When a Subclass 870 visa expires in 2026: options before and after it ceases
What to do when a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) ends in 2026 — and why it cannot be extended.
A Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) cannot be extended. According to the Department of Home Affairs' Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) official page, as at the August 2026 version, "you cannot stay in Australia longer by extending this visa" — to remain lawfully you must apply for and be granted another visa before the 870 ceases. If the visa ceases while you are still in Australia and nothing else has been granted, you are here without a visa, and the Department's own guidance on what you can and must do when a visa has expired or is about to expire is where the next steps are set out.
This article explains the rules as they are published; it is general information only and not advice about your own circumstances, so your dates, conditions and options should be checked against the official pages or with a registered migration professional before you act.
Can an 870 visa be extended in 2026?
No. There is no extension mechanism for this visa. The choice published on the official page is a narrow one: leave Australia, or apply for and be granted a different visa that lets you stay.
A further 870 visa is one of those options, but it is treated as a fresh application, not a renewal. It must be lodged from outside Australia, and you must have an approved Parent Sponsor when you apply.
What actually ends an 870 visa?
The official page lists four ways the visa ends:
- on the date specified on your visa grant letter
- if the Department cancels it
- if your sponsor withdraws their sponsorship and you do not find a new Parent Sponsor
- if the Department cancels the sponsorship
Because the end date is the one on the grant letter, it is worth reading the letter against what you see in VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online), which shows both the expiry and the conditions attached to the visa. There is no visa label in the passport; the visa is digitally linked.
How do the 3-year, 5-year and 10-year limits fit together?
You can be granted an 870 visa for up to 3 years or up to 5 years at a time. The cumulative maximum stay on Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visas is 10 years.
One concession sits alongside that cap. If you held an 870 visa and were outside Australia on 1 July 2021, your visa period was automatically extended by 18 months under the COVID-19 visa concessions. Those additional 18 months do not count towards the cumulative 10-year maximum.
Once you have held 870 visas for the full 10 years, you are not eligible for another one. At that point the official page says you must either depart Australia or apply for and be granted another kind of visa that allows you to remain.
What should you do before the visa ceases?
Work through these in order while the visa is still valid:
- Check your expiry date and conditions in VEVO.
- Read the date on your visa grant letter and confirm it matches.
- Add up your previous 870 periods to see whether you are near the 10-year maximum.
- Confirm with your sponsor that the sponsorship is still approved and current.
- Decide whether you will depart, or apply for a different visa.
- If a further 870 visa is the plan, arrange to lodge it from outside Australia.
- Keep records of your travel in and out of Australia, because the 90-day rule below is calculated from departure dates.
Why does the 90-day outside-Australia rule matter?
If you apply for another 870 visa from outside Australia, you will not be eligible for the grant unless you have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since your relevant departure day.
Your relevant departure day depends on where you were when the last 870 visa ceased:
- If you were in Australia, it is the first day you left Australia after the visa ceased.
- If you were outside Australia, it is the last day you left Australia while the visa was in effect.
Assume a parent was in Australia on the day the visa ceased and flew out 10 days later. Their relevant departure day is the day they flew out, and the 90-day count starts then — not from the day the visa ceased. That is why travel records matter: the international movement records available from the Department are the proof of those dates.
Can you apply for another 870 visa from inside Australia?
Only with Permission to Apply in Australia, and only in exceptional circumstances. The official page gives two examples: the parent has had an accident or a serious illness (medical evidence must be provided), or a natural disaster prevents travel to the parent's home country.
Two further limits apply. Permission cannot be granted to someone in immigration clearance, and you can be in or outside Australia — but not in immigration clearance — when the application is decided.
What happens if you stay past the end date?
The visa ceases on the date specified, and after that date you hold no visa. Staying on without one is not a technicality: it means any later application is assessed against the fact that you remained after your lawful status ended, and compliance history is part of how the Department assesses character and visa history. The published options at that point are the ones set out on the Department's visa about to expire or has expired page.
The ordering is what protects you. Either another visa is granted before the 870 ceases, or you depart before the date on the grant letter. Waiting until the visa has already ceased removes most of the options that were available a week earlier.
Can you move to a parent visa instead?
Not while the 870 is in play. The official page states that you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold this visa. The restriction is tied to holding or having applied for the 870, so timing is the whole issue — the sequencing of an 870 application and any parent visa application needs to be planned, and an 870 visa does not lead to permanent residence in any case.
What if the sponsorship ends early?
If your approved Parent Sponsor withdraws, you need a new sponsor or the visa ceases. The new sponsorship application must be lodged within 35 days of the original sponsorship withdrawal, and the new sponsor must meet the sponsor eligibility requirements. The previous sponsor still has to pay any outstanding health debts incurred by the sponsored parent in Australia while they were the sponsor.
If your approved Parent Sponsor dies, a new sponsorship application can be lodged within 90 days of the death, and the new sponsor must meet the same eligibility requirements.
If no new sponsorship is approved, you must either be granted a different visa or make arrangements to leave.
Which conditions can put the visa at risk?
You must obey all Australian laws and meet your visa conditions, which you can see in VEVO. You cannot work in Australia on this visa.
Unpaid work is allowed in three narrow situations: caring for grandchildren or other minor relatives in a domestic environment, volunteering in a non-commercial capacity such as assisting a charitable organisation, and assisting at a local school that the sponsor's children or other minor relatives attend. Unpaid work is not allowed in a commercial environment or in a family business.
Sponsorship also has its own ceilings: a sponsor's household is limited to one sponsorship at a time, a sponsorship can cover up to two parents per household at a time, and a sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until the current approved sponsorship ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I extend my 870 visa while I am still in Australia?
No. The official page states plainly that you cannot stay longer by extending this visa. To remain lawfully you must apply for and be granted another visa, and most applications of that kind need to be lodged and decided before the 870 ceases.
Can I lodge another 870 application from inside Australia?
Generally no — you must be outside Australia when you apply. The exception is Permission to Apply in Australia, which may be approved in exceptional circumstances such as a serious accident or illness supported by medical evidence, or a natural disaster preventing travel home.
How long must I stay outside Australia before applying for another 870 visa?
You must have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since your relevant departure day. That day is the first day you left Australia after the visa ceased if you were in Australia, or the last day you left while the visa was in effect if you were already outside.
Does the COVID-19 concession extension count towards my 10-year limit?
No. If you held an 870 visa and were outside Australia on 1 July 2021, the visa period was automatically extended by 18 months, and those additional 18 months do not count towards the cumulative 10-year maximum stay.
Can I apply for a parent visa while I hold an 870 visa?
No. You cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold an 870 visa. The 870 is a temporary visa and does not lead to permanent residence, so any move towards a parent visa has to be sequenced around the 870.
What happens if my sponsor withdraws their sponsorship?
You must find a new Parent Sponsor or the visa ceases. The new sponsorship application must be lodged within 35 days of the withdrawal, and the new sponsor must meet the sponsor eligibility requirements. The previous sponsor remains responsible for outstanding health debts incurred while they were the sponsor.
How do I check the exact date my 870 visa ends?
Use VEVO to see your visa expiry and conditions, and cross-check it against the date on your visa grant letter. The visa is digitally linked to your passport rather than shown as a label, so VEVO is also how you prove your status and conditions to others.