864 Contributory Aged Parent visa processing time and queue, November 2026
New application: about 18 years, the Department's estimate. Released for final processing: queue dates up to November 2020. Queue assessment: lodgements from April 2023.
Parent visas, 6 subclasses
Years: the Department's estimate for a new application. Released to: queue dates released for final processing, as at 31 August 2026.
Home Affairs has released 864 applications queued up to November 2020
864 Contributory Aged Parent visa processing time: about 18 years for a new application, the Department's estimate. The 884 Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa is in the same queue.
Official figures as at · Checked by us · Official parent visa page
69 monthsbetween the release point (Nov 2020) and your queue date (Aug 2026, example: queued recently)
- Your queue date is 69 months after the release point. Applications are released in queue date order.
- Since July 2022 the release point has moved 52 months, from July 2016 to November 2020. That past pace is not a forecast: places are set each program year.
- For a new application the Department estimates about 18 years. It does not publish a waiting time for any particular queue date.
What this can't tell you
- When your own application will be released. Nobody outside the Department can see individual cases.
- How many applications sit between the release point and your queue date. The Department does not publish it.
Your queue date is in the letter the Department sends when it places an application in the queue. Nothing you choose here leaves your device.
864 queue: released up to and queue assessment, since July 2022
Months on the vertical axis. Before April 2025 the official table grouped 143, 173, 864 and 884 in one column.
All parent visa queues, as at 31 August 2026
| Visa | Assessing lodgements | Released to |
|---|---|---|
| 143Contributory Parent | Apr 24 | Nov 18 |
| 173Contributory Parent (Temporary) | Apr 24 | Nov 18 |
| 864Contributory Aged Parent | Apr 23 | Nov 20 |
| 884Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) | Apr 23 | Nov 20 |
| 103Parent | Feb 23 | Mar 14 |
| 804Aged Parent | Jan 23 | Oct 14 |
Source: Department of Home Affairs, parent visa queue release dates. "Assessing lodgements" is the lodgement month reached in stage one, the queue assessment. Temporary to permanent (173 to 143, 884 to 864): May 2026.
How far has the 864 queue moved? 52 months since July 2022, now at November 2020
Each row is a copy of the official parent visa page: the lodgement month queue assessment had reached and the queue date released for final processing. Before April 2025 the official table grouped 143, 173, 864 and 884 in one column.
| Seen | Queue assessment | Released up to |
|---|---|---|
| recorded by us | Lodged Apr 2023 | Nov 2020 |
| web archive | Lodged Sep 2022 | May 2018 |
| web archive | Lodged Jul 2022 | May 2018 |
| web archive | Lodged Jan 2022 | Feb 2018 |
| web archive | Lodged Oct 2021 | Oct 2017 |
| web archive | Lodged Nov 2020 | Jun 2017 |
| web archive | Lodged Aug 2020 | Jun 2017 |
| web archive | Lodged Sep 2019 | Jun 2017 |
| web archive | Lodged Sep 2018 | May 2017 |
| web archive | Lodged Sep 2018 | Mar 2017 |
| web archive | Lodged Sep 2018 | Dec 2016 |
| web archive | Lodged Sep 2018 | Jul 2016 |
12 copies with a change, newest first.
884 Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa processing time: same queue as the 864, released to November 2020
The official table lists the 884 with its own row: queue assessment at lodgements from April 2023, queue release date November 2020. The Department's estimate for a new application covers all Contributory Parent visas: about 18 years. For people moving from the 884 to the 864, the official table shows May 2026 in the queue release date column and no queue assessment step.
How long does a new 864 application take? About 18 years, up from 12 in June 2023
The Department estimates time frames for new applications from the current number of places available each year, and generally updates them at the start of each program year.
| Seen | Contributory Parent visas | Parent and Aged Parent visas |
|---|---|---|
| recorded by us | 18 years | 42 years |
| web archive | 15 years | 33 years |
| web archive | 14 years | 31 years |
| web archive | 12 years | 29 years |
Processing time frame (estimate) for new applications, as printed on the official page. It first appears on copies from June 2023.
How does the 864 visa queue work? Two stages, capped places
Summarised from the official parent visa page.
- All Parent visa applications are capped and queued. Capping means a maximum number of visas can be granted each migration program year. Applications that miss out stay in the queue for a later year.
- Stage one is an initial assessment against core criteria, including health and character where applicable. Applications that meet them get a queue date, which the Department gives in writing. Those that do not are refused.
- For Contributory Parent applications lodged before 1 June 2018 the queue date is the lodgement date. For all others it is the date the application was assessed as meeting the core criteria.
- Stage two: the Department releases queued applications for final processing in queue date order through the year, until that year's places are used.
- The Department says it will not respond to individual status enquiries, and that it contacts applicants in writing when it releases a queued application.
What do the 864 queue figures leave out? 4 things
- How many applications hold each queue date. Without that, a gap in months cannot be turned into a waiting time.
- When an individual application will be released. Nobody outside the Department can see individual cases.
- The estimate for a new application is updated about once a year, at the start of each program year.
- Dates before 13 Nov 2026 are when a web archive saved the official page, not the Department's own update date.
8 questions about the 864 visa processing time, answered from November 2026 figures
How long does a 864 visa take in 2026?
The Department of Home Affairs estimates about 18 years for a new 864 Contributory Aged Parent application. As at 31 August 2026 it has released applications queued up to November 2020 for final processing, and queue assessment has reached applications lodged in April 2023.
What is the 864 visa queue release date now?
November 2020. Applications with a queue date up to that month have been released for final processing, as at 31 August 2026. The release date was July 2016 when the official page was archived in July 2022.
How long is the 884 visa processing time?
The 884 Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa sits in the same queue: released to November 2020, queue assessment at April 2023 lodgements. The Department's estimate of about 18 years covers all Contributory Parent visas.
Has the 864 visa processing time got longer?
Yes, by the Department's own estimate: about 12 years for a new application in June 2023, about 18 years now. The estimate is updated about once a year.
How far did the 864 queue move in the last year?
From May 2018 (archived 24 August 2025) to November 2020: 30 months of queue dates released. Since July 2022 it has moved 52 months in total.
Does Home Affairs publish a 864 processing time in days?
No. Parent visas are not in the global visa processing times tool. The Department says it "can't give exact processing timeframes for these visas" because they are capped and queued. It publishes queue release dates and an estimate for new applications instead.
Will Home Affairs tell me where my 864 application is in the queue?
The Department says it will not respond to individual status enquiries. It tells you your queue date in writing, and contacts you in writing when it releases your application for final processing.
Is this a government website?
No. Visa Processing Time is independent and is not affiliated with the Department of Home Affairs. The figures are copied from the official parent visa page and kept with their history.