Subclass 802 fees in 2026: assurance of support and why the charge is not refunded on refusal

The application charge for a Child visa (Subclass 802) is lost if the visa is refused. The Department of Home Affairs says so without qualification in the visa outcome step of its official Child visa (Subclass 802) page, as at August 2026: "We will not refund the application charge if we refuse the application." For an agent running files, that sentence moves the whole question from "how much" to "what has to be true before the money is spent", because one route to refusal sits outside the parent–child evidence entirely: under clause 802.222 of the Migration Regulations 1994, where an assurance of support is required, it must have been accepted by the Department of Social Services. This article is general information only and not advice tailored to an individual case; figures, requirements and practice change, and anything relied on should be checked against the Department's latest published instructions or with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.

Is the Subclass 802 application charge refunded if the visa is refused?

No. The same page that sets out the grant details (visa grant number, start date, conditions) sets out the refusal details: reasons for refusal, any review rights, and the statement that the application charge will not be refunded. The charge is a lodgement cost, not a payment for a favourable outcome, and the consequence sits entirely with the applicant.

Two adjacent rules are worth separating, because they are often conflated in client conversations. If the correct charge is not paid, the Department cannot process the application at all; it will contact you and may return the application. That is a failure at the door, before assessment. Refusal is different: the file is assessed, found wanting on at least one criterion, and decided against you — with no money back. "You do not make full payment at the time of initial lodgement" is also listed among the reasons processing may take longer.

Since there is no financial downside to the Department in refusing a weak case, the gatekeeping work has to happen before submission. The practical question for an agent is not whether the client can pay, but whether every time-of-decision criterion can be met now and kept satisfied while the file sits in the queue.

What does the charge actually cover, and where is the current figure published?

The visa page does not print a fixed amount. Instead, it refers applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator, and it warns that the estimator result excludes several other costs that the family will also bear.

Cost component	What the official page states
Main applicant	No fixed amount published on the page; the amount is worked out using the Visa Pricing Estimator
Each dependent child applying with the main applicant	A separate charge applies
Health examinations	An additional cost, not reflected in the estimator result
Police certificates	An additional cost, not reflected in the estimator result
Biometrics	An additional cost, not reflected in the estimator result

Payment mechanics matter here because this subclass is paper-based. Applicants complete Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia) in English, pay through the online payment portal in ImmiAccount before the application is submitted, and include evidence of payment with the paper application. Applications cannot be lodged in person; they go by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address on the form.

If any of those steps are incomplete, the official page warns the application may be invalid, and invalid applications are not processed — notification follows, and the application may be returned if requested.

Who pays a reduced charge from 1 July 2026?

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application. The Department applies the lower amount during the application process and identifies eligible applicants by a valid passport issued by one of the specified countries. Family members are also eligible for the lower cost, based on the passport of the primary applicant (or the visa holder who satisfies the primary criteria). The listed countries are:

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

For a mixed-nationality family, this is worth checking early, because eligibility keys off the primary applicant's passport rather than off individual family members' circumstances.

When is an assurance of support required?

An assurance of support is not a standard line item for every Subclass 802 case. The regulatory structure is conditional: clause 802.222 operates only where the Minister requires one. The requirement is discretionary, operating only where the Minister requires one, so an assurance of support is provided once it is requested rather than submitted proactively at lodgement. Where a request covers the main applicant, accompanying family members are expected to provide one correspondingly. Both points should be confirmed against the current PAM3 guidance and the Department's latest published instructions before the file is lodged.

One structural exception deserves a flag. Where an application is supported by a letter of support from a State or Territory government welfare authority, clause 802.226A sets out that the decision-time clauses from 802.221 to 802.226 — a range that includes the assurance of support requirement — need not be satisfied, with specific health and public interest criteria substituted in their place. That track (sometimes described as the vulnerable-child track) is a different assessment path, not merely a different document set, and an agent should confirm which path the case is on before advising whether an assurance of support will ever be asked for.

Who must accept the assurance of support, and what happens if it is not accepted?

Acceptance sits with the Department of Social Services, not with Home Affairs. That separation is a common source of delay: the migration decision-maker does not accept the assurance itself, and obtaining acceptance involves a process outside the visa pipeline.

