the 600 visitor visa.

But understand the bridging visa’s limits correctly:

• Medicare: bridging visa holders in this stream generally do not have Medicare during the wait — access depends on current rules and visa type, so check with Services Australia. The financial plan must include private health insurance across many years, with premiums rising with age — a genuinely large item at 67+.
• Travel: the standard bridging visa (BVA) does not permit leaving and re-entering Australia — a Bridging Visa B with a travel window must be obtained before each trip back to Vietnam; extra paperwork for every visit home.

Practical considerations — this is more than a visa question

Few “services” will discuss this part with you, but it is the part families should discuss most:

• Living far from a familiar support system: parents aged 67+ leave behind familiar hospitals, Vietnamese-speaking doctors, friends and relatives — to live for years in Australia in a “waiting” state, with language barriers and expensive private insurance. For many grandparents that is a price well worth paying to be near the grandchildren; for some it is not. Ask what the parents want before asking which visa is possible.
• Aged healthcare costs without Medicare: a health event during the waiting years is a real financial risk — private cover for older people needs proper quotes and careful reading of coverage terms before committing.
• A large payment at the end: the major contribution (similar to the 143’s second instalment of ~AUD 43,870) is paid at the grant stage — the family needs to maintain financial capacity across the years.

Be wary of “fly in as a tourist, stay forever — all legal” marketing

The 864/884 pathway is often packaged by certain “services” as a promise: “bring your parents over as tourists, then switch them to stay permanently — completely legal.” A sober analysis:

• The pathway is real and lawful — but only for parents who are pension age, pass the balance of family test, hold a current visa without 8503, and whose family can carry ~AUD 49,900 per person plus years of private insurance.
• Applying for a 600 visa while concealing an intention to stay permanently is a misrepresentation of purpose — the refusal risk and downstream consequences land on your family, not on whoever sold the “service”.
• If the long-term plan may head this way, design it openly and lawfully from the start with a MARA-registered adviser — the visa sequence, 8503 conditions and the pension-age milestone can all be scheduled.

Summary

The 864/884 is the most realistic permanent pathway for parents who are already pension age and lawfully in Australia: it costs the same as the 143 (~AUD 49,900 per person) but buys the most valuable thing — the waiting years spent in Australia, with the family, on a bridging visa. Three gates to pass: pension age, no 8503, and the balance of family test. And remember that the biggest part of the plan is not in the visa form: insurance, healthcare, and whether the parents truly want to live away from home at this age.

Is your family weighing this pathway? Book a free assessment to check eligibility and get the visa sequence right from the start.

References

• Department of Home Affairs — Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864) — official criteria and fees.
• Department of Home Affairs — Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 884) — the two-stage temporary version.
• Services Australia — Who can get Age Pension — the current pension age.

This article is general information current at publication. Australian migration rules change regularly — check the date and contact VisaAffairs before relying on it for your own case. Book a consultation for advice on your specific circumstances.