870 visa second instalment deadlines in 2026: 28 days vs 70 days

The two deadlines are real, and they are not the same number: on the Department's own procedures guidance, an applicant who is in Australia when payment is requested has 28 days, while an applicant outside Australia has 70 days. Miss whichever applies and the outcome on the official page is blunt — "If you do not pay the invoice, we will refuse your application." This answer draws on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870) page and its step-by-step material as at August 2026, together with the Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) guidance.

What happens if the second instalment is not paid?

Refusal. The official page states that you must pay a second instalment before the visa can be granted, that the Department sends you an invoice when it is due, and that non-payment results in refusal of the application.

That refusal is not accompanied by a refund. The same official page says the Department will not refund the application fee if it refuses your application, so both instalments already paid are lost.

How does the 870 visa two-part payment work?

The 870 is charged in two parts, described as instalments. You pay the first instalment when you apply, and the official page is explicit that the Department will not process the application until that first payment is received.

The second instalment comes later, only when the Department asks for it. PAM3 describes the sequence in which the first instalment belongs to making a valid application, assessment of the substantive criteria follows, and only then is the second instalment requested, with payment within the prescribed period preceding grant.

Why do people talk about 28 days and 70 days?

Because PAM3 sets out two different periods depending on location. This is the split that catches applicants out, particularly families who assume a single "deadline" applies to everyone.

Location at the time payment is requested	Period in PAM3 guidance	Consequence recorded
Applicant is in Australia	28 days	A decision maker may refuse if payment is not received within the prescribed period
Applicant is outside Australia	70 days	Same — the officer may proceed to a decision without waiting further

Two cautions belong with that table. First, the public visa page does not restate those day counts; it only says an invoice will be sent when due and that non-payment brings refusal, so treat the 28- and 70-day figures as guidance-based and confirm them against the official page current at the time you pay. Second, PAM3 itself warns that its policy content carries no legal force and that a decision maker may depart from it on the facts of an individual case — which is a reason to treat every invoice date as binding, not a reason to expect flexibility.

The applicant's location is also not frozen at lodgement for all purposes. The official page notes that a decision can be made while you are in or outside Australia, provided you are not in immigration clearance, so it is the moment the second payment is requested that governs.

When does the 28-day or 70-day clock start?

It starts when the Department requests payment — the invoice described on the official page. Nothing in that public page fixes the request to any week or month of processing, and the Department's published service for this visa is a processing-time guide based on recently decided applications, described as a guide only and not specific to your case.

Practically, that makes the invoice itself the operative document. Everything before it is waiting; everything after it is a hard count.

What costs sit outside the two instalments?

Quite a lot, and none of them pause the payment clock. The official page lists separate costs you may need to meet for health checks, police certificates and biometrics, and points out that its Visa Pricing Estimator does not factor in either the second instalment or those other costs. A separate intention-to-stay requirement — that you genuinely intend to stay temporarily — sits alongside this, and health insurance arrangements form part of the criteria set out in the Migration Regulations 1994.

There is also no work right attached to the visa. The official page states that you cannot work in Australia while you hold it, so the instalments and living costs have to be funded from outside.

How do you avoid a refusal over the second instalment?

The failure mode is rarely an argument about the law. It is an expired counting period, an unseen invoice, or unbudgeted money. The published steps that address it are simple, in this order:

Pay the first instalment at lodgement, because the official page says the application will not be processed until you do.

Check ImmiAccount regularly for messages and requests, because the page says the Department will not give progress updates within normal processing times.

Keep enough money available before the invoice arrives, since the second request follows assessment rather than a published schedule.

Update your details promptly if your phone number, email, address or passport changes, which the official page lists as changes you must notify.

Attach any further documents requested via ImmiAccount, including later health or biometrics requests.

Notify mistakes on the application using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, the form named on the page for that purpose.

Is withdrawing better than missing payment?

It does not solve the money question. The official page allows withdrawal at any time before the decision, done in writing and attached to your application in ImmiAccount, but states plainly that the visa application fee is not refunded if you withdraw.

The comparison therefore runs between two non-refundable endings: a refusal for non-payment, or a withdrawal that leaves the Department to stop work. Neither returns the payments already made, and nothing in the official page describes any partial refund pathway, so the current official wording governs.

Can anyone charge you for help with this payment?

Only some people can be appointed to give immigration assistance on an Australian visa application. The official page limits that role to a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person, with separate forms for each function: Form 956 to appoint someone to give immigration assistance, and Form 956A to appoint an authorised recipient for correspondence. Anyone can be appointed merely to receive documents.

This article describes published requirements only and is general information rather than an assessment of any individual application; for a specific case, rely on the official material as currently published and on assistance from someone in the categories above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 870 second instalment deadline 28 days or 70 days?

Both exist, and which one applies depends on where you are when the Department requests payment. PAM3 guidance records 28 days for applicants in Australia and 70 days for applicants outside Australia, with refusal available to the decision maker if payment does not arrive within the applicable period.

What actually happens if I miss the invoice?

The Department may refuse the application rather than grant it. The official page states that the visa will not be granted until the second instalment is paid and will be refused if the invoice is not paid.

Do I get my money back if the application is refused?

No. The official page states that the Department will not refund the application fee if it refuses your application, so instalments already paid are not returned.

Can I withdraw instead and recover the fee?

Withdrawal is permitted at any time before the decision, made in writing and attached to your application in ImmiAccount. However, the official page states that the visa application fee is not refunded on withdrawal either.

Does the Visa Pricing Estimator show what I owe in total?

No. The Department's own page notes that the estimator for this visa does not consider the second instalment or other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics, so it cannot be used to budget the full amount.

Where does the Department publish the exact amount of each instalment?

The amount payable depends on the visa length applied for, and concessions apply in limited circumstances. Check the official Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 870) page and the Visa Pricing Estimator for the figure that applies at your date of payment.

Can I work in Australia to help cover the instalments?

No. The official page states that you cannot work in Australia while holding this visa, so both instalments and your living costs must be funded from other sources.