Fixing Mistakes on a Subclass 802 Application in 2026: Form 1023 and withdrawal

If you discover a wrong answer on a Subclass 802 (Child) visa application, the correction runs through Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, and you lodge it either inside ImmiAccount (once the paper application has been imported there) or through the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form if you cannot use ImmiAccount. Withdrawal is handled separately: the Department of Home Affairs lists "withdraw your application" among the services available in ImmiAccount for this visa, and listing a wish to withdraw is also one of the changes the department asks to be told about. This follows the Department of Home Affairs Child visa (Subclass 802) official page, as at August 2026. It is general information about published procedure, not advice on any individual case — the outcome depends on facts the department alone assesses, so check the current official page or get professional advice for your situation.

What counts as a "mistake" on an 802 application, and what does not?

The department separates two situations that applicants often merge into one.

Incorrect answers are things that were already wrong, or became wrong because of what you wrote, at the time the application was lodged. Form 47CH Application for migration to Australia by a child and Form 40CH Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia are long documents, and an error can be as small as a mistyped passport number or as consequential as a wrongly answered relationship, dependency or character question. The department's instruction for this is short: let us know as soon as you can, and complete Form 1023.

Changes in circumstances are things that were correct when lodged and changed afterwards. The department lists these separately, including changes to the child's phone number, address or passport, changes to relationship status, the child being over 18 and stopping full-time study or starting full-time work, the birth of a child, and wanting to withdraw the application. Those go through the change-in-situation process rather than Form 1023.

The distinction matters practically: for an adult child whose eligibility depends on dependency and full-time study, a study status that changes after lodgement is a change to report, whereas a study history that was described inaccurately in the form is an incorrect answer for Form 1023.

Does a mistake make the application invalid instead?

Not usually — invalidity is a different and narrower problem. The department states that if any of the lodgement steps are incomplete, the application may be invalid, that invalid applications are not processed, and that it will notify the applicant and may return the application if requested. It also states it cannot process the application if the correct visa application charge is not paid.

So a misspelled name does not by itself make the paperwork invalid in the sense used on that page; an application that is not paid in full, or a package missing required forms or documents, can be. Form 1023 is the tool for the first kind of problem. Either way, the published guidance also notes that the application might take longer to process if it is not filled in correctly, does not include all required documents, needs further verification, or was not paid in full at lodgement — a reason to fix errors early rather than wait for a case officer to find them.

How do you actually lodge Form 1023 for a subclass 802?

Subclass 802 is a paper-only visa: Forms 47CH and 40CH must be completed in English, paid for through the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount before submission, and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. That paper start determines the correction route.

If the application has been imported into ImmiAccount. After submission and once the acknowledgement letter arrives, the paper application can be imported by entering the application ID, date of birth, and identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number). Once imported, the completed Form 1023 can be uploaded in ImmiAccount. Importing also gives access to attaching supporting documents, viewing messages, updating details, viewing status, applying for a bridging visa, and withdrawing the application.

If ImmiAccount is not usable. The department's alternative channel for this visa is to attach the completed form to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form. The same two-channel pattern applies to the other post-lodgement forms discussed below.

Who can submit the correction on the applicant's behalf?

Only some people may give immigration assistance: a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. Anyone at all may be appointed to receive documents on the applicant's behalf.

The appointments are paper-based and are themselves subject to the same lodgement routes:

Form 956 — Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (immigration assistance).
Form 956A — Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (correspondence).

Both can be uploaded in ImmiAccount if the application has been imported; otherwise they go to the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form. Withdrawing an authorised recipient is done on Form 956A, and ending immigration advice arrangements on Form 956.

For an agent-facing practice point: because the child is the applicant, correspondence and assistance appointments are worth checking before a correction is filed, since the department will use the authorised method it has on record when it needs more information.

How is withdrawal different from correcting an answer?

A correction keeps the application alive with accurate information; withdrawal ends it. The department lists withdrawal as one of the services available in ImmiAccount for this visa, and lists "you want to withdraw the application" among the changes to tell it about. The Subclass 802 page does not describe a separate paper form number for withdrawal, and does not describe withdrawal fee outcomes; it states only that the application charge is not refunded where the application is refused. Anyone weighing withdrawal should treat the refund position as unstated on that page and confirm it against current official material before acting.

Two timing points interact with withdrawal:

The child must be in Australia when the decision is made. The department asks to be told if the child needs to travel outside Australia while the application is processed, and warns that the child needs a valid visa to return.
Family members cannot be added after a decision. The child's dependent children can be added at any time before a decision; after a decision, a family member needs their own new visa application. Siblings must lodge separate applications in any event.

What happens after the correction goes in?

The department says it will contact the applicant using the authorised method if it needs more information, and otherwise will contact the applicant with the outcome. It also says it cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times, and points to the visa processing time guide tool for an indication based on recently decided applications — a guide only, not specific to any one application. Acknowledgement of the application, including advice about any associated bridging visa, is stated to arrive within approximately one month of lodgement.

Accuracy carries a separate weight from procedure. The department's guidance on providing accurate information covers what happens if identity cannot be established or false information is provided, and Form 1023 is the mechanism the department gives for putting an incorrect answer right. Using it promptly, with a clear description of what was wrong and what the correct answer is, is the most defensible position an applicant or their representative can be in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which form fixes an incorrect answer on a Subclass 802 application?

Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers is the form the department specifies for mistakes on the application. The instruction on the Subclass 802 page is to let the department know as soon as possible and complete that form. It is used for answers that were wrong when the application was lodged, not for later changes in circumstances.

Can I upload Form 1023 in ImmiAccount if subclass 802 is a paper application?

Yes, but only after importing the paper application into ImmiAccount. Importing needs the application ID, the applicant's date of birth, and the identity document number, and the department says it can be done after the acknowledgement letter arrives. Without import, the alternative is attaching the form to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.

How do I withdraw a Subclass 802 application?

The department lists withdrawal of the application among the services available in ImmiAccount for this visa, and also lists wanting to withdraw as a change to tell it about. The Subclass 802 page does not state a refund outcome for withdrawal; it states only that the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.

Is a wrong answer the same as an invalid application?

No. Invalidity, as described on the Subclass 802 page, follows from incomplete lodgement steps such as missing forms or incorrect payment, and invalid applications are not processed. An incorrect answer inside an otherwise complete application is handled through Form 1023 instead.

Who is allowed to give immigration assistance with the correction?

A registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person, appointed on Form 956. Separately, anyone can be appointed to receive correspondence, using Form 956A, which is also the form used to withdraw an authorised recipient.

Does correcting a mistake slow the application down?

The department lists applications that are not filled in correctly, that lack required documents, that require verification, or that were not paid in full at lodgement as reasons processing might take longer. Filing a correction early is therefore consistent with avoiding delay, but the department does not give a timeframe for corrected applications, and its processing time guide is described as a guide only.