When Do I Book Health Exams for a Parent Visa 103 in 2026?
You do not book them yourself, and you should not book them early. The Australian Department of Home Affairs' Parent visa (subclass 103) official page lists health examinations under the "after you apply" steps, with a single instruction: "We will let you know when you need to complete health examinations." As of the July 2026 official page, there is no pre-application step that asks you to arrange health checks — the Department requests them, and you respond to that request.
Why does the Department ask you to wait rather than letting you book early?
Health examinations produce a snapshot of a person's health at the time they are taken, and the health criteria for this visa are applied when the application is decided. The compilation of the Migration Regulations 1994 lists the health criterion (Public Interest Criterion 4005), together with criteria on tuberculosis (4009) and other communicable diseases (4010), among the criteria to be satisfied at the time of decision for a subclass 103 applicant. Exams completed long before a decision may no longer describe the applicant's current health, which is the practical reason a request made years earlier can lead to a second round of tests and a second set of fees. Clause-level detail should be confirmed against the Department's and the legislation register's current published versions.
The subclass 103 is also a queued visa. The official page points applicants to "Parent visa queue release dates" for processing information and states that the Department cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times — it will contact you if it needs something. Booking health exams early does not change your position in that queue, so an early booking buys no time and only risks expiring.
Who has to be tested, and who might be?
The health requirement attaches to people, not just to the form.
- You, the main applicant — you must meet the health requirement.
- Family members applying with you — anyone included in the application must also meet it.
- Non-migrating family members — the Department "might also ask" that family members who are not migrating meet the requirement. This is a discretionary request, which is another reason to wait: you cannot know in advance whether it will be made.
Because who needs testing, and when, depends on the composition of your application and on the Department's assessment, treat this section as general information rather than advice about your own case; the request you receive governs what you must do, and anything specific to your circumstances should be checked against current official guidance or with a suitably qualified professional.
What else does the Department tell you not to arrange early?
Health exams are not an isolated rule. The same "wait until we ask" pattern runs through the post-lodgement steps, which makes the logic easier to see:
| Step | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Health examinations | "We will let you know when you need to complete health examinations." |
| Police certificates | Character documents "might" be requested; "Do not arrange a police check until we ask you to." |
| Assurance of Support | "We will let you know when you need to provide the Assurance of Support." |
| Biometrics | The Department "might ask for biometrics"; "We will let you know if you need to provide them." |
| Moving to Australia | "Do not arrange to move to Australia permanently until we let you know in writing that we have granted you the visa." |
Every one of these items is triggered by a request, not by the applicant's own timetable.
How will the request reach you, and how do you avoid missing it?
Since 22 April 2026, a subclass 103 application must be lodged online through ImmiAccount, and ImmiAccount is also where you attach documents, read messages from the Department, update your details and check your application's status. Paper applications lodged after November 2018 can be imported into ImmiAccount after you receive your acknowledgement letter, which gives you the same online access. Additional documents that were not sent with the application can be uploaded there, or sent using the Parent visa processing centre form.
That matters because the Department says it may need to contact you directly even if you have nominated your sponsor's email address, appointed an authorised recipient, or appointed someone to give you immigration assistance. The official page asks applicants to keep the Department informed of changes to phone number, email, address, passport, relationship status and family composition. If those details go stale, the request for health examinations may not reach you in time.
What happens once the Department does ask?
Complete the examinations as instructed in the request, then use ImmiAccount (or the Parent visa processing centre form) to send anything further the Department asks for — it may request more information after the initial results. Health is one of several things resolved before a visa can be granted; the Department also sends an invoice for the second instalment when it is due, and states that the visa will not be granted until that instalment is paid, and that failure to pay will result in refusal.
Doing the health exams is not a signal that you can plan your move. The official position is unchanged: do not arrange to move to Australia permanently until the Department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted, and the decision is made while you are outside Australia (the retiree pathway is the exception).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I book health exams before I lodge my 103 application to save time?
No. The official page places health examinations in the "after you apply" steps and says the Department will tell you when they are needed. Booking them at lodgement time means the results may no longer be current when your application is actually assessed.
How long do I have to complete the exams once I am asked?
The official page does not publish a single universal deadline for everyone; it says only that the Department will let you know when health examinations are needed. Use the timeframe stated in the request you receive, and respond within it.
Do family members who are not migrating to Australia also need health exams?
Possibly. You and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement, and the Department states it "might also ask" that other non-migrating family members meet it. Whether that request is made is up to the Department.
Are police checks requested at the same time as health exams?
They are handled the same way but requested separately. The official page says character documents, including police certificates, may be requested, and instructs applicants not to arrange a police check until asked to — the same "wait for the request" rule that applies to health examinations.
Will booking health exams early make my application faster?
No. Subclass 103 applications are managed against published queue release dates, and the Department states it cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times. An early exam does not move your place in the queue.
My health exams are done — can I start planning the move to Australia?
Not yet. The official instruction is to avoid arranging a permanent move until the Department confirms in writing that the visa has been granted, and you must be outside Australia when the decision is made unless you applied under the retiree pathway.