Budgeting a Subclass 115 Application in 2026: Fees, Health Checks, Police Certificates

There is no single total you can read off one official line for a Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 115). As of the July 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 115) page, the visa is published only as costing "from" a base amount, with concessions in limited circumstances and an extra charge for each family member who applies with you; the Visa Pricing Estimator is where the Department puts the actual figure, and that tool explicitly excludes the second instalment and other costs. So a realistic budget is built from at least four separate buckets: the first instalment paid at lodgement, a second instalment invoiced much later, the health and character costs that sit outside the estimate entirely, and whatever you pay anyone who helps you prepare a paper application.

Everything below describes how the published framework is structured; it is general reference material rather than advice about your own circumstances, and since charges and eligibility change, the figures behind any personal budget should be confirmed against the Department's current published fees and the current Visa Pricing Estimator.

What does the government side of a Subclass 115 application actually consist of?

One application produces two government payments. You pay the first instalment when you apply, and the second instalment only when the Department asks for it. Concessions are available but only in limited circumstances, and there is an extra charge for each family member who applies with you — which means the size of your family unit on the day you lodge changes the price, not just the primary applicant's circumstances.

Family composition also changes the non-government side of the budget, because family members who apply for the visa with you must meet health and character requirements, and even family members who are not migrating may have to meet them. Adding someone later is possible before a decision is made, but that converts into another charge and potentially another set of checks.

How does the two-instalment split shape a realistic budget?

The second instalment is invoiced at a later point: the Department sends the invoice for it after you have met all other requirements for the visa, and the visa cannot be granted unless that instalment is paid. In budget terms this is a deferred liability: it is not due when you pay everything else, but it is unavoidable, it arrives after the health and character stage rather than alongside it, and refusing or missing it ends the application without a grant.

There is no staged pricing schedule published on the listing page, so the only way to see your own figure is the estimator tool, and that tool covers the first instalment only.

Which costs does the official estimator leave out?

The Department lists them directly on the visa page: health checks, police certificates and biometrics. None of these appear in the estimator's output, none have an amount published on the Subclass 115 page, and each one can apply to more than one person in the family unit. Two further items deserve a line in any budget that is meant to be complete —certified copies and courier costs for what is a paper-only lodgement posted to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, and an assurance of support if the Department asks for one later.

Budget line	Priced by the Visa Pricing Estimator?	When it falls due
Base visa application charge for the main applicant	Yes	At lodgement, as part of the first instalment
Extra charge for each family member applying with you	Yes, within the same application charge	At lodgement, as part of the first instalment
Second instalment	No	On invoice, after all other requirements are met
Health examinations	No	Only if and when the Department tells you they are needed
Police certificates	No	Only after the Department asks you for them
Biometrics (fingerprints and photo)	No	Only if requested
Assurance of support	No	When asked for
Certified copies and postage or courier of the paper application	No	At lodgement

When do health checks, police certificates and biometrics actually have to be paid for?

Later than most applicants assume, and only on request. The Department says it will let you know if health examinations are needed, it might ask for biometrics and will tell you if it does, and on police certificates the instruction is explicit: do not arrange them until asked to. Those costs are real and they are yours to carry, but paying them early buys nothing and can even waste money if the certificate expires before it is used.

Suppose an applicant arranges police certificates for a multi-country history at their own initiative months before lodging. Nothing in the process rewards that; the requests arrive on the Department's timetable, not the applicant's, and each certificate has a working life that may have run down by the time it is actually requested.

Where does a migration agent's quote fit?

Separately from the government charge, and only some people can help you with your application: the Department's step-by-step guide states that anyone you appoint to give you immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person, while anyone at all can be appointed merely to receive documents on your behalf. Two different forms record those roles — Form 956 appoints someone who provides immigration assistance, while Form 956A appoints or withdraws an authorised recipient.

That distinction matters when you compare quotes, because two figures that look different may cover different work. One may cover only assistance with the form and documents; another may also act as the recipient of correspondence. Ask any quote to separate the government instalments from the professional fee line so the two are not mixed, and treat help given by someone outside those three categories as a warning sign rather than a bargain.

