Step-by-Step: Lodging an Onshore Subclass 837 PR Application in 2026
A step-by-step checklist for preparing, gathering documents, lodging on paper and managing a subclass 837 application in 2026.
An onshore Subclass 837 (Orphan Relative) application runs in a fixed sequence set out by the Department of Home Affairs on its Orphan Relative visa (subclass 837) page: check the child's situation and who may act, gather the documents, lodge on paper with the Perth processing centre after paying the application charge, then manage the file through to decision. As of August 2026, that page is the controlling statement of the procedure, and the steps below follow it as an action checklist, with the points that cannot be undone marked along the way.
What must be true before any of this is worth starting?
The page states the child must be under 18, single, and with no parent able to care for them; must have a relative who is a settled Australian citizen, an eligible New Zealand citizen, or an Australian permanent resident; and must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance both when the application is made and when it is decided.
Those three conditions are not documentary hurdles you can cure later — they are the basis of the visa itself. If the child cannot meet the age, relationship or location conditions at the moment of lodgement, the remaining work is wasted effort, so verify them before anything else is assembled.
Step 1: What do you check before preparing the forms?
Two things, per the Department's guidance:
- Check the child's passport is valid. An expired travel document undermines both the identity documents and the onshore position.
- Tell the Department if someone is acting on the child's behalf. This is a declaration, not an optional courtesy.
Only three categories of person may lawfully give immigration assistance: a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. Anyone at all may be appointed to receive documents about the visa matter, which is a narrower role than giving assistance.
If a representative is being used, the appointment has to be documented on the correct form and sent with the paper application:
| Form | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Form 47CH Application for migration to Australia by a child | The child's migration application |
| Form 40CH Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia | The relative's sponsorship |
| Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person | Nominating someone to give immigration assistance |
| Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient | Nominating someone to receive correspondence |
| Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment | Required for children over 16 |
| Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers | Correcting mistakes after lodgement |
Step 2: Which documents does the file have to contain?
The Department sets this out as a checklist to complete before posting, and documents that were missing at lodgement can still be provided afterwards.
Identity and travel documents
Provide the pages of the child's current passport showing photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates. Add a national identity card if they have one, and proof of change of name if relevant — acceptable proof includes change of name documents from an Australian registry of births, deaths and marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names the child has been known by.
Separately, provide a certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia, plus copies of any passports held since then.
Photographs
Four recent passport-size photographs (45 mm × 35 mm) are required for the child and for any other dependant included in the application. They must be less than six months old, good quality colour (laser copies are not accepted), show the full face, and be taken against a plain light-coloured background. Untinted prescription glasses are acceptable; a head covering worn for religious reasons may be kept as long as only the face is shown.
Evidence that no parent can care for the child
This is the substantive core of the visa, and it must be evidenced, not asserted:
- a death certificate or other official document; and
- evidence such as a medical report showing why the parents are unable to care for the child.
If the parents cannot be found, the evidence shifts to how long they have been missing and what efforts have been made to contact or find them.
Evidence of the relationship to the sponsor
Provide documents such as a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, an adoption certificate, or a family status certificate or family book if it is officially issued and maintained.
Character documents
Children over 16 must provide police certificates from every country where they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For Australia, only National Police Certificates applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship are accepted; standard disclosure certificates and certificates issued by state or territory police are not. Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date for immigration purposes — a certificate that is older than that at lodgement is a defect, not a technicality.
Anyone in the application who has served in the armed forces of any country must provide military service records or discharge papers, and children over 16 must complete Form 80.
Dependants under 18
For each dependant under 18 applying with the child, provide identity documents, proof of the relationship to the child such as a birth certificate, and character documents where applicable.
Step 3: How is the application actually lodged?
This visa is paper-only, and the mechanics are strict.
- Complete Form 47CH and Form 40CH and send them together.
- Pay the application charge before you post the application. The Department will not process the application until it is paid, and the application should include evidence of payment.
- Complete the forms in English.
- Send only certified copies — never original documents — and keep a full copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records.
Lodgement goes to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, by post or courier only:
| Method | Address |
|---|---|
| Post (with correct prepaid postage) | Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Locked Bag 7, NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865 |
| Courier | Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Wellington Central, 836 Wellington Street, WEST PERTH WA 6005 |
Which parts of this process cannot be walked back?
