Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
804 Aged Parent (onshore) vs 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)
Both keep a parent in Australia for years without permanent residence arriving soon, and they do it differently. The 804 is a permanent visa application with a queue described in decades, lodged onshore by a parent of pension age, whose real product is a bridging visa for the wait, commonly with work rights, no Medicare in the ordinary case, travel only on a Bridging Visa B, and a low charge. The 870 is a temporary visa granted within months for three or five years at a time, up to ten in total, with no work, private insurance, a sponsor child who passes an income test, and a substantial charge. A family that wants a long stay with certainty and can pay uses the 870; a family that wants the parent here indefinitely at low cost, and accepts the bridging visa’s limits, lodges the 804.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - What is granted
- A bridging visa for the wait; the 804 itself rarely in the parent’s lifetime · A temporary visa for 3 or 5 years; a further one up to 10 years in total
- Who
- A parent of Age Pension age in Australia on a visa that allows it · A parent of any age with an approved sponsor child
- Work
- Commonly permitted on the bridging visa · Not permitted
- Medicare
- Not in the ordinary case · No
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About the CPD →Side by side
| 804 Aged Parent (onshore) | 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) | |
|---|---|---|
| What is granted | A bridging visa for the wait; the 804 itself rarely in the parent’s lifetime | A temporary visa for 3 or 5 years; a further one up to 10 years in total |
| Who | A parent of Age Pension age in Australia on a visa that allows it | A parent of any age with an approved sponsor child |
| Work | Commonly permitted on the bridging visa | Not permitted |
| Medicare | Not in the ordinary case | No |
| Travel | Only on a Bridging Visa B, each trip | Free within the grant |
| Charge | The non-contributory first instalment; see the fees page | $6,370 for 3 years; $12,440 for 5 years |
| Certainty | None about the visa; the bridging visa lasts while the application does | Certain for the period granted |
| Watch out | A visitor visa with 8503 blocks the application; illness and aged care fall on the family | The sponsor’s income test and the ten-year ceiling |
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
Both keep a parent in Australia for years without permanent residence arriving soon, and they do it differently. The 804 is a permanent visa application with a queue described in decades, lodged onshore by a parent of pension age, whose real product is a bridging visa for the wait, commonly with work rights, no Medicare in the ordinary case, travel only on a Bridging Visa B, and a low charge. The 870 is a temporary visa granted within months for three or five years at a time, up to ten in total, with no work, private insurance, a sponsor child who passes an income test, and a substantial charge. A family that wants a long stay with certainty and can pay uses the 870; a family that wants the parent here indefinitely at low cost, and accepts the bridging visa’s limits, lodges the 804.
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
804 Aged Parent (onshore) or 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — which is better?
Both keep a parent in Australia for years without permanent residence arriving soon, and they do it differently. The 804 is a permanent visa application with a queue described in decades, lodged onshore by a parent of pension age, whose real product is a bridging visa for the wait, commonly with work rights, no Medicare in the ordinary case, travel only on a Bridging Visa B, and a low charge. The 870 is a temporary visa granted within months for three or five years at a time, up to ten in total, with no work, private insurance, a sponsor child who passes an income test, and a substantial charge. A family that wants a long stay with certainty and can pay uses the 870; a family that wants the parent here indefinitely at low cost, and accepts the bridging visa’s limits, lodges the 804.
What is the main difference between the 804 Aged Parent (onshore) and the 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)?
What is granted: 804 Aged Parent (onshore) — A bridging visa for the wait; the 804 itself rarely in the parent’s lifetime; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — A temporary visa for 3 or 5 years; a further one up to 10 years in total. Who: 804 Aged Parent (onshore) — A parent of Age Pension age in Australia on a visa that allows it; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — A parent of any age with an approved sponsor child. Work: 804 Aged Parent (onshore) — Commonly permitted on the bridging visa; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — Not permitted.
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