Is the subclass 802 Child visa application online or on paper in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

Paper, not online. The Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Child visa (Subclass 802) page states plainly that applicants for this visa must apply on paper; there is no online lodgement route for the subclass, even though almost every step around the lodgement touches a digital system.

That split is the thing most applicants get wrong. You complete two PDF forms, post them to Perth, and only afterwards bring the case into ImmiAccount, where you manage it. Everything below describes general visa mechanics drawn from the Department's own page; it is general reference material rather than advice tailored to one family, so where a detail meets your circumstances, the official page and a qualified professional's view should govern the decision.

So where does ImmiAccount come in at all?

ImmiAccount is the Department's online portal, and for subclass 802 it appears at two points: before the paper goes in the post, and after the Department acknowledges receipt. It never replaces the paper forms.

Stage	Channel	What happens there
Payment	Online	Pay before submission using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount; include proof of payment with the paper application
Lodgement	Paper	Form 47CH plus Form 40CH, sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth
Acknowledgement	Post	The Department notifies the applicant that the application and documents have arrived; expect this roughly one month after lodgement
Management	Online	Application imported into ImmiAccount, which then handles documents, messages, updates and status

Reading the table top to bottom gives the actual sequence: pay online, lodge on paper, receive the acknowledgement letter, then switch to online management.

What goes into the paper application?

Two forms, completed in English and sent together: Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia). Anything incomplete makes the application liable to be found invalid, and the Department's page says it does not process invalid applications — it will notify you, and may return the application if requested.

The supporting documents attached to those forms cover several categories:

Identity: the pages of the child's current passport showing photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if they have one and proof of any change of name
Travel: a certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia, and any passports held since then
Photographs: four recent passport-size photos (45mm x 35mm) of the child and of any dependent child included, less than six months old, good-quality colour, full face against a plain light background
Relationship: evidence the child is related to their parent, such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or an officially issued family status certificate or family book
Financial: if the child is over 18 when the application is made, evidence they depend on the parent for food, shelter and clothing — bank statements, money transfers or rent receipts, and the period of that support
Character: any police certificates requested, military service records or discharge papers where applicable, and Form 80 for children over 16

Adoptions carry their own evidence. Certified copies of the adoption papers or the adoption compliance certificate are needed, and where an Australian state or territory central adoption authority was involved, a letter supporting the adoption. Expatriate adoptions require evidence on four points: that at least one adoptive parent lived outside Australia for more than 12 months before the adoption was finalised, that the overseas stay was not arranged to avoid Australia's intercountry adoption laws, that the adoptive parent holds full and permanent parental rights with no remaining legal ties to the birth parents, and that the adoption complied with the home country's adoption laws.

Send certified copies only, never originals, and keep a full copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records. If someone is acting for the family, the written notification or relevant form travels in the same envelope: Form 956A appoints an authorised recipient for correspondence, Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person to give immigration assistance.

Can you lodge it by email, or hand it in?

Neither. Applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person, and the page identifies post or courier as the method, addressed to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address printed on the form.

What do you gain by importing the application?

After you — or someone else — has submitted the paper application, importing it into your ImmiAccount gives access to online services for managing it. The Department lists six:

attaching supporting documents
viewing messages
updating details
viewing application status
applying for a Bridging Visa
withdrawing the application

Importing happens after the acknowledgement letter arrives. You create or log into an ImmiAccount, then enter three identifiers: the application ID, the date of birth, and the identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage). Any new or existing application for this visa made in Australia can be imported.

What stays offline even after importing?

Converting a case to online management does not convert it to an online application, and it does not open a progress line.Within normal processing times the Department does not provide updates on progress; contact comes when something further is needed or when there is an outcome. Health examinations and biometrics follow the same pattern — the Department tells you when and whether they are required.

There is no published processing figure to quote here. The Department's global visa processing times tool shows times for recently decided applications as a guide that is not specific to any one application, and it lists the things that lengthen a case: incorrect completion, missing documents or requests for more information, time taken to verify information, and failure to pay the full charge at initial lodgement. Missing the correct visa application charge altogether means the application cannot be processed; the Department will let you know and may return it.

If something in the application turns out to be wrong, notification should happen as soon as possible using Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers) — uploaded through ImmiAccount if the application has been imported, or attached to the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form if it has not. Changes in circumstances have their own notification route, covering new phone numbers, addresses or passports, changes in relationship status, a child over 18 stopping full-time study or starting full-time work, the birth of a child, or a decision to withdraw.

Does the paper route change where the child has to be?

No, and this is the constraint that trips up families planning travel. The child must be in Australia — but not in immigration clearance — both when the application is submitted and when the decision is made. A child who is in Australia on another visa carrying a no further stay condition cannot apply for this visa.

A bridging visa associated with the application is granted when the application is made, and starts if the child's current visa expires before a decision is reached, keeping them lawful while the case is processed. If travel outside Australia is needed during processing, the Department asks to be told, partly because of the in-Australia decision requirement, and partly because returning needs a valid visa in its own right.

What does it cost, and do you get it back?

The subclass 802 page directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator rather than quoting a single flat amount: there is a charge for the main applicant, a further charge for each dependent child who applies with them, and separate costs for health exams, police certificates and biometrics that the estimator does not include. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens lodging a valid application, recognised through a valid passport from one of the listed countries — Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands — with family members eligible on the basis of the primary applicant's passport.

Payment is due before submission, and the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any way to lodge subclass 802 online in 2026?

No. The Department's official Child visa (Subclass 802) page says the visa must be applied for on paper. ImmiAccount handles payment before lodgement and case management after acknowledgement, but the application itself is Form 47CH and Form 40CH sent by post or courier.

How is the fee paid if the application is paper-based?

Pay before the application is submitted, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, then include evidence of payment in the same envelope as the forms. The page notes other payment options exist under the "how to pay" guidance.

Can I hand the application to a counter or submit it in person?

No. Applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person; they go by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address shown on the form.

When can the application be imported into ImmiAccount?

After you have received the acknowledgement letter. Importing requires three details to match: the application ID, the date of birth, and the identity document number — passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage.

Do original documents have to be posted with the forms?

No, and they should not be. Only certified copies go with the application; keep a copy of the complete application and all supporting documents for your own records.

What happens if a form is incomplete?

The application may be treated as invalid, and invalid applications are not processed. The Department will notify you and, if requested, return the application.

Will I get progress updates once the case is online?

Not within normal processing times. Imported applications show status and messages, but the Department contacts applicants only if something further is needed or when there is an outcome; the global processing times tool gives indicative figures for recently decided cases.