How long does the subclass 870 visa take? (November 2026)

Reviewed by a registered migration agent · MARN 1795282
Updated 2 November 2026

As at 2 November 2026, Home Affairs reports that 75% of Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870) applications (Visa Application stream) were finalised within 8 months, and 90% within 9 months. These are official global processing times for applications decided in the previous month, not a promise for any individual case.

Subclass 870 processing times by stream

Stream	75% of applications	90% of applications	75% in September 2026
Visa Application	8 months	9 months	8 months

Employer stages: sponsorship and nomination

For the 870 the employer's applications are processed separately from the worker's visa, and the visa cannot be granted until the nomination is approved.

Employer stage	75% of applications	90% of applications
Sponsorship	4 months	4 months

What to expect when you apply for the subclass 870

How the application moves

The Australian child first applies to become an approved parent sponsor, which includes an income test and character checks; the parent can only lodge once that is approved.
The parent's application is then checked for health, character, health insurance and the undertaking to leave at the end of the stay.

What most often slows a 870 application

The sponsorship stage, which is counted separately from the visa figures on this page and depends on tax records and police checks.
Health examinations for older applicants that need specialist reports.

What to have ready before lodging

Sponsor: tax notices of assessment showing the household income, police certificates and evidence of the parent-child relationship.
Parent: passport, health insurance and health examinations arranged as soon as the sponsorship is approved.

What the 75% and 90% figures mean

Home Affairs publishes the time within which it finalised 75% and 90% of the applications decided in the previous month. Three in four applicants got a decision faster than the 75% figure; one in ten waited longer than the 90% figure, almost always because the application was incomplete, needed health or character follow-up, or sat outside the current processing priorities. The figures move every month, which is why we keep a history on the processing-times tracker.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the 870 visa take to process in November 2026?

Home Affairs reports that 75% of Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) applications in the Visa Application stream were finalised within 8 months and 90% within 9 months, as at 2 November 2026.

What do the 75% and 90% figures mean?

They are the times within which Home Affairs finalised 75% and 90% of the applications it decided in the previous month. Three in four applications were decided faster than the 75% figure; one in ten took longer than the 90% figure, usually because the application was incomplete or needed extra checks.

Can a 870 visa be processed faster?

There is no paid priority service for the 870. The things that reliably shorten processing are lodging a complete, decision-ready application (identity, health, character and every eligibility document attached at lodgement), responding to any request for information quickly, and avoiding avoidable requests for further information.

Are the employer's sponsorship and nomination included in the 870 processing time?

No. Home Affairs reports the employer's sponsorship separately (see the table), and the visa cannot be granted until the nomination is approved. Lodging the nomination and the visa application together where possible avoids the stages being processed one after another.

Related visas: processing times and costs

Source: Department of Home Affairs — global visa processing times, as at 2 November 2026. Cost: subclass 870 visa fees. Eligibility and steps: 870 Sponsored Parent Visa: 3–5 Year Stays & Fee. General information only, not migration advice.