The following parent visa applications are subject to capping and queuing. This includes
- Parent (subclass 103)
- Aged Parent (subclass 804)
- Contributory Parent (including subclasses 143 and 173)
- Contributory Aged Parent (subclasses 864 and 884).
‘Capping’ refers to a maximum number of visas that the Department can grant each migration program year. Once this number is reached, the Department cannot grant more visas in that year. All remaining visas will remain in the queue until a place becomes available in a future program year.
For the Temporary Sponsored Parent (subclass 870) visa applications, if the cap is reached in a program year, no further visas will be granted in that program year. A new visa application will need to be lodged in the new program year commencing on 1 July.
There is currently a 15,000 cap for the 870 visa which is set in recognition of the challenges of an ageing population, as well as the overall budget impact of older migrants. The limit also reflects the Government’s priority of providing visas for children and partners of Australians, as well as the need to target young skilled migrants to maximise the economic benefits of migration.