Parent visa backlog hits 157,000 as processing times stretch to 42 years
Australia's parent visa backlog has swollen to 157,000, with processing times exceeding 42 years for Aged Parent visas, blocking family reunification.
Jen's mother died in 2022 while waiting for her Contributory Parent visa to be approved. Eight years after her parents first applied, Jen's father is still waiting.
The Contributory Parent visa costs about $49,000. The Contributory Parent visa now takes an estimated 18 years to process.
The Aged Parent visa takes more than 42 years. A new federal policy has made the wait harder: visitor visas now carry a "no further stay" condition.
This prevents parents from applying for a parent visa while in Australia. Previously, ageing parents could enter on a visitor visa.
They could apply for a parent visa from within Australia while on a bridging visa. That pathway is now closed.
The backlog stood at 157,000 in the 2024-25 financial year, up 52,000 in six years.
- 157,000 applications
- Backlog size
- estimated 18 years
- Contributory Parent visa processing time
- more than 42 years
- Aged Parent visa processing time
- about $49,000
- Visa cost
Why it mattersFor Australians with ageing parents overseas, the long queues and new visa rules create an impossible choice: move the whole family back overseas or accept permanent separation.
AustraliaAlmost half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. The visa changes affect hundreds of thousands of families trying to bring elderly parents to Australia, forcing some to abandon applications or leave Australia to care for parents.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
