On 2 September 2026, new legal arrangements for lodging certain Australian child and dependent child visa applications came into effect.
The Migration (Arrangements for Child Visa Applications) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/081) replaces the former Arrangements for Child Visa Applications 2016/051 instrument. It prescribes the forms, manner and place for making applications in several child visa classes.
The changes are described as minor and technical, and the core application process is largely unchanged. The most important practical change is the new postal lodgement address in Port Melbourne.
These applications remain paper-based and must be lodged in precisely the manner required by the legislation. Sending an application to the wrong place, using the wrong form or failing to follow the prescribed lodgement method may cause delay and, depending on the circumstances, may mean that a valid visa application has not been made.
From 2 September 2026, affected applications sent by post must be addressed to:
Department of Home Affairs
Child and Other Family Processing Centre
GPO Box 241
Port Melbourne VIC 3008
Australia
The former postal address—Locked Bag 7, Northbridge WA 6865—is no longer the address prescribed for new applications under this instrument.
The prescribed address for applications delivered by courier remains:
Department of Home Affairs
Child and Other Family Processing Centre
Wellington Central
836 Wellington Street
West Perth WA 6005
Australia
This distinction matters. Applications sent through the postal system and applications delivered by courier have different addresses in different states. Families and representatives should not assume that the postal and courier addresses are interchangeable.
The new instrument applies to three visa classes:
| Visa class | Common subclasses covered | Required form |
| Child (Migrant) (Class AH) | Subclass 101 Child; Subclass 102 Adoption; Subclass 117 Orphan Relative | Form 47CH |
| Child (Residence) (Class BT) | Subclass 802 Child; Subclass 837 Orphan Relative | Form 47CH |
| Extended Eligibility (Temporary) (Class TK) | Subclass 445 Dependent Child | Form 918 |
The visa class is the legal application class. A single class can contain more than one visa subclass, which is why the instrument refers to visa classes rather than listing every subclass individually.
No. The new instrument does not move these applications into Immi Account.
Affected applications must still be made using the approved paper form and lodged by post with sufficient prepaid postage or delivered by courier to the prescribed address.
Emailing an application, uploading it to Immi Account or sending it to an address that is not legally prescribed does not satisfy the lodgement arrangements set out in the instrument.
This is more than an administrative preference. The approved form, lodgement method and place form part of the legal requirements for making a valid application.
What happens to an application sent to the former address?
The instrument contains an important transitional protection.
If an application is received at an address specified under the former instrument, it is taken to have been made in accordance with the new instrument and received on the day it was first received and stamped at that address.
This provision should protect applications already in transit or received at the former address around the commencement of the new arrangements. It should not, however, be treated as permission to continue using outdated details. New applications should be sent to the address prescribed by the 2026 instrument.
Not generally. The instrument governs how and where an application must be made. It does not itself rewrite the substantive requirements for Child, Adoption, Orphan Relative or Dependent Child visas.
Applicants must still satisfy the eligibility criteria for their particular subclass. Depending on the visa, these may include requirements concerning:
Choosing the correct subclass and preparing the required evidence remain just as important as sending the application to the correct address.
Although LIN 26/081 changes the lodgement arrangements rather than the visa criteria, families commonly need answers to several less obvious eligibility questions before deciding whether to apply.
Potentially. A child does not necessarily become ineligible on their 18th birthday.
For the mainstream Child visa pathways, an applicant aged 18 to 24 may qualify if they remain genuinely dependent on the sponsoring parent and meet the applicable full-time study requirements.
For a Subclass 802 application, an adult child will generally need to:
The study must lead to a professional, trade or vocational qualification. Enrolment alone may not be enough. Evidence of active participation, such as academic records and completed assessments, may also be required.
Part-time study and short hobby-type courses will not ordinarily satisfy the requirement.
Different provisions apply to an adult child who is incapacitated for work because of the total or partial loss of bodily or mental functions. The usual upper age and full-time study requirements may not apply, although the applicant must still satisfy the relevant dependency and health criteria.
The applicant’s age when the application is made can be critical.
For Subclass 802, a child who applied before turning 18 is generally assessed at the decision stage as though they were still under 18 for the relevant dependency criterion.
Similarly, an adult applicant who was under 25 when they applied is not ordinarily disqualified merely because they turn 25 before a decision is made.
However, turning 25 does not preserve every aspect of eligibility. An adult applicant must continue to satisfy the other applicable requirements, including full-time student status at the time of decision unless the disability exception applies.
A long processing period therefore makes changes to study, work and relationship status particularly important.
Sometimes, but the stepchild provisions are narrower than many families expect.
For a mainstream Subclass 802 application based on a step-relationship, the policy identifies a pathway where:
This is not the same as simply being the child of a person who is currently in a relationship with an Australian sponsor.
For example, where a parent is progressing through the temporary and permanent Partner visa process, their child may need to be included in the parent’s Partner visa pathway or considered for a Subclass 445 Dependent Child visa, rather than making a separate Subclass 802 application based solely on the current step-parent relationship.
Stepchild cases should be assessed early because the correct pathway can depend on the parent’s visa status, whether the relationship with the step-parent is current or former, and who has legal custody or guardianship.
Overseas surrogacy cases require particular care. A foreign birth certificate naming the commissioning parents may not, by itself, resolve the parent–child relationship for Australian migration or citizenship purposes.
The Department may require evidence of a biological link, including medical records or DNA testing.
Where a commissioning parent is an Australian citizen and has the necessary biological and legal relationship with the child, Australian citizenship by descent may be available instead of a Child visa.
The position can become considerably more complex where:
Families considering overseas surrogacy should obtain advice before entering the arrangement, not only after the child is born.
LIN 26/081 continues to specify Pakistan, with no limitation on the relevant time period, for the validity restrictions relating to certain adoption-based applications in the Child (Migrant) and Child (Residence) visa classes.
In practical terms, a person seeking to rely on an adoption that occurred in Pakistan may be prevented from making a valid application through the affected adoption provisions.
This is a technical area and should be assessed carefully before an application is lodged. The nationality or residence of the child is not necessarily the only relevant issue; the claimed adoption and the legal pathway being relied upon must be examined.
A beautifully prepared application is of no assistance if it is not a valid application.
Paper applications carry particular risks because there is no ImmiAccount lodgement screen to identify an obvious error before submission. Common problems may include:
Applicants should retain a complete copy of everything submitted, use a trackable delivery service and keep proof of dispatch and delivery.
Because the date of a valid application can affect a child’s immigration position and the family’s available options, lodgement should not be left until the last moment.
Child visa matters can look straightforward because they concern close family. Legally, however, they can involve difficult questions about dependency, parental responsibility, consent, adoption recognition, the correct visa pathway and valid lodgement.
At Heenan & Browne Visa and Migration Services, we assess the legal pathway before preparing the application. We can assist families to:
If you are planning to lodge a Child, Adoption, Orphan Relative or Dependent Child visa application, book a consultation for advice tailored to your family’s circumstances.
