Subclass 866 lodgement in 2026: online process, fees and TRN record

A subclass 866 Protection visa application must be lodged online through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs does not process it until the visa application charge is paid, and the applicant is told to keep a record of the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) that payment generates. Those three requirements are set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Protection visa (Subclass 866) page as at August 2026, and they shape everything below: what gets lodged, what has to be paid, and who is allowed to be paid for helping.

What has to be settled before you open the online form?

Eligibility comes first. The department's overview describes the visa as requiring the applicant to engage Australia's protection obligations, or to be a member of the same family unit as someone who does, to have arrived legally in Australia on a valid visa, and to meet the other requirements including health, character and security. If granted, the visa is permanent: it allows the holder to live, work and study in Australia permanently, and to sponsor eligible family members for permanent residence through the offshore Humanitarian Program.

Free legal advice and help with a Protection visa application is available, and the department repeats this on both the eligibility and lodgement parts of the page.

The second practical point is that a decision can be made on the information supplied at lodgement. The online form itself carries the list of documents that must accompany the application, and applicants are told to provide all relevant documents and attach the relevant fees when they apply. Where family members are included in the same application, evidence of each relationship is required — birth certificates, notarial certificates, marriage certificates, financial documents, undertakings for de facto relationships, and evidence that dependants over 18 are dependent on the applicant.

Do I have to lodge online, and what does that give me?

Yes. Protection visa applications must be lodged online through ImmiAccount. Lodging online lets an applicant check the status of the application, continue a saved application, attach documents, update personal details, and access a copy of the application at any time. The form can be saved at any page and returned to later, and it carries help text for each question. The ImmiAccount front page carries information about planned and unplanned system outages, which matters if a lodgement attempt fails close to a deadline.

What is the lodgement sequence?

Log in to ImmiAccount, or create an account if you do not have one.
Complete the online form and answer every question it asks.
Attach the documents the form requires.
Pay the visa application charge.
Record your Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
Keep the acknowledgement and check status in ImmiAccount after submission.

The department's wording on payment is blunt: it will not process the application until the fee is paid. Payment is reached through a page at the end of the form that prompts the applicant to attach documents and pay online.

What does the fee requirement mean in practice?

The fee is the visa application charge, and it has to be paid as part of lodging rather than afterwards. The department's lodgement steps describe how payment is made and what happens if it is not — the application simply is not processed — while the current amount and accepted payment methods sit with its separate "How to pay" guidance, which applicants should check at the time they lodge rather than rely on any figure quoted elsewhere.

The fee is also not recoverable on a bad outcome. If the application is refused, the department states it will not refund the application fee. The refusal letter will set out why the application was refused, the review rights available through the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), and the time limit for lodging a review application.

Why does the TRN matter?

The TRN is the Transaction Reference Number generated when the application fee is paid, and the department instructs applicants to keep a record of it. It is the reference that ties your payment to your application, so it belongs with your own copy of the lodged form and documents rather than only on the screen where it first appears.

It also matters because most post-lodgement actions run through ImmiAccount against the same application record: correcting an answer with Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, adding a family member with Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, or changing who acts for you. If you cannot locate your application later, the TRN is the fastest way back to it.

Who may be paid to help, and where does that stop?

This is the part of lodgement that carries regulatory weight, because paying the wrong person is a separate problem from a badly filled form.

What the person does	Who may do it	Form used to appoint
Give immigration assistance	A registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person	Form 956
Receive documents and correspondence	Anyone you appoint	Form 956A

Only those three categories may give immigration assistance, and appointing one is done with Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person. Receiving documents is a different and narrower role: an authorised recipient under Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient can be anyone, but receiving correspondence is not the same as giving immigration assistance. The department's guidance is to read its "Who can help with your visa application" material before paying anyone.

Appointment does not transfer responsibility. If a migration agent completes the form, the applicant must read and understand everything in it before signing, including any statutory declaration, remains responsible for the claims made, and should never sign blank pages or documents. Providing incorrect information on purpose can lead the department to question credibility and refuse the application. Both appointments can later be withdrawn using the same forms. These descriptions are general information about how the department frames the roles, not advice on any particular arrangement; where payment and representation are involved, the current official requirements and any professional advice a person chooses to obtain should govern.

What can undermine a lodged application?

Two post-lodgement steps affect validity directly. Applicants and any family members in Australia included in the application must provide biometrics — a digital photograph and fingerprint scan — and the department says that if this information is not provided, the application is invalid and cannot be considered; a bridging visa granted at application then ends 35 days after the applicant is notified of the invalidity, after which the person becomes unlawful.

The interview carries a similar risk in a softer form. Most protection visa interviews are conducted by videoconference, applicants must make every reasonable effort to attend, and if they do not attend the department can decide the application on the information available at the time. More generally, a decision may be made on the information provided at lodgement, and an applicant may not get another opportunity to present those claims.

What happens straight after lodgement?

The department sends an acknowledgement letter when it receives the application.
It does not give updates on processing status; applicants check ImmiAccount to see whether more information is needed.
A bridging visa may be granted so the applicant can remain lawful while the permanent application is processed. Work rights depend on the bridging visa granted.
Email is the department's preferred and fastest communication method. Declining it means post, which is slower and may lengthen finalisation; Form 1193 can be used later to opt into email communication.
Health examinations are arranged when the department asks, and it issues a health identifier (HAP ID) at that point.
Applicants must notify changes after lodgement, including name, contact details, address or passport changes, changes to marital or de facto status, pregnancy, the birth of a child, a death in the family, or a wish to withdraw.
A person who has lodged a valid application may be able to get financial or other assistance from the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone else lodge my subclass 866 application for me?

An applicant can prepare and submit the application personally or have someone act on their behalf. If that person gives immigration assistance, they must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, appointed with Form 956. The applicant stays responsible for the content of the form regardless of who filled it in.

What happens if I submit the form but never pay the fee?

The department will not process the application until the fee is paid. Payment is one of the four listed online steps, and the application reaches a payment prompt at the end of the form.

Do I get the application fee back if my Protection visa is refused?

No. The department states it will not refund the application fee if it refuses the application. The refusal letter will explain the reasons, set out review rights with the Administrative Review Tribunal, and give the time limit for applying for review.

What is the TRN and where does it come from?

It is the Transaction Reference Number generated when the application fee is paid online. The department instructs applicants to keep a record of it, and it serves as the reference for the payment and application.

Can I add family members after I have lodged?

Only a spouse or de facto partner, or a dependent child, of someone who has already applied. They must be in Australia, eligible for the visa, and your application must not yet have been decided. The addition is made with Form 1436, uploaded to ImmiAccount with relationship evidence.

Do I need to appoint an authorised recipient?

It is optional. Anyone can be appointed to receive documents relating to the visa matter using Form 956A, but that role covers receiving correspondence only — it does not authorise the person to give immigration assistance.

What if I realise I made a mistake on the form?

Tell the department as soon as possible by completing Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers and uploading it to ImmiAccount. The same applies if you later want to withdraw someone appointed under Form 956 or Form 956A.