Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
600 Visitor (parent) vs 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)
For a parent who wants to visit, the Visitor visa 600 is cheap, quick and, for the parent of an Australian, often granted with multi-year validity and stays of up to twelve months at a time, with the condition that the parent must leave between stays and usually cannot apply for anything else onshore. The 870 is for a parent who wants to live here for years: three or five years continuously, up to ten in total, at a substantial charge, with a sponsor child who passes an income test, no work and private health insurance. Visits are the 600; residence without permanent residence is the 870.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Stay
- Up to 12 months per visit; multi-year validity for some parents of Australians · 3 or 5 years continuously per grant; 10 years in total
- Charge
- $250 from outside Australia; $630 from inside · $6,370 for 3 years; $12,440 for 5 years
- Sponsor
- None, or a sponsored family stream sponsor · A child approved as a parent sponsor, with an income test
- Work
- No · No
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About the CPD →Side by side
| 600 Visitor (parent) | 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) | |
|---|---|---|
| Stay | Up to 12 months per visit; multi-year validity for some parents of Australians | 3 or 5 years continuously per grant; 10 years in total |
| Charge | $250 from outside Australia; $630 from inside | $6,370 for 3 years; $12,440 for 5 years |
| Sponsor | None, or a sponsored family stream sponsor | A child approved as a parent sponsor, with an income test |
| Work | No | No |
| Health insurance | Recommended; required for some grants | Required |
| Medicare | No | No |
| Leaving between stays | Required; long cumulative stays are refused next time | Not required within the grant |
| Watch out | Condition 8503 on many parent grants; 18 months in any 36 is the usual ceiling in practice | No permanent pathway; a further 870 is a new application; the 143 or 804 run beside it |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
For a parent who wants to visit, the Visitor visa 600 is cheap, quick and, for the parent of an Australian, often granted with multi-year validity and stays of up to twelve months at a time, with the condition that the parent must leave between stays and usually cannot apply for anything else onshore. The 870 is for a parent who wants to live here for years: three or five years continuously, up to ten in total, at a substantial charge, with a sponsor child who passes an income test, no work and private health insurance. Visits are the 600; residence without permanent residence is the 870.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
600 Visitor (parent) or 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — which is better?
For a parent who wants to visit, the Visitor visa 600 is cheap, quick and, for the parent of an Australian, often granted with multi-year validity and stays of up to twelve months at a time, with the condition that the parent must leave between stays and usually cannot apply for anything else onshore. The 870 is for a parent who wants to live here for years: three or five years continuously, up to ten in total, at a substantial charge, with a sponsor child who passes an income test, no work and private health insurance. Visits are the 600; residence without permanent residence is the 870.
What is the main difference between the 600 Visitor (parent) and the 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)?
Stay: 600 Visitor (parent) — Up to 12 months per visit; multi-year validity for some parents of Australians; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — 3 or 5 years continuously per grant; 10 years in total. Charge: 600 Visitor (parent) — $250 from outside Australia; $630 from inside; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — $6,370 for 3 years; $12,440 for 5 years. Sponsor: 600 Visitor (parent) — None, or a sponsored family stream sponsor; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — A child approved as a parent sponsor, with an income test.
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