Functional English for subclass 887 and the AUD 4,890 second instalment in 2026
Who pays the AUD 4,890 second instalment on a subclass 887 application, when it is invoiced, and how functional English changes the outcome.
The AUD 4,890 second instalment on a Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) is charged per person, to family-unit applicants aged 18 or over who do not have functional English, and only when the Department of Home Affairs asks for it — the Department asks only if it is going to grant the visa. That is the position set out on the Department of Home Affairs "Skilled Regional visa (Subclass 887)" page, as at the official page in July 2026.
You do not pay it at lodgement, you do not pay it speculatively, and you do not pay it to "fix" an English gap in advance. It arrives as an invoice at the end of the process.
Who can be charged the AUD 4,890?
The charge attaches to people, not to applications. Any included applicant who is a member of the family unit, is 18 or older, and has less than functional English can attract it. In a family application that can mean more than one charge.
| Person in the application | Can the AUD 4,890 charge apply? |
|---|---|
| Main applicant, 18+, without functional English | Yes |
| Partner (married or de facto), 18+, without functional English | Yes |
| Dependant aged 18 or over holding an eligible visa | Yes, on the same English test |
| Dependant under 18 | No — there is no requirement to prove functional English |
| Anyone who already paid the second instalment on the eligible visa | No second charge arises for that visa |
The last row matters for families who arrived on a subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487 visa. If the second instalment was already paid on that eligible visa, that payment is one of the ways the English requirement is met on the 887, and the same person is not asked to pay it again.
What does the subclass 887 English requirement actually ask for?
At the time the Department makes its decision, an applicant must satisfy one of three alternatives:
- hold functional English; or
- have already paid the second instalment of the visa application charge for the eligible visa; or
- pay the second instalment of the visa application charge when asked.
The requirement is therefore not a pass/fail English gate. Failing to evidence functional English does not, by itself, end the application — it converts the English requirement into a payment obligation. The definition of functional English, including the evidence accepted for it, is set out on the Department's functional English page.
When is the AUD 4,890 actually invoiced?
It is invoiced, not self-assessed. You pay when the Department sends the request, and the official page states the request is made only if the visa is going to be granted.
Three practical consequences follow:
- The charge is not part of the amount you pay to lodge. Lodgement requires the first instalment, and the application is not processed until that first instalment is paid.
- The Visa Pricing Estimator does not account for the second instalment, so an estimate produced there is not a ceiling on total cost.
- Other costs can sit alongside it, including health checks, police certificates and biometrics, where the Department requires them.
For a sense of scale, assume a hypothetical couple applying with two children under 18, where both adults have never paid a second instalment on their eligible visa and neither can evidence functional English. The published per-person charge would apply to each adult and to neither child.
Does being asked to pay mean something has gone wrong?
No. The published position is that the request is made only when the visa is going to be granted, so an invoice is best read as the file having reached the grant stage with an unresolved English item. An applicant who can evidence functional English supplies that proof for the adults who can; an adult who cannot waits and pays the second instalment if the Department issues a request.
Where the charge has been requested and remains unpaid, the English requirement has not been met, and the decision cannot be made on the basis that it has.
What should be gathered before lodging?
Functional English evidence is required for every applicant aged 18 or over who has not paid the second instalment in respect of the eligible visa. If that evidence cannot be provided, the published instruction is that the second instalment is paid when asked.
Two related points shape who is in scope. Everyone eligible must be included at the time you lodge, because family members cannot be added after submission (newborn children are the exception). And an over-18 child can only be included if they hold an eligible visa granted on the basis of being a member of your family unit — a child who has turned 23 since the eligible visa was granted is given as the example on the official page. Since the charge runs per included adult, the composition of the application at lodgement is what determines the exposure.
This article describes published rules in general terms; it is not advice on an individual case, and the wording that applies to your circumstances is the current official wording, or advice from a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I pay the AUD 4,890 when I lodge my subclass 887 application?
No. You pay the first instalment to lodge, and the application is not processed until that first instalment is paid. The second instalment is paid only after the Department sends you the request.
Is the AUD 4,890 charged once per application or once per person?
Per person. It applies to each member of the family unit aged 18 or older who has less than functional English, so a family can face more than one charge in a single application.
My partner does not have functional English. Will that stop the visa being granted?
Not on the published criteria. The English requirement can be met by paying the second instalment when asked, so an adult without functional English remains capable of satisfying the requirement through payment.
I already paid a second instalment on my subclass 489 visa. Do I pay again on the 887?
The published criteria treat payment of the second instalment for your eligible visa as a way of meeting the English requirement on the 887, and documentary instructions are directed at applicants who have not paid in respect of their eligible visa. On that basis a person in that position is not asked for a second payment for the same visa.
Do my children need functional English for subclass 887?
Dependants under 18 do not have to prove functional English. A dependant aged 18 or over must hold an eligible visa and is treated the same as any other adult for the English requirement.
Is the AUD 4,890 refunded if the visa is refused?
Refusal is not the scenario in which the charge arises, since the request is made only if the visa is going to be granted. Separately, the official page states that the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.