Parent Visa 143: Queue Dates, Processing and Medicare

The Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa is subject to capping and queueing, and the Department of Home Affairs does not publish exact processing timeframes for individual applications. As at 31 May 2026, applications with a queue date up to November 2018 had been released for final processing, and the estimated processing timeframe for new Contributory Parent visa applications is 15 years. The official official guidance does not state whether a subclass 143 visa holder is eligible for Medicare, so you must verify this on the Services Australia website rather than rely on the Department’s visa pages.

How the 143 visa is capped and queued

All Parent visa applications, including Contributory Parent (subclass 143), are subject to capping and queueing. “Capping” means there is a maximum number of visas that can be granted each migration program year. Once that number is reached, no more visas can be granted in that year, and remaining applications stay in the queue until a place becomes available in a future program year.

The Department assesses all Parent visa applications in lodgement date order. When a valid application is received, it is assessed against core visa criteria, including health and character requirements where applicable. Applications that meet those criteria are assigned a queue date and placed in the queue. You will be told your queue date in writing.

If your application does not meet the core criteria to be assigned a queue date, it will be refused, and you will be told in writing.

Queue release dates as at 31 May 2026

Queued visa applications are released for final processing in queue date order throughout the year. If the migration program outcomes for the year have already been met, no further applications are released in that program year.

As at 31 May 2026, the Department had released the following applications for final processing:

Visa type	Queue assessment milestone	Visa assessment (queue release date)
Contributory Parent (143)	Lodged November 2023	Lodged/queued up to November 2018
Contributory Parent (Temp) (173)	Lodged November 2023	Lodged/queued up to November 2018
Contributory Aged Parent (864)	Lodged April 2023	Lodged/queued up to November 2018
Contributory Aged Parent (Temp) (884)	Lodged April 2023	Lodged/queued up to November 2018
Parent (103)	Lodged February 2023	Queued up to March 2014
Aged Parent (804)	Lodged January 2023	Queued up to April 2014

These dates are as at 31 May 2026 and are updated when the latest processing dates are available. The Department will contact you in writing when your queued application is released for final processing.

What a queue date means for you

If you applied for a Contributory Parent visa before 1 June 2018, your queue date is the application lodgement date. For all other applications, the queue date is assigned once the Department assesses the application as meeting the core visa criteria.

Being assigned a queue date does not mean your visa will be granted. It means your application is in the queue and will be released for final assessment when a place becomes available. The Department does not respond to individual visa application status enquiries due to the volume of applications processed.

Estimated processing timeframes

The demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year, so processing times can be lengthy. The Department processes Parent visa applications in two stages: an initial assessment to determine whether the application will be placed in the queue, and a later final assessment when places become available.

Exact processing timeframes cannot be given for these visas because they are subject to capping and queueing. The Department provides estimates for new applications:

Visa	Estimated processing timeframe
Contributory Parent visas	15 years
Parent and Aged Parent visas	33 years

These estimates are generally updated yearly at the end of each program year. They do not indicate how long your individual application may take. Your processing time can vary due to individual circumstances, including whether you have lodged a complete application, how promptly you respond to requests for more information, the time required for checks on supporting information, and the number of places available in the migration program.

Medicare and the 143 visa

The official guidance does not state whether a Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visa holder is eligible for Medicare. The Department’s visa pages on capping, queueing and processing times do not address health cover eligibility. You must check the Services Australia website directly for the current rules on Medicare eligibility for parent visa holders. Do not assume eligibility based on the visa grant alone.

What to do next

If you have lodged a 143 application, your first step is to confirm your queue date from the written notification the Department sent you. Keep that letter, because it records the date from which your position in the queue is calculated.

Check the Department’s Parent visas queue release dates page periodically for updates, since the release dates are updated when new data is available. The Department will contact you in writing when your application is released for final processing, so you do not need to enquire about status.

For Medicare eligibility, go to the Services Australia website and search for the current rules applying to Contributory Parent visa holders. The Department’s visa pages do not answer this question.