Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
836 Carer (onshore) vs 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)
They run in opposite directions. The carer visa is permanent, for a relative coming to care for an Australian with a long-term medical condition certified by the Department’s medical assessor, where the care cannot reasonably be obtained in Australia; it is cheap, slow, and decided on the medical and the availability-of-care tests, not on the relationship alone. The 870 is temporary, for a parent coming to be with the family for three or five years at a time, with no work, private insurance and a sponsor child who passes an income test, decided in months. A family whose Australian member needs care from a relative abroad reads the carer visa’s tests honestly; a family that wants a parent here for years uses the 870, and a parent who needs care themselves is in neither visa.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Direction
- A relative comes to care for an Australian who needs it · A parent comes to live with the family for a period
- Status
- Permanent; 836 onshore, 116 offshore · Temporary: 3 or 5 years per grant, 10 years in total
- The test
- A long-term condition impairing daily life for 2 years or more, certified by the medical assessor, with care not reasonably available in Australia · The sponsor child approved, with the income test; the parent’s health and insurance
- Work
- Permitted · Not permitted
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About the CPD →Side by side
| 836 Carer (onshore) | 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | A relative comes to care for an Australian who needs it | A parent comes to live with the family for a period |
| Status | Permanent; 836 onshore, 116 offshore | Temporary: 3 or 5 years per grant, 10 years in total |
| The test | A long-term condition impairing daily life for 2 years or more, certified by the medical assessor, with care not reasonably available in Australia | The sponsor child approved, with the income test; the parent’s health and insurance |
| Work | Permitted | Not permitted |
| Charge | The carer visa charge; see the fees page | $6,370 for 3 years; $12,440 for 5 years |
| Waiting | Years in the queue; a bridging visa for the onshore 836 | Months |
| Watch out | Care that could be bought or provided by services in Australia fails the test | No permanent pathway; 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
They run in opposite directions. The carer visa is permanent, for a relative coming to care for an Australian with a long-term medical condition certified by the Department’s medical assessor, where the care cannot reasonably be obtained in Australia; it is cheap, slow, and decided on the medical and the availability-of-care tests, not on the relationship alone. The 870 is temporary, for a parent coming to be with the family for three or five years at a time, with no work, private insurance and a sponsor child who passes an income test, decided in months. A family whose Australian member needs care from a relative abroad reads the carer visa’s tests honestly; a family that wants a parent here for years uses the 870, and a parent who needs care themselves is in neither visa.
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
836 Carer (onshore) or 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — which is better?
They run in opposite directions. The carer visa is permanent, for a relative coming to care for an Australian with a long-term medical condition certified by the Department’s medical assessor, where the care cannot reasonably be obtained in Australia; it is cheap, slow, and decided on the medical and the availability-of-care tests, not on the relationship alone. The 870 is temporary, for a parent coming to be with the family for three or five years at a time, with no work, private insurance and a sponsor child who passes an income test, decided in months. A family whose Australian member needs care from a relative abroad reads the carer visa’s tests honestly; a family that wants a parent here for years uses the 870, and a parent who needs care themselves is in neither visa.
What is the main difference between the 836 Carer (onshore) and the 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)?
Direction: 836 Carer (onshore) — A relative comes to care for an Australian who needs it; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — A parent comes to live with the family for a period. Status: 836 Carer (onshore) — Permanent; 836 onshore, 116 offshore; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — Temporary: 3 or 5 years per grant, 10 years in total. The test: 836 Carer (onshore) — A long-term condition impairing daily life for 2 years or more, certified by the medical assessor, with care not reasonably available in Australia; 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) — The sponsor child approved, with the income test; the parent’s health and insurance.
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