Because 802.222 is a criterion to be satisfied at the time of decision, an unresolved assurance is fatal to the file if one was required. Refusal on this ground is a recognised outcome for this visa: an assurance of support that was requested but not provided, or not accepted. And refusal flows straight back to the no-refund rule: a case refused on this ground loses the whole charge exactly as a case refused on dependency or character does.

Do not confuse it with sponsorship. Sponsorship for this subclass runs through Form 40CH, and clause 802.226 requires that the sponsorship has been approved and is still in effect at decision. Assurance of support and sponsorship are parallel obligations, and satisfying one does not discharge the other.

How should the no-refund rule shape the work before lodgement?

Assume the money will not come back, and build the file backwards from that. The items the official page makes load-bearing:

• Location at both ends. The child must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when the application is submitted and when the decision is made. A child cannot apply if they are in Australia on a visa carrying a "no further stay" condition.
• Correct payment lodged upfront, with evidence included in the paper application. Underpayment risks the application being returned rather than assessed.
• Complete documents in one pass. The page lists relationship evidence (birth certificate, marriage certificate, or officially issued family status certificate or family book), adoption documents where relevant, certified copies of the passports used to enter Australia, and four recent 45mm x 35mm photographs of the child and any included dependent child.
• Dependency evidence for an applicant over 18 at the time of application: evidence the child depends on the parent for food, shelter and clothing, and how long that support has been provided — bank statements, money transfers, rent receipts.
• Track the acknowledgement. The Department indicates you should receive acknowledgement of the application (and advice about any associated bridging visa) within approximately one month of lodgement; silence past that window is a signal to chase the file.
• Fix mistakes formally. Incorrect answers should be notified using Form 1023.

Imagine an applicant whose file is otherwise strong but who has not started chasing acceptance of an assurance of support three months after receiving the request. Nothing else in that application rescues it at decision — the criterion is unmet, refusal follows, and the charge is gone. The failure there is procedural rather than substantive, which is precisely why the no-refund rule belongs in the pre-lodgement checklist rather than in the post-refusal conversation.

Who is allowed to charge for helping with this application?

Under the same official page, only some people may help with an application: if you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance, that person must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. These three categories are the boundary drawn by the Department, and paid assistance from outside them falls outside that framework. Note the contrast: any person may be appointed to receive documents on your behalf in relation to the visa matter.

Appointments are paper-based here, consistent with the rest of the application. Form 956 appoints a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person to provide immigration assistance; Form 956A appoints or withdraws an authorised recipient for correspondence. Either form is sent with the paper application, and the same forms handle withdrawal later if the arrangement changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Subclass 802 application charge refunded if the visa is refused?

No. The Department of Home Affairs states on its official Child visa (Subclass 802) page that it will not refund the application charge if it refuses the application. The rule applies regardless of the ground on which the application fails.

Who decides whether an assurance of support is needed?

The requirement arises only where the Minister requires one, which is why it is described as discretionary rather than automatic. An assurance of support is therefore provided in response to a specific request rather than lodged unsolicited.

Who has to accept the assurance of support?

It must have been accepted by the Department of Social Services, under clause 802.222 of the Migration Regulations 1994. That acceptance sits outside the Department of Home Affairs' own decision step, so the two are separate time-consuming processes.

What happens if the charge is not paid in full at lodgement?

The Department cannot process the application without the correct visa application charge; it will let you know and may return the application. Paying less than the full amount at initial lodgement is also listed as a reason processing may take longer.

Do dependent children change what the family pays?

Yes. There is a charge for each dependent child who applies for the visa with the main applicant, on top of the main applicant's own charge. Health examinations, police certificates and biometrics are additional costs and are not included in the Visa Pricing Estimator result.

Do Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants pay less in 2026?

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible citizens of a specified list of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste who lodge a valid visa application. Family members also receive the lower cost, based on the primary applicant's valid passport.

Does anyone get review rights after a refusal?

Yes. If the visa is refused, the Department advises why it refused and any review rights that apply; the notification itself sets out the available avenue and the deadline, so it should be read closely the moment it arrives.

References

• Department of Home Affairs — Child visa (Subclass 802)
• Federal Register of Legislation — Migration Regulations 1994