Do I Apply for Subclass 115 Online or on Paper in 2026?
Subclass 115 (Remaining Relative visa) is a paper application, not an online one. You complete Form 47OF Application for migration to Australia, pay before you lodge, and post or courier the package to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth — ImmiAccount handles the payment and then the day-to-day management of your case, but it is not where the application is created. This comes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 115) official page as of July 2026. The same page is also clear on a second point that trips people up: you must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the decision is made.
This article is general information about how the lodgement channel works, not personalised advice for your situation — check the Department's current published requirements or get professional advice before you act on it.
So is there any online option for Subclass 115 at all?
No — not for creating or submitting the application itself. The Department's step-by-step instructions for this visa say plainly: you must apply on paper, and you must be outside Australia when you apply. There is no "start online and finish by post" version of a Form 47OF application in the way some other visa subclasses offer.
What is online is the money and the file management. The Department's page directs applicants to pay the first instalment before the application is submitted, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and to include evidence that the application has been paid for inside the paper package. After lodgement, you can import the case into ImmiAccount to upload documents, read messages and track status.
A useful way to hold it: paper is the application, ImmiAccount is the payment portal and the case dashboard.
How does the online payment and paper lodgement combination actually work?
The sequence matters, because paying at the wrong time or paying in the wrong way can leave the package invalid.
- Fill in Form 47OF (in English), and have your sponsor complete Form 40 Sponsorship for migration to Australia.
- Pay the first instalment through ImmiAccount's payment function before the application is submitted. You cannot pay for this visa in person.
- Include proof of payment in the package you send.
- Post or courier everything — forms, payment evidence and supporting documents — to the Perth processing centre, using the address printed on the form.
- Keep your own copy of the completed application and supporting documents.
The second instalment works differently: the Department sends you an invoice for it after you have met all the other requirements for the visa, and the visa cannot be granted until it is paid.
Can I lodge it in person, or email it instead?
In person, no. The official page states that you cannot submit this application in person, and directs applicants to send the application by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address on the form.
Two related packaging rules follow from using the postal channel. Send certified copies only — do not send original documents — and send everything in one go, because if any of the steps are incomplete the application may be invalid, the Department does not process invalid applications, and it will notify you and, if requested, return what you sent.
Suppose an applicant pays online, forgets to put the payment evidence in the envelope, and posts only the form. The Department's instructions tie payment evidence to the application package itself, so that gap is exactly the kind of omission that can stop the application from being valid.
What can I do in ImmiAccount after the paper application is in?
Once the paper application has been submitted, you can import it into ImmiAccount after you receive your acknowledgement letter. Importing needs three pieces of information: your application ID, your date of birth, and your identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number).
After import, the online services available through ImmiAccount let you attach supporting documents, view messages, update your details, check your application status, apply for a Bridging Visa, and withdraw the application. Importing is also how you upload a completed Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, or a Form 956/956A about who is helping you, instead of routing them through the processing centre's online form.
One eligibility limit on importing: the Department says you can import any new and existing applications for this visa made in Australia, and existing applications made outside Australia on or after 25 June 2020. If you cannot use ImmiAccount — or your application was lodged outside Australia before that date — the alternative is to attach documents to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.
Does the paper route change what I pay or how long I wait?
The channel doesn't change the fee structure. This visa is paid in two instalments regardless of how you lodge, the first when you apply and the second when the Department asks for it, and there is an extra charge for each family member who applies with you. The Department's page describes the cost using a Visa Pricing Estimator rather than a fixed figure, so treat the estimator as the source of the current amount for your own family composition; it does not include the second instalment or other costs such as health checks, police certificates or biometrics.
There is one published change worth noting for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens: from 1 July 2026 a lower visa application cost applies to eligible applicants who lodge a valid application, charged during the application process in ImmiAccount and recognised from a valid passport issued by one of the listed countries. Family members are eligible too, based on the passport of the primary applicant.
On timing, the Department is upfront that demand for Other Family visas exceeds the places available each year, that applications are subject to capping and queueing, and that processing times can therefore be lengthy. It says it cannot give progress updates within normal processing times. The global processing time tool shows times for recently decided applications as a guide only, not as a prediction for your case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I complete and submit my Subclass 115 application inside ImmiAccount?
No. The Department's official page for the visa states that you must apply on paper and must be outside Australia when you apply. ImmiAccount is used to pay the first instalment before submission and, after lodgement, to import and manage the case.
Do I have to pay before I post the application?
Yes. You must pay the first instalment before the application is submitted, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and you must include evidence that the application has been paid for with your paper application. You cannot pay for this visa in person.
Where exactly do I send the paper application?
Send it by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address printed on the form. You cannot submit the application in person, and the Department's page does not describe an in-person or walk-in alternative.
Should I send original documents with my application?
No. The Department tells applicants to send certified copies only and to keep originals. It also advises keeping your own copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your records.
How do I get my paper application into ImmiAccount?
After you receive your acknowledgement letter, log in to (or create) an ImmiAccount and import the application using your application ID, date of birth and identity document number. Import gives you access to online services such as uploading documents, viewing messages and checking status.
Can I apply for Subclass 115 while I am in Australia?
No. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the Department decides your application. If you travel to Australia on a different visa and that visa ends, you cannot get a bridging visa to stay, and you should not arrange travel to Australia until you are told in writing that the visa has been granted.
Will I get my money back if the application is refused?
No. The Department states that it will not refund the application fee if it refuses the application. It will tell you in writing why the visa was refused and whether you have a right to a review of the decision.