What changes you must report after lodging a subclass 143 application in 2026

Which contact, passport, relationship and family changes you must tell Home Affairs about while a subclass 143 application is queued.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

After you lodge a Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) application, you must tell the Department of Home Affairs about changes to your phone number, email, address, passport, relationship status and family composition, including the birth of a child — and tell it if you want to withdraw the application. That list is set out on the Department's Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) official page, current as at July 2026. It carries more weight on this visa than on most: subclass 143 applications are subject to capping and queueing, and are released from the queue for final assessment only as places become available, so the details on your file can be years old by the time a decision is reached.

Everything below describes the published requirements in general terms. It is not personalised advice about your own circumstances, and where your situation sits at the edges of the rules, the current official guidance or a professional opinion should settle it.

Which changes does the Department actually list?

The subclass 143 page states that you need to tell the Department about changes to your:

phone number
email
address
passport
relationship status
family composition, including the birth of a child

It also asks you to tell it if you want to withdraw your application. The same page notes that the Department may need to contact you directly even where you have nominated your sponsor's email address for all electronic correspondence, appointed your sponsor or someone else as your authorised recipient, or appointed someone to give you immigration assistance. Having a sponsor or an adviser on the file does not shift the reporting duty to them.

For applicants who hold a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa, or whose subclass 173 visa ended in the 28 days immediately before they applied, the Department lists the changes it wants evidence of since the 173 visa was granted: a family member is no longer a dependant, your partner relationship has changed, you have had a baby, your contact details have changed, you have a new passport, you want to nominate a new sponsor, or your sponsor has died.

Why does an out-of-date detail matter so much on a queued application?

Because most of the waiting happens in silence. The Department assesses subclass 143 applications in two stages: an initial assessment to decide whether to add the application to the queue or refuse it, then a final assessment once a place becomes available. It states that it cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times, and that it will let you know if it needs anything more — health examinations, biometrics, further information, or the invoice for the second instalment.

A stale email address or phone number is therefore a practical risk rather than a technicality. The second instalment must be paid before the visa can be granted; the Department sends an invoice when it is due and states that it will refuse the application if the invoice is not paid.

How do you report new contact details?

Contact detail changes run through the Department's change-in-situation pages, including its change of contact details page. If you lodged on or after 22 April 2026, the application had to be lodged online through ImmiAccount, and an application that was lodged online — or imported into ImmiAccount — lets you update your details, attach supporting documents, read messages the Department sends and check the application status. The Department also describes importing a paper application into ImmiAccount after you receive your acknowledgement letter, using the application ID, date of birth and identity document number.

What if you get a new passport or change your name?

A new passport is on the Department's list of changes to report, and everyone included in the application must hold a valid passport before the visa is granted. The identity documents it asks for are the pages of the current passport showing the photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if you have one and proof of change of name where it applies — a marriage or divorce certificate, change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names you have been known by.

The stated consequence of not being able to prove identity is severe: the Department says it will refuse the application, and it might not grant another visa to you, or to any family members listed on the application, for 10 years.

What counts as a relationship or family composition change?

"Relationship status" covers more than marriage. Separation, divorce and the start of a new de facto relationship all change what the Department holds on file, and for subclass 173 holders a changed partner relationship is one of the changes it requires evidence of.

On family composition, dependency is the part that quietly expires. A child can be included as a dependent child if they are under 18; over 18 but not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner; or over 23 and unable to earn a living because of physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner. The Department warns that if a child is likely to turn 23 while the application is being processed, you will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you because of disability. A baby born after lodgement is covered by the Department's own guidance on a child being born after you apply.

Can you add someone to the application after lodging?

Possibly, before a decision is made. The Department's route is Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, together with evidence of your relationship to that person and a copy of their passport. The form can be uploaded through ImmiAccount if the application was lodged online or imported, or sent using the Parent visa processing centre form.

Location rules differ. A spouse or de facto partner can be in or outside Australia when added unless you applied as a retiree, in which case they must be in Australia. A dependent child can be in or outside Australia when added. Retiree applicants cannot include their children, or their partner's children, in the application at all.

What if your sponsor dies, or you want a different sponsor?

Sponsorship is a continuing requirement rather than a one-off form: an eligible sponsor must sponsor the application unless you are applying as a retiree, the sponsor completes Form 40 Sponsorship for migration to Australia, and the sponsorship must be approved.

Two changes are singled out for subclass 173 holders: nominating a new sponsor, and the sponsor's death. For a subclass 173 holder, the eligibility criteria state that you might still be eligible for the subclass 143 visa if your sponsor dies. Retiree applicants, by contrast, do not need a sponsor.

Is a mistake on the form the same thing as a change of circumstances?

No, and the paperwork differs. An incorrect answer given at lodgement is corrected with Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, which the Department asks you to complete as soon as you can; it can be uploaded through ImmiAccount or sent with the Parent visa processing centre form. A change that happens after lodgement is a change in situation and is reported through the change-in-situation route described above.

Changes to who is helping you are notified on their own forms as well: Form 956A to appoint or withdraw an authorised recipient, and Form 956 to appoint or withdraw a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person.

What happens if a change is not reported?

The consequences the Department documents are procedural rather than discretionary. Information that is not accurate or complete carries the consequences described on its providing accurate information page. An unpaid second instalment means the application is refused. Identity that cannot be proven means refusal, with a possible 10-year bar on further visas for you and for family members listed on the application. Since a queued application is decided on the material the Department holds, an unreported change tends to surface only when it affects eligibility, which is late in the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to report a change if only my email address has changed?

Yes. Email is listed alongside phone number and address as a contact detail you must update, and the Department says it may need to contact you directly even where your sponsor's email address, an authorised recipient or an appointed adviser is on the file.

I renewed my passport after lodging — is that reportable?

Yes. A new passport is expressly listed as a change to report, and everyone included in the application must hold a valid passport before the visa is granted. The Department asks for the pages showing your photo, personal details and the passport issue and expiry dates.

Can I add a partner or child to my subclass 143 application later?

You may be able to, before a decision is made, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement with evidence of the relationship and a copy of the family member's passport. A partner can be in or outside Australia when added unless you applied as a retiree, in which case they must be in Australia.

What happens to my application if my sponsor dies?

For a subclass 173 holder, the eligibility criteria state that you might still be eligible for the subclass 143 visa if your sponsor dies, and the death of a sponsor is one of the changes the Department requires evidence of. Retiree applicants do not need a sponsor at all.

My child will turn 23 while the application is queued — does that matter?

Yes, because dependency is one of the tests for including an adult child. The Department says that if a child is likely to turn 23 during processing, you will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you because of disability.

Is correcting a wrong answer the same as reporting a change?

No. A wrong answer given at lodgement is corrected with Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, while a change that occurs afterwards is reported through the change-in-situation process. Both are required, but they run on different forms.

Do I need to stay outside Australia while the application is processed?

Generally yes: the Department states you must be outside Australia while it processes the application unless you hold another valid visa, and that all applicants other than retirees, subclass 173 holders and certain substituted Visitor (subclass 600) holders must be outside Australia when the decision is made. A bridging visa associated with the subclass 143 application is available only to retirement pathway applicants, subclass 173 holders and their family members.