What payment rules can invalidate a paper application?

Subclass 115 is lodged on paper, on Form 47OF, with the sponsor completing Form 40, and neither the payment nor the lodgement can be done in person. The Department's instructions for this visa are that the first instalment must be paid before the application is submitted, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and that evidence of payment goes in with the application itself.

Two ways of losing money follow from that. If any part of the lodgement steps is incomplete, the application may be invalid, and invalid applications are not processed — the Department notifies you and returns the application if requested. Separately, if the correct visa application charge is not paid, the Department cannot process the application at all. After lodgement you can import the application into ImmiAccount using the acknowledgement letter to manage documents and messages, including later requests for health exams or further information.

What happens to the money if the visa is refused?

There is no refund of the application fee if the application is refused. That applies whether the decision turns on identity documents, health, character, relationship evidence or sponsorship eligibility, and it makes document quality a budget issue rather than only a legal one: the cost of getting evidence right the first time is smaller than a government charge that cannot be recovered.

Do Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants pay less from 1 July 2026?

Yes, for eligible applicants. From 1 July 2026 a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, and family members are also eligible for the lower charge. Eligibility is based on the passport of the primary applicant or visa holder who satisfies the primary criteria, and the reduced charge is applied during the application process in ImmiAccount, where the Department recognises eligible applicants by a valid passport from one of these countries:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

How long does the budget need to stay open?

Long enough that a fixed savings plan is the wrong instrument. The Department states demand for Other Family visas is greater than the number of places available each year, that processing times can be lengthy as a result, and that applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing. Only the global visa processing times tool gives an indication, and it reflects recently decided applications as a guide rather than predicting an individual case.

Two timing items then convert into money. Once granted, you must enter Australia before the date in the grant letter, generally set at 12 months from grant — so travel has to be affordable within that window. And newly arrived residents may have to wait before accessing certain Australian Government payments and benefits, even though enrolment in Medicare's public healthcare scheme is available, which is worth carrying as a contingency in any post-arrival budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Visa Pricing Estimator show everything I will pay for a Subclass 115 visa?

No. The Department states the estimator does not consider the second instalment or other costs, so its figure covers the first instalment only. The second instalment, health checks, police certificates, biometrics and any professional assistance fees all sit outside the estimate.

When should police certificates be arranged?

Only after the Department asks for them. Its instruction on the Subclass 115 step-by-step page is explicit: do not arrange police certificates until asked, because the request arrives late in processing and certificates arranged early may no longer be usable.

Is the application fee refunded if the Subclass 115 visa is refused?

No. The Department states it will not refund the application fee if the application is refused, and it will notify you in writing of the refusal reasons and of whether there is a right to review the decision. Payments already made for health checks or certificates are separate and are not recovered either.

Who is legally allowed to charge for help with a Subclass 115 application?

According to the Department, only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may give immigration assistance. Anyone can be appointed to receive documents on your behalf, which is a different role recorded on a different form — Form 956A rather than Form 956.

Do Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants pay less from 1 July 2026?

Yes, eligible citizens of the listed Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste receive a lower visa application cost on a valid application; the lower VAC is charged during the application process in ImmiAccount. Eligibility is determined by the primary applicant's valid passport and extends to family members in the same application.

Can the Subclass 115 fee be paid in person?

No. The Department states you cannot pay for this visa in person, and you cannot submit it in person either. The first instalment is paid using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount before submission, and evidence of payment is included with the paper Form 47OF lodgement.

What happens if I do not pay the second instalment?

The visa cannot be granted. The Department issues an invoice for the second instalment after you have met all other requirements, and payment is mandatory before a grant can be made, so the money has to remain available long after lodgement.

References

• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 115)
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Visa Pricing Estimator (Subclass 115)
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Visa fees and charges
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — ImmiAccount login
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Global visa processing times
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Other Family visas queue release dates
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Reports on Migration Programs
• Services Australia — Assurance of support