Who can be an Assurance of Support provider for a subclass 143 visa in 2026?
An Assurance of Support for a Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) can be provided by an individual, by more than one person, or by an organisation — it does not have to come from your sponsor or a family member. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) official page, as of July 2026, the sponsor or a family member does not need to provide the assurance: "An individual, more than one person, or an organisation can provide it." You must be able to obtain an Assurance of Support unless you apply as a retiree under the Retirement visa pathway, and the Department will tell you when you need to provide it. This summary is general information only and not personalised advice, so if your situation differs or changes, confirm the current position against the latest official information or with a qualified professional.
Who can actually provide the Assurance of Support?
The subclass 143 page states the position directly: the sponsor or a family member does not need to provide an Assurance of Support, and an individual, more than one person, or an organisation can provide it. The assurance itself is a guarantee to the Australian Government that you will not need to rely on government assistance after you enter Australia on this visa, for the Assurance of Support period, and it covers you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa. The page does not add a requirement that the individual be the sponsor or a relative, which is why the provider can sit outside the sponsorship relationship.
The three options the official page recognises are:
- one individual;
- more than one person, meaning several people together;
- an organisation.
Does the provider have to be the sponsor or a family member?
No. The Home Affairs page explicitly says the sponsor or a family member does not need to provide it. That sentence exists to remove the assumption that the assurance must follow the sponsorship. Because an individual can provide it, and the sponsor is not excluded as an individual, a sponsor could still be the provider if they choose, but the applicant is not obliged to use the sponsor or any family member.
As a clearly hypothetical example: assume an applicant's eligible child is the sponsor but does not provide the assurance. Under the rule above, the assurance could instead be provided by another individual, by two or more people together, or by an organisation. The example only illustrates the rule; it is not a real case.
When do you need to provide it, and what does it cover?
The Department says it will let you know when you need to provide the Assurance of Support, so it is not something you must lodge with the initial application. The assurance covers you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa, and it guarantees the Australian Government that you will not need to rely on government assistance after you enter Australia on this visa for the Assurance of Support period. You must be able to obtain an Assurance of Support as an eligibility requirement, unless you are applying as a retiree.
What if you apply as a retiree?
If you apply for the subclass 143 visa as a retiree under the Retirement visa pathway, you do not need an Assurance of Support, you do not need a sponsor, and you do not need to meet the balance of family test. Among the conditions for that pathway, the eligibility page requires that on 8 May 2018 you held or had previously held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) visa or a Retirement (subclass 410) visa, that you have not held any other substantive visa between 8 May 2018 and the date you applied, and that you are in Australia.
Where can you check how a provider is assessed?
The Home Affairs subclass 143 page does not itself set out how an individual, multiple people or an organisation qualify as a provider; for that detail it refers readers to Services Australia's Assurance of Support information. Because the provider assessment rules are published there and can change, check the latest official information on the Services Australia page for the current detail, rather than relying only on the subclass 143 page's statement of who may provide the assurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the sponsor be the Assurance of Support provider?
The subclass 143 page says the sponsor or a family member does not need to provide the assurance, and that an individual, more than one person, or an organisation can provide it. A sponsor who is an individual is not excluded by that wording, so a sponsor could provide it, but the applicant is not required to use the sponsor. The point of the rule is that the provider does not have to be the sponsor or a family member.
Can two or more people provide the Assurance of Support together?
Yes. The official page lists "more than one person" as one of the parties that can provide it, alongside a single individual and an organisation. The assurance then covers the applicant and any family members who travel to Australia with them on the visa.
Can an organisation provide it?
Yes — an organisation is one of the three options named on the subclass 143 page, together with an individual and more than one person. The page does not require the organisation to be the sponsor, and it does not say the sponsor or a family member must be involved.
Do retirees need an Assurance of Support?
No. Applicants under the Retirement visa pathway do not need an Assurance of Support, a sponsor, or to meet the balance of family test. That pathway instead requires, among other things, that the applicant held or had previously held a subclass 405 or subclass 410 visa on 8 May 2018 and is in Australia.
When will I be asked to provide the Assurance of Support?
The Department will let you know when you need to provide the Assurance of Support, so it is not required at the moment you apply. You must be able to obtain one as an eligibility requirement unless you apply as a retiree, and the assurance covers you and accompanying family members for the Assurance of Support period.
Does the Assurance of Support cover family members?
Yes. The assurance is for the applicant and any family members who come to Australia with them on this visa. It guarantees the Australian Government that they will not need to rely on government assistance after entering Australia on the visa for the Assurance of Support period.