There is no temporary Carer visa in Australia, because the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) create the Carer visa only as two permanent subclasses, 116 and 836. For a stay of months rather than for good, a relative uses a Visitor visa (subclass 600), usually granted for 3 months and at most 12 months, or, if they are coming to their own Australian son or daughter, a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) for 3 or 5 years at a time.
| Route | Who it suits | Stay | Work | Sponsor | Charge from (1 July 2026) | A later 836 in Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor (600), Tourist stream | Any relative visiting family | Generally 3 months, up to 12; a parent of a citizen or permanent resident may get a visa valid for longer | No | None | A$250 (applying outside Australia) | Blocked if the visa carries condition 8503 |
| Visitor (600), Sponsored Family stream | A relative sponsored by an Australian family member | Standard 3 months, up to 12 | No | Yes, with a possible security bond | A$250 | Blocked: condition 8503 always applies unless waived |
| Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (870) | A parent, step-parent or parent-in-law of a settled Australian adult | 3 or 5 years per visa, 10 years in total | No, although unpaid care of grandchildren at home is allowed | An approved Parent Sponsor | A$1,515, plus a second instalment of A$4,855 (3 years) or A$10,925 (5 years) | The 870 carries no condition 8503 |
| Bridging visa after a valid 836 | A carer who has already lodged in Australia | Until the 836 is decided | As the previous visa allowed | Not applicable | None | This is the 836 route |
Is there a temporary Carer visa?
No, there is no temporary Carer visa: subclasses 116 and 836 are both permanent visas, and no temporary Carer visa had been announced as at 24 September 2026. Clauses 116.511 and 836.511 of the Regulations describe each as a "Permanent visa", and the Department's pages for the subclass 836 and subclass 116 give the visa stay as "Permanently".
Some online sources call the 836 temporary. What is temporary is the bridging visa an 836 applicant holds while the application waits; the Carer visa itself is permanent from the day it is granted.
Why do families look for a temporary Carer visa?
Families look for a temporary Carer visa because the permanent one takes years, because many care needs are short, and because the relative often plans to go home. The Department's Other Family queue page estimates 12 years for a new Carer application, and the Carer visa itself requires a need for help lasting at least 2 years.
Those facts push families towards a stopgap. A recovery from surgery or a stroke may need months of help, not years, and a brother or daughter with a home and a job overseas may want to come, help and leave. Job advertisements that mention a "carer visa" add to the confusion, although they refer to employer-sponsored visas for paid care workers.
Which temporary visas can a carer use?
A carer can use three temporary visas: the Visitor visa's Tourist stream, its Sponsored Family stream, and, for a parent coming to an Australian son or daughter, the Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa. The table at the top of this page sets them side by side, with the bridging visa that follows a valid 836 as the fourth row.
Care-worker visas, such as the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa under the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement, are employment visas for paid workers. They are not a way to come and care for a relative.
Can you come on a visitor visa to care for a sick parent?
You can come on a visitor visa to visit and support a sick parent in Australia, but the stay is generally 3 months and at most 12 months per grant, you must not work, and you must intend only a temporary visit. The Department's Tourist stream page says the Department generally grants a stay of 3 months, and that a parent or step-parent of an Australian citizen or permanent resident may be granted a visa valid for more than 12 months.
The stream decides what happens next. The Sponsored Family stream always carries condition 8503 "No further stay", and regulation 2.43(1)(j) lets the Department cancel any visitor visa if the holder no longer intends only a temporary visit. An adult child counts as a close relative under regulation 1.03, so a son or daughter who needs to stay for years has the permanent Carer visa as the lasting route.
Can a parent come on the 870 visa to help?
A parent can come on the 870 visa to help an Australian son or daughter for 3 or 5 years at a time, up to 10 years in total, once the child, or the child's partner, is approved as a Parent Sponsor. The Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa page sets out the limits: the visa does not lead to permanent residence, family members cannot be included, and the holder cannot apply for a parent visa while holding or having applied for an 870.
The 870 has a no-work condition, but the Department lists "providing care for grandchildren or other minor relatives in a domestic environment" as unpaid work the holder may do. One household holds one sponsorship at a time, covering up to 2 parents, and the sponsor must be at least 18 and settled in Australia.
The 870 works only one way, bringing a parent to an Australian child. A son or daughter coming to care for a sick parent in Australia uses a visitor visa or the permanent Carer visa. Clause 870.611 of the Regulations lists the 870's conditions as 8103, 8303, 8501, 8531, 8564 and 8609, with no 8503, so on the law an 870 holder in Australia holds a substantive visa for an 836. The Department has not published how it treats an 836 lodged by an 870 holder. The permanent and temporary parent routes are compared in the guide to Carer visa vs parent visas.
Does lodging an 836 let you stay while you wait?
Yes, lodging a valid 836 lets you stay while you wait, because the bridging visa granted with it starts when your current visa ends and lasts until the 836 is decided. A valid 836 needs no condition 8503, no section 48 bar and evidence that the Bupa assessment has been sought (Schedule 1 item 1123B(3)(d)). To be granted, the applicant must also have held a substantive visa other than a Transit (subclass 771) visa when applying, or have applied within 12 months after the last one ended (clause 836.211).
An 836 that does not meet the core criteria is refused at the first assessment, before any queue date, as the Department's queue page explains. A refusal in Australia then brings the section 48 bar for anyone without a substantive visa, which closes the 836 and most other onshore visas.
Lodging an 836 is therefore not a way to buy time. It works as a temporary stay only for a family that meets the Carer test.
When is the permanent Carer visa the better route?
The permanent Carer visa is the better route when the care need will last at least 2 years, the Bupa rating reaches 30, and no other Australian relative or care service can reasonably provide the care. Permanent status brings Medicare, work rights, and access to Carer Payment and Carer Allowance, if eligible, without the newly arrived resident's waiting period, none of which a visitor or 870 holder generally has.
The trade-off is the queue, which the Department puts at 12 years for a new application. The Carer visa also asks more of the carer than a visitor visa does, from the Bupa rating to health, character and the Australian Values Statement, each checked in order in the requirements guide. A relative already in Australia on a substantive visa starts with the guide to applying from inside Australia.
The Australian who needs care can compare every route from their own side in the guide on how to bring a relative to care for you. Families who met a "carer visa" in a job advertisement will find the employer-sponsored side in Carer visa vs care-worker visas. The full Carer visa, for the carer and for the relative who needs care, starts from the Carer Visa Australia guide.
A registered professional makes a grant more likely
Choosing the wrong temporary visa closes doors: a visitor visa with condition 8503 stops an onshore 836, and a refusal in Australia brings the section 48 bar. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner maps the temporary visa against the permanent route before the relative travels, which makes a later Carer visa grant more likely, though never certain.
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