Permanent parent visa applications heading online from 22 April 2026
/The number of paper-based visa applications keeps dwindling. One of the holdout suite of visas, permanent parent visas, will finally move to online lodgements from 22 April 2026, however, a couple will remain paper-based.
The new instrument will require internet applications, no doubt through ImmiAccount, for the following visas:
Subclass 103 - Parent visa,
Subclass 804 - Aged Parent visa,
Subclass 143 - Contributory Parent visa, and
Subclass 864 - Contributory Aged Parent visa.
Paper forms are approved for these visas, but only in limited circumstances and primarily as a redundancy measure.
The two temporary-to-permanent parent visas, the subclass 173 - Contributory Parent (Temporary) visa and the subclass 884 - Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa, will continue to be paper-only applications. It is unknown why they have not been moved online.
Internet applications have numerous advantages over paper applications. These include certainty of lodgement, correct visa application charges paid, and instant bridging visa grants where applicable. It also eliminates additional expenses of both time and money to prepare documents, such as certifying copies and postage or courier fees.
One thing this change will not affect is parent visa processing times. Due to capping and queuing arrangements and the excess demand, published indicative processing times are now 15 years for contributory parent visas and 33 years for non-contributory parent visas.