When Must TPV and SHEV Holders Apply for Subclass 851 Before Their Visa Ceases in 2026?

Your 851 deadline is your own TPV or SHEV cease date — apply before it and your visa continues until a decision is made.

Published: 3 October 2026

There is no single calendar cut-off for the Resolution of Status (RoS) visa (subclass 851) in 2026. The deadline is attached to your own visa: you must lodge your RoS application before your current Temporary Protection visa (TPV, subclass 785) or Safe Haven Enterprise visa (SHEV, subclass 790) ceases. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Resolution of Status (Subclass 851) official page, as at August 2026, current TPV and SHEV holders who had not submitted a subsequent TPV or SHEV application before 14 February 2023 can apply online via ImmiAccount, and they "must apply before their current TPV or SHEV ceases to stay lawful." Doing so also has a second effect worth understanding: a valid RoS application extends your existing TPV or SHEV until the Department makes a decision on the RoS visa.

This is general information about how the published rules are framed, not advice about your individual circumstances; your own position depends on your visa record, and the Department's current published requirements are the reference point.

Why the deadline is your visa cease date, not a date in 2026

Readers often look for a closing date printed on a government page. For subclass 851 there isn't one. The Department ties the application window to the life of the temporary visa you already hold, which means two people reading the same page can face different effective deadlines on the same day.

The Department's Step 1 guidance puts the consequence plainly: you should start the process well before your TPV or SHEV ceases, because "if you do not apply before your current visa ceases you will become unlawful and may lose access to Government services." The eligibility page adds the baseline conditions — you must be a holder or former holder of a TPV or SHEV, you must have first arrived in Australia before 14 February 2023, and the Department must not have cancelled your visa.

If you are unsure what date applies to you, that date is recorded in your visa grant notification and can be checked through your ImmiAccount or the Department's visa entitlement verification records.

How does a valid 851 application extend your TPV or SHEV?

This is the part of the rules that most directly rewards applying early. The Department states that it "will extend the TPV/SHEV of current TPV or SHEV holders who make a valid application for a RoS visa until we have made a decision on the RoS visa." The same page repeats the condition: to ensure your TPV or SHEV is extended and that you remain lawful, you must apply before it ceases.

The travel guidance confirