Can I Travel to Australia While My 116 Carer Visa Is Being Processed in 2026?
Yes — but not on the strength of the Subclass 116 itself. As of the July 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs Carer visa (Subclass 116) page, the visa gives you no travel rights until it is granted, and the instruction while an application is pending is blunt: do not arrange to travel to Australia until the Department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted. Any trip before that point would have to be on some other valid visa, and one condition stays fixed throughout — you must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the decision is made.
What does the Department say about travel while my application is pending?
Two sentences on the official page do most of the work:
- "Do not arrange to travel to Australia until we let you know, in writing, that we have granted you the visa."
- "You must be outside Australia when we decide on your application."
Neither is framed as a matter of convenience; both are stated as conditions attached to how this visa is processed. The same page adds that the Department cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times and will only make contact if it needs something further from you. There is no point at which an officer will warn you that a decision is imminent and that you should leave the country.
Why does being outside Australia at decision time matter?
Because the requirement appears at three separate points on the page: under how you apply, under what you must do after you apply, and again under the visa outcome. This is a paper application — Form 47OF, sent to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth — and the page sets out no exception to the outside-Australia condition. It also does not spell out what follows if you happen to be in Australia at the moment of decision; what it does say is that the condition exists, and that an application left incomplete may be invalid and will not be processed at all.
Take an applicant who wants to fly in for a few weeks to help care for a relative. Nothing in the published rules turns the pending 116 application into something that pauses or travels with them. The rule about where they must be when the decision is made stays live, and the decision date is not something they control.
So can I enter on a different visa while I wait?
Entering Australia always requires a valid visa plus a valid passport or other travel document. Since the 116 has not been granted yet, any entry in the meantime rests on another visa you already hold. The published rules neither forbid holding a second visa nor present it as a way around the outside-Australia condition — so if you do travel on another visa, you still need to be outside Australia on the day the 116 decision is made.
That is harder to plan than it sounds. Other Family visas are subject to capping and queueing, and the Department states that demand for places is greater than the number available each year, so processing times can be lengthy. It directs applicants to the visa processing time guide tool for an indication based on recently decided applications, while noting that the tool is a guide only and not specific to any individual application. A fixed-date trip during a queue-based wait therefore carries real risk, on top of the explicit instruction not to arrange travel before the written grant notice arrives.
This is general information about the published rules rather than advice tailored to your circumstances; where your situation sits close to the line, the official page as currently published and a qualified professional's view of your specific facts are the safer reference points.
Where do I have to be, and when?
| Stage | What the official page requires |
|---|---|
| When you apply | You must be outside Australia |
| While the application is processed | Do not arrange travel until written notice of grant; no progress updates within normal processing times |
| When the decision is made | You must be outside Australia |
| After grant | Enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter |
What changes once the visa is granted?
The decision arrives in writing and sets out your visa grant number, the date the visa starts, the date you must enter Australia by, and your visa conditions; the page advises keeping a copy. The first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date of grant. Your visa is digitally linked to your passport, so you will not receive a label in it.
From the grant date you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for five years, as long as that travel facility remains valid, and you can check when it ends using VEVO. After the initial five years you would need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident, or Australian citizenship, which removes the need for a visa to enter altogether.
Two border details are worth knowing in advance. Everyone arriving in Australia completes an Incoming Passenger Card, and ePassport holders may be able to clear the airport using SmartGate. If you travel on a New Zealand passport, the page recommends telling the immigration officer processing your clearance that you hold a Carer visa (subclass 116) and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444), because a subclass 444 grant may affect later eligibility for Australian citizenship.
What if my first entry date has already passed?
The page addresses this directly: if you do not travel before the first entry date, you can still travel to Australia with an expired first entry arrival date if your visa is still valid — but the visa may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. Confirm the visa is still current in VEVO before booking anything. There is also a reason not to delay without cause: for citizenship purposes, permanent residence starts on the day you enter Australia on this visa, even though you become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted.
What should I keep on top of while waiting?
Processing continues whether or not you travel, and several items run on their own clocks:
- If you did not include the Bupa Medical Visa Services certificate with your application, provide it within three months of applying. If the certificate is not on file when the decision is made, the visa will not be granted.
- Provide written evidence that your Australian relative, or their family member who lives with them, has no reasonable access to care options in Australia.
- Health examinations and biometrics are requested only where needed; the Department will tell you.
- The second instalment is invoiced once you have met all other requirements and must be paid, or the visa will not be granted. The Department may consider reducing it to nil where payment would cause severe financial hardship for you or the person you care for — but not for family members applying with you.
- Report changes to your passport, address, phone number or relationship status, and correct mistakes on the application using Form 1023. A new passport matters here, because the visa is linked digitally to the passport you hold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I book a trip to Australia before my Carer visa 116 is granted?
The official instruction is not to arrange travel to Australia until the Department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted. Booking during a wait whose length you cannot control also means you might need to be outside Australia — where the decision must be made — at the wrong moment.
Do I have to stay outside Australia for the entire processing period?
The stated requirement is narrower than that: you must be outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made. For the period in between, the page adds that travel should not be arranged before written notice of grant, and that no progress updates are available within normal processing times.
What happens if I am in Australia when the decision is made?
The page states the outside-Australia requirement without listing exceptions, and does not describe what follows if you are onshore at that moment. The safe reading is that being in Australia at decision time conflicts with a stated condition of this visa.
How long do I have to enter Australia after the visa is granted?
You must enter before the date specified in your grant letter, and the page says that date is generally set at 12 months from the date of grant. The grant letter also gives the date the visa starts and any conditions attached to it.
Can I still travel if my first entry date has passed?
Yes, provided your visa is still valid: you can travel with an expired first entry arrival date, though the visa may still be cancelled before arrival or at the border. Check your visa status in VEVO before making arrangements.
Can I travel in and out of Australia after I arrive on the 116?
You can travel to and from Australia as often as you like for five years from the grant date, while that travel facility remains valid. After five years you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to return as a permanent resident, or Australian citizenship.