Notifying Change of Circumstances After Lodging Subclass 835 in 2026

Yes — once your Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 835) application is lodged, you are expected to tell the Australian Department of Home Affairs about specified changes rather than wait to be asked. The Department's official "Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 835)" page sets out the changes that must be reported after you apply: changes to your phone number, email, address or passport; changes to your marital or de facto status; the birth of a child; your wish to withdraw the application; and situations where you have experienced domestic or family violence. The Department points applicants to its own "change in situation" process for how to send that notification.

Why does a change of circumstances matter for a Subclass 835 decision?

Because Subclass 835 is assessed twice: at the time you apply, and again at the time the Department decides. The Migration Act 1958 carries a general duty to notify the Department of changes in circumstances after an application is made, and the Migration Regulations 1994 contain time-of-decision criteria for this visa — the main applicant must still satisfy the "remaining relative" requirement at decision (clause 835.221), and a secondary applicant must still be a member of the family unit of a main applicant who has been granted the visa, or fall within the family violence exception (clause 835.321). The Department's PAM3 guidance material describes the same point in practical terms: the decision maker needs to be satisfied that nothing material has changed between lodgement and decision.

That matters more for Subclass 835 than for many other visas because the central test is about family composition, not about a job or a course. A birth, a marriage, a separation or a death can change who counts as a near relative under regulation 1.15, and can change whether a person listed on the form is still a member of the family unit. If the Department decides on the file as it stood at lodgement, the decision may not match your actual circumstances.

Regulation and clause numbers should be read against the current text of the Migration Regulations 1994, since provisions are amended over time.

What exactly has to be reported, and through which channel?

Change after lodgement	What the official material says to do
Phone number, email, address or passport	Notify the Department through its change-in-situation process; if your application is in ImmiAccount, you can also update your details online
Marital or de facto status	Notify the Department through its change-in-situation process; the official page does not specify which supporting documents to send with this notification
Birth of a child	Notify the Department and provide identity and relationship documents for the child
You want to withdraw	Use the withdraw function in ImmiAccount, or follow the Department's change-in-situation process for telling it you want to withdraw
Domestic or family violence	Follow the Department's family violence provisions material
A mistake already made on the form	Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers
Change of authorised recipient	Complete Form 956A
Change of migration agent or legal practitioner	Complete Form 956

Treat this as general information about published requirements rather than personalised advice on your own case; where your situation is unusual, the current official wording and a registered migration agent or legal practitioner are the safer reference points.

How do you actually send the notification?

If you have imported your paper application into ImmiAccount, you can upload documents, view messages, update your details, check your application status and withdraw the application online. Importing is done after you receive your acknowledgement letter, using your application ID, date of birth and identity document number.

Start with the acknowledgement-of-receival letter that the Department sends after lodgement.

Then create or log in to an ImmiAccount.

Then enter your application ID, date of birth and passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number to import the application.

Then upload the completed form or supporting documents against the application.

If you cannot use ImmiAccount, that fallback applies to additional documents and to completed Forms 1023, 956A and 956, which are attached to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form; for other changes, follow the Department's change-in-situation process.

Does a new child get added automatically?

No. The birth of a child is listed as a change you must tell the Department about, and the child has to be supported by documents in the same way as any other dependant — identity documents, proof of the relationship such as a birth certificate, and character documents where applicable. PAM3 material adds that a new family member generally has to be brought within the application under regulation 2.08 or 2.08A rather than assumed into it, and that Subclass 835 applies a "one refusal, all refused" approach to public interest criteria, so an unreported child can affect the whole file rather than only their own.

Assume an applicant's child is born six months after lodgement and nothing is sent to the Department. The decision maker has no birth certificate, no identity documents and no health or character information for that child, and the family-unit assessment proceeds without them.

Do you have to tell the Department about travel while your application is processed?

Yes. The Department states that you must be in Australia when it decides the application, and that you should tell it if you want to travel outside Australia while the application is being processed. If you leave, you need a valid visa to return. The official page also warns applicants not to cancel their current visa, because doing so would leave them unlawful in Australia and ineligible for a bridging visa.

What happens if you do not notify?

The risk is not a penalty notice so much as a decision made on stale information. The Department says it does not provide progress updates within normal processing times and will contact you only if something further is needed, so the initiative sits with the applicant. If the application is refused, the official page states the application fee is not refunded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a fixed number of days to notify a change?

The official Subclass 835 page does not set a specific notification deadline; it asks you to tell the Department about listed changes and, in the case of mistakes on the form, to let it know as soon as you can. The practical approach is to notify promptly rather than to wait for a request, and to check the current official wording for any deadline that applies.

Do I really need to report just a new phone number?

Yes. Contact details are on the Department's list of changes to report, because written decisions, requests for further information and second-instalment invoices are sent to the contact details on file. Losing access to an old email address can mean missing a request entirely.

Does divorce or separation affect a Subclass 835 application?

It can. A change in marital or de facto status is specifically listed as notifiable, and the underlying test depends on who your near relatives are and where they live, so a change in relationships can shift the assessment at the time of decision.

Can my migration agent notify the Department for me?

An authorised recipient can receive documents and correspondence on your behalf, using Form 956A, and a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person can be appointed to provide immigration assistance using Form 956. These are the only categories of person the Department says may be appointed to give you immigration assistance.

How do I withdraw a Subclass 835 application?

Withdrawal is one of the changes listed on the official page, and ImmiAccount includes a withdraw function for imported applications. If you cannot use ImmiAccount, follow the Department's change-in-situation process; the official page states the application fee is not refunded where the application is refused.

Does the duty to report stop once the visa is granted?

No. The Department's guidance for holders of this visa also directs them to its change-in-situation material. Subclass 835 is a permanent visa, and reporting obligations continue to be tied to the Department's published process rather than ending at grant.