Four points deserve to be treated as one-way doors:
- Payment. The charge must be paid before posting, and the Department states it will not refund the application fee if the application is refused.
- Lodgement channel. An application submitted at any other office or in any other way will not be valid, and applications cannot be submitted in person. A mis-addressed or hand-delivered package is not a late application — it is not an application at all.
- Completeness. If any of the steps are incomplete, the application may be invalid; the Department does not process invalid applications, and it will notify you and return the application if requested.
- Location at decision. The child must be in Australia when the decision is made. If the child made the application in Australia, the visa cannot be granted if they are outside Australia at that moment. Departure during processing is therefore the decision that most directly destroys the outcome.
Assume an applicant posts a complete package, then the child travels overseas while the file is pending: the Department asks you to tell it if the child wants to travel outside Australia during processing, precisely because a grant becomes impossible if the child is offshore at decision. The same trip also creates a second, separate problem — the child needs a valid visa to return.
Step 4: What happens after the package is posted?
Importing the application into ImmiAccount
After the paper application is submitted — by you or someone else — it can be imported into ImmiAccount once the acknowledgement letter arrives. Importing requires the application ID, the child's date of birth, and an identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage). Once imported, ImmiAccount can be used to attach supporting documents, view messages, update details, view application status, apply for a bridging visa, and withdraw the application.
Status, health and biometrics
The Department does not provide progress updates within normal processing times; it will make contact if anything further is needed. It will tell you when to arrange the child's health examinations, and it may ask for biometrics.
Staying lawful while waiting
When the application was made, a bridging visa associated with the application was granted. If the child's current visa expires before a decision, that bridging visa starts and the child can remain in Australia while the new application is processed. Any child leaving Australia must hold a valid visa to return.
Corrections, additions and changes
If documents were missing at lodgement, provide them as soon as possible. Corrections to answers go on Form 1023. ImmiAccount is the upload channel if the application has been imported; otherwise the completed form is attached to the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.
Changes that must be notified include a new phone number, address or passport, a change in relationship status, the birth of a child, and a decision to withdraw. The child's dependent children can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made — one of the few genuinely flexible points in the process.
What does the outcome look like?
The child must be in Australia at the moment of decision. The decision is given in writing, and a copy should be kept. If granted, the Department advises the visa grant number, the date the visa starts, and any visa conditions. If refused, it states why and whether there is a right to review the decision; the application fee is not refunded.
The visa is permanent. It allows the child to stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study in line with Australian law, enrol in Medicare, sponsor relatives, attend free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
This guide describes published procedure for general reference only and is not advice on any individual case; where your circumstances are unusual or the requirements have moved on, the current official page and, if needed, a registered migration agent or legal practitioner are the reliable checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Subclass 837 application be lodged online?
No. The Department states you must apply for this visa on paper, using Form 47CH and Form 40CH sent together by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. Online lodgement is not an option, and an application submitted in person or to another office will not be valid.
Does the application charge have to be paid before posting?
Yes. The Department will not process the application until the application charge is paid, and evidence of payment should be included with the paper application. Payment is also non-recoverable in the sense that the fee is not refunded if the application is refused.
Can the child travel outside Australia while the application is being processed?
The child can travel, but doing so carries a hard consequence. Because the application was made in Australia, the visa cannot be granted if the child is outside Australia when the decision is made. The child also needs a valid visa to return, and the Department asks to be told if travel is planned.
What happens if a mistake is found after the application has been sent?
Notify the Department as soon as possible using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. If the application has been imported into ImmiAccount, the completed form can be uploaded there; otherwise it is attached to the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.
Does the child need police certificates?
Children over 16 must provide police certificates from every country where they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For Australia, only a National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship is accepted, and police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.
Can family members be added after lodgement?
The child's dependent children can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made. For each dependant under 18, identity documents, proof of relationship to the child, and character documents where applicable are required.
Should original documents be posted with the application?
No. Send certified copies only and keep a copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records. If documents were missing at lodgement, supply them as soon as possible through ImmiAccount or the processing centre's online form.