Subclass 602 onshore applications: Form 1507, BVB and staying lawful (2026)

Yes — you can lodge a Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602) application while you are in Australia, and three things follow from that choice: if you do not hold a substantive visa you must also complete Form 1507 Evidence of intended medical treatment, you must tell the Department if you want to travel while the application is processed and you might be eligible for a Bridging visa B if you applied in Australia and hold a Bridging visa A, and you must remain lawful and be in Australia at the moment of grant. This reflects the Department of Home Affairs official page for the Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602) as of August 2026, together with the Migration Regulations 1994 and the department's procedures guidance.

This article is general information about those published requirements, not personalised professional advice; rely on the current official page for your own circumstances.

What changes when you apply from inside Australia?

Location fixes two things: where you must be when the visa is granted, and whether a fee is charged.

The official page states that you can be in or outside Australia when you apply, but at the time of grant you must be in Australia if you applied in Australia — and outside Australia if you applied outside. Someone who lodges onshore and then leaves without a bridging visa that permits return cannot be granted the visa while offshore.

The fee follows the same line. The visa is free if you apply outside Australia; the onshore application is chargeable, with concessions available in limited circumstances, and it is free if you represent a foreign government. The published page refers applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator for the amount to pay rather than quoting one in the visa description, and it separately warns that health checks, police certificates and biometrics may cost extra.

When exactly is Form 1507 triggered?

Form 1507 is triggered by two conditions that must both be true: you are applying in Australia, and you do not hold a substantive visa.

"Substantive visa" is defined by exclusion on the official page. A bridging visa, a criminal justice visa and an enforcement visa are not substantive visas. So if the only visa you currently hold is a Bridging visa A, you fall inside the Form 1507 requirement; if you still hold, say, a visitor or student visa, you do not.

What you hold when lodging onshore	Form 1507
A substantive visa (any visa other than bridging, criminal justice or enforcement)	Not required on this ground
A Bridging visa A, other bridging visa, criminal justice visa or enforcement visa — i.e. no substantive visa	Required
No visa at all	Required

Form 1507 sits alongside, not instead of, the treating doctor's letter. For a medical treatment or organ donation application the official page asks for a letter from your treating doctor in Australia setting out your medical condition, the treatment that will be required, an estimate of the timeframe, and an estimate of the cost involved.

Who can lawfully be paid to prepare and lodge it?

Only some people can give immigration assistance for a fee. The official page limits this to a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. Anyone at all can be appointed simply to receive documents on your behalf.

The distinction is made on forms. Use Form 956 to appoint someone who provides immigration assistance, and Form 956A to appoint or withdraw an authorised recipient for correspondence. Both are uploaded to ImmiAccount. If a person is only receiving your mail, appointing them under Form 956 misdescribes what they are doing, and if someone is giving assistance without being registered, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, the arrangement is outside what the official page permits.

Can I still lodge on paper with Form 48ME?

Online is the route the official page sets out: log in or create an ImmiAccount, select the Medical Treatment visa, complete the application and attach documents.

Paper is the exception. The department's procedures guidance (PAM3) describes Form 48ME as available only where an authorised officer has approved paper lodgement, and it references legislative instrument LIN 19/046 for that permission.

How do I stay lawful while the application is decided?

The rule is stated plainly: if you are in Australia, you must stay lawful by holding a valid visa while the application is processed.

The timing matters more than the paperwork. The official page warns not to let your current visa expire before you apply. If it does, you will be in Australia unlawfully, and you might not be eligible for a Bridging visa A — which is the visa that later makes travel possible. In practice this means the lodging decision has to be made while you still hold something, not after it has ceased.

Can I travel while waiting, and how does a Bridging visa B work?

You must tell the department if you want to travel outside Australia while an onshore application is being processed.

You might be eligible for a Bridging visa B if you applied in Australia and you hold a Bridging visa A. A Bridging visa B is what allows you to return to Australia after leaving. There is no travel window without it: leaving on a Bridging visa A alone ends the bridging arrangement, and because an onshore application must be granted while you are in Australia, departing without a Bridging visa B puts the grant itself at risk.

