When is a second instalment charged on a Subclass 202 visa in 2026?

A second instalment on a Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202) is not charged when you lodge. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Global Special Humanitarian visa (Subclass 202) official page, an invoice is sent only after you have met all other requirements for the visa, and you pay once that invoice reaches you. The same page tells applicants not to ask for it. Details below reflect the official page as at August 2026.

What actually triggers a second instalment?

The trigger is the Department's own assessment, not a date on the calendar and not a form you file. The official page frames the charge conditionally — if you need to pay a second instalment, the invoice follows once every other requirement has been satisfied.

In practice, that means the instalment sits at the end of a long sequence rather than at the start:

the proposal is submitted in ImmiAccount and you lodge within 60 days of it, using the transaction reference number (TRN) your proposer gives you
identity, humanitarian circumstances, relationship, character and any partner or dependant documents are assessed
health examinations, biometrics and an interview are requested only if the Department needs them, and it tells you when it does
further information or documents may be asked for along the way

Only after that chain is complete does the invoice question arise. Because humanitarian applications are processed in priority groups and the Department states it cannot expedite applications outside those priorities, the point at which "all other requirements" are met varies from case to case.

When does the invoice arrive, and what should you do in the meantime?

After the requirements above are settled, not before. The official page gives no fixed number of days or weeks, and it also states plainly that the Department does not give processing updates and that applicants should wait to be contacted.

What that means for you while you wait:

Do not pay anything toward a second instalment before an invoice exists. There is no account to pay into at that stage, and an early payment has no effect on your place in the queue.
Do not request the invoice. The page says so explicitly. Asking does not move the application forward, since humanitarian cases are not accelerated on request.
Keep your contact details current. Changes to phone number, email, address or passport must be passed on after you apply, along with changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, or a decision to withdraw. An invoice or a request for documents sent to an old address is a problem you create for yourself.
Answer requests promptly. Missing health exams, biometrics, an interview or a document request lengthens the process, and the page lists incomplete forms, missing documents and slow verification as the reasons applications take longer.

Is a second instalment the same as the application charge?

No, and the Subclass 202 visa is unusual on the first point. The official page states there is no visa application charge for this visa, unless you are proposed under the Community Support Program (CSP) by an Approved Proposing Organisation. So for most applicants there is nothing to pay at lodgement at all, and the second instalment — where one arises — is a separate, later step.

The page does not publish an amount for the second instalment, and it does not say which applicants owe one. The invoice is the notice. Any figure quoted by a third party should be checked against the Department's latest published information.

Is the second instalment the same as my travel costs?

Also no. Travel sits on a different footing entirely: you and your proposer are responsible for paying for your travel to Australia. Toll Remote Logistics Pty Ltd (Toll) is the Department's Assisted Passage service provider and can help with booking flights, obtaining exit permits and issuing your Australian Migration Status (AMS) ImmiCard; the International Organization for Migration (IOM) may also assist with travel under its own arrangements. Help with booking is not the same as the government paying the fare, and neither Toll's assistance nor IOM's help is the second instalment.

One related rule is worth holding onto: do not arrange travel to Australia until the Department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted.

What happens after the instalment is paid?

Payment does not itself grant the visa. The decision comes separately, in writing, and you must be outside Australia when it is made. If the visa is granted, the notification sets out your visa grant number, the date the visa starts and any conditions; the grant letter also specifies a first entry arrival date (initial arrival date), and you must enter Australia before it passes. Travel to and from Australia is then available for 5 years from the grant date, after which a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) is needed to re-enter.

Suppose an applicant pays a second instalment and is later refused. The two things are independent: the instalment is a step in processing, while the outcome depends on whether the visa criteria are met. The Department notes that each year it receives more applications for resettlement than there are places available, that the decision process may take many years, and that most applications are unsuccessful.

This article describes how the published process reads and is general information only — it is not advice tailored to any individual application, and amounts, conditions and current settings should be confirmed against the Department's latest published page or with a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every Subclass 202 applicant have to pay a second instalment?

The official page does not say that everyone does. It uses conditional wording — if you need to pay a second instalment, an invoice is sent after all other requirements are met — so the only reliable confirmation is whether an invoice is issued to you.

When exactly will I be asked to pay?

Only after you have met all other requirements for the visa, which in practice means after health, character, identity and documentary checks are finished. The page gives no fixed timeline and states that the Department does not provide processing updates.

Can I pay early to make my application faster?

No. You are told to pay after you receive the invoice and not to ask for it, and humanitarian applications are processed by priority group rather than in response to payment or requests.

How much is the second instalment?

The official page does not publish an amount, and it records no visa application charge for this visa except where an applicant is proposed under the Community Support Program by an Approved Proposing Organisation. Treat the invoice as the authoritative figure.

Does paying the second instalment mean my visa will be granted?

No. The decision is made separately and communicated in writing, and you must be outside Australia at that time. The Department also notes that more applications are received each year than there are places available.

Is the second instalment the same money as my flight ticket?

No. Travel to Australia is paid by you or your proposer. Toll, as the Assisted Passage provider, can help arrange flights, exit permits and your AMS ImmiCard, and IOM may also assist, but that assistance is not the government covering the fare.