When Will I Hear Back About My Child's Subclass 102 Adoption Visa Application in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

After you lodge an Adoption visa (Subclass 102) application for your child, there are only three points at which the Australian Department of Home Affairs is expected to contact you: an acknowledgement roughly one month after lodgement, a request if anything further is needed, and the written decision. According to the Department's Adoption visa (Subclass 102) page, as of August 2026, applicants should receive an acknowledgement of the application within approximately one month of lodgement; after that, the Department contacts you through your authorised method if more information is needed, and otherwise the next message you receive is the outcome of the application.

There is also one piece of general housekeeping worth saying out loud: this article describes the published process only and is not advice on your child's case, so weigh anything that depends on your own documents and circumstances against the Department's current published requirements or against advice from a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.

Message you may receive	When it happens	What brings it about
Acknowledgement of the application	Approximately one month after lodgement	The Child and Other Family Processing Centre receiving your paper application, forms and payment
Request for more information, health examinations or biometrics	No set point in the process; only where something further is needed	Missing or unclear documents, verification of information, or a requirement that has not yet been met
Written visa outcome	When a decision is made on the application	The application being granted or refused

How long after lodging will I get the acknowledgement?

The Department states that you should receive an acknowledgement of a Subclass 102 application approximately one month after lodgement. Note the wording: "approximately" rather than a fixed commitment, and it attaches to lodgement — meaning the point at which your paper application reaches the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, not the day you signed the forms or posted them.

That acknowledgement letter is more than a receipt. It contains the application ID you need to import the application into ImmiAccount, together with the child's date of birth and identity document number. Importing gives you a place to attach supporting documents, read messages, update details and withdraw the application if your plans change.

What does the Department do between the acknowledgement and the decision?

Nothing that generates a message, unless it needs something from you. The Department states directly that it cannot provide updates on the progress of an application within global visa processing times, and it will tell you if it needs anything further. In practice, silence in this window is the expected state rather than a signal that something has gone wrong.

The visa processing time guide tool is often mistaken for a case-tracking mechanism. It is described as an indication of processing times for recently decided applications, a guide only, and not specific to any individual application — so it answers "how long have comparable cases recently taken", not "when will I hear back about mine".

Could I hear about something before the usual first contact?

Yes, and it is worth knowing which situations produce a message early. Two procedural problems are flagged on the official page:

Unpaid or underpaid application charge. The Department cannot process the application if the correct visa application charge has not been paid. It will let you know and may return the application.
An invalid application. Subclass 102 must be applied for on paper, using Form 47CH and Form 40CH together, posted or couriered to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre; applications submitted in person or at another office are not valid. If any required step is incomplete, the application may be invalid, and the Department will notify you and, if requested, return it.

Both are reminders that the strongest lever on your timeline sits with you at lodgement: pay before posting, complete both forms in English, and send the package to the Perth address rather than anywhere else.

What can make a request arrive sooner — or delay contact further?

The Department lists four reasons an application may take longer to process, each of which also increases the chance that you receive a request rather than waiting straight through to a decision:

The application is not filled in correctly.
It does not include all required documents, or the Department needs more information.
Verification of the information provided takes time.
Full payment was not made at the time of initial lodgement.

None of these is presented as a measured delay in weeks or months; the official text gives no figure, and neither should any estimate of your own.

When will my child be asked for health examinations or biometrics?

You wait to be told. The Department says it will tell you when to arrange the child's health examinations, and it will tell you if the adopted child needs to provide biometrics. You should not pre-book either on the assumption it will speed things along. Police certificates and military service records, where they apply to children over 16, are documents you gather as part of the application itself.

If you realise you left something out, the guidance is to provide it as soon as you can: upload it in ImmiAccount if the application has been imported, or attach it to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form if you cannot use ImmiAccount or lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020.

How do I make sure the message reaches me?

Because contact is made through your authorised method, keeping those details current is part of the waiting process. If you have appointed someone to receive documents on your behalf, that appointment is made on Form 956A, and ending it uses the same form. Changes to your phone number, address or passport, changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, and a decision to withdraw are all matters the Department asks to be told about after lodgement, and ImmiAccount is one way to manage them without waiting for the Department to contact you first.

There is also one thing not to do while waiting: do not arrange for the child to travel to Australia until you have been told in writing that the visa has been granted.

What will the final message say?

The Department says it will tell you its decision in writing, and advises keeping a copy of it.

A grant letter states the visa grant number, the date the visa starts, any visa conditions that apply, and the date by which the child must enter Australia if overseas at the time of grant — generally set at 12 months from the date of grant. The visa is then digitally linked to the child's passport rather than pasted in as a label.

A refusal letter explains why the visa was refused and whether there is a right to a review of the decision. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long after lodging will I receive the acknowledgement letter?

The Department advises that you should receive an acknowledgement approximately one month after lodgement. It is expressed as an approximation rather than a guaranteed time frame, and it runs from when your completed paper application is received by the Child and Other Family Processing Centre.

Will I be told how my child's application is progressing?

No. The Department states that it cannot provide progress updates within global visa processing times and that it will contact you if anything further is needed. After the acknowledgement, silence usually means the application is moving through assessment without requiring anything from you.

Does the visa processing time guide tool tell me when my case will be decided?

No. The tool shows processing times for recently decided applications, described by the Department as a guide only and not specific to your application. It indicates how recent comparable cases have run, not a date for your child's decision.

What should I do if I forgot to include a document?

Provide it as soon as you can without waiting to be asked. If the application has been imported into ImmiAccount, upload the document there; otherwise, or if it was lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020, attach it to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.

When are health examinations and biometrics arranged?

The Department tells you when to arrange the child's health examinations, and separately whether biometrics are needed. Booking them in advance of being asked does not move the application ahead, because the request comes from the assessing office rather than from you.

What happens if I made a mistake on the application form?

Tell the Department as soon as you can using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. You can upload the completed form in ImmiAccount, or attach it to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form if ImmiAccount is not available to you.

Can the child travel to Australia while the application is being processed?

No. The Department directs applicants not to arrange travel for the child until it has advised in writing that the visa has been granted. Travel arrangements made before that point are at your own risk.