Situation	Result
Applied onshore, hold BVA, granted BVB, travel and return within the BVB travel period	Can return and still be onshore for grant
Applied onshore, hold BVA, leave without a BVB	No return on that bridging visa; onshore grant condition cannot be met
Visa expired before lodging	Unlawful; may not be eligible for a BVA, so no BVB pathway

What evidence does the onshore file need to be complete?

The onshore evidence bundle is the same as the general one, with Form 1507 added where it is triggered. The official page asks for as much supporting information as possible, including English translations, and warns that the department may decide the application without requesting further information.

Core items are:

Identity — the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if you have one; and proof of name change where applicable.
Medical — the treating doctor's letter covering condition, treatment, timeframe and cost, plus Form 1507 where the onshore/no-substantive-visa trigger applies.
Financial — proof of access to enough money to pay for treatment and to support yourself and anyone coming with you, including letters from Australians supporting your stay and a letter from the treating doctor or hospital confirming they are satisfied with payment arrangements.
Public hospital cases — the payment letter must come from the hospital's financial officer or administration department and must confirm that no Australian will be disadvantaged in accessing medical services as a result of your treatment.
Under 18 — a birth certificate showing both parents' names, or an alternative listed identity document, proof of legal guardianship where someone other than a biological parent holds it, consent via Form 1229 or a statutory declaration, and Form 1257 if you are not staying with a relative or legal guardian.

Health examinations, biometrics and police certificates are handled on request: the department tells you if they are needed, and anything you did not attach at lodgement should be added in ImmiAccount as soon as you can.

Other onshore-specific limits worth checking first

Three limits attach specifically to onshore applicants and are reflected in the Migration Regulations 1994 and the department's procedures guidance.

First, a "no further stay" condition — 8503, 8534, 8535 or 8540 — is treated as a bar that has to be waived before the application can be made, not after. Second, an onshore applicant whose current or most recently held substantive visa was a subclass 403 in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) category cannot meet the primary criteria, unless the applicant is seeking to satisfy the "cannot depart" category in 602.212(6). Third, an application made in Australia cannot be for the purpose of beginning, continuing or completing study or training, although this limit does not apply to applicants in the 602.212(6), (7) or (8) categories.

These come from the regulations and internal guidance rather than the public visa page, so the current official text should be treated as authoritative on their wording and effect.

Finally, keep the record straight after lodgement: correct mistakes through the "Notification of incorrect answer(s)" function in ImmiAccount, and report changes such as a new address, passport or relationship status before a decision is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Form 1507 if I am only holding a Bridging visa A?

Yes. A bridging visa is not a substantive visa, so an onshore applicant who holds only a Bridging visa A meets both Form 1507 conditions: applying in Australia and holding no substantive visa. Form 1507 is additional to the treating doctor's letter, not a substitute for it.

Can the visa be granted while I am outside Australia if I applied onshore?

No. The official page states that if you applied in Australia you must be in Australia when the visa is granted, and if you applied outside you must be outside. Leaving Australia during processing without a Bridging visa B therefore puts the grant at risk.

How do I travel while my onshore subclass 602 application is being processed?

Tell the department that you intend to travel. You might be eligible for a Bridging visa B if you applied in Australia and hold a Bridging visa A, and a Bridging visa B is what allows you to return. Travelling on a Bridging visa A alone does not preserve your ability to re-enter.

What happens if my current visa expires before I lodge?

You will be in Australia unlawfully, and you might not be eligible for a Bridging visa A. Because a Bridging visa B depends on holding a Bridging visa A, letting the visa lapse before lodging can also remove the later travel option, so the application has to be lodged while a valid visa is still held.

Is the subclass 602 free if I apply in Australia?

No, the onshore application is chargeable, although concessions apply in limited circumstances and the visa is free if you represent a foreign government. The official page directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator for the amount, and notes that health checks, police certificates and biometrics may add costs.

Can a friend be paid to prepare and lodge my application for me?

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person can give immigration assistance. Anyone can be appointed to receive correspondence on your behalf, which is done with Form 956A, while paid assistance is appointed with Form 956.

Can I lodge the application on paper instead of online?

The official page sets out an online route through ImmiAccount. The department's procedures guidance describes paper lodgement on Form 48ME as available only where an authorised officer has approved it, and that guidance is subject to change, so the current official page governs how you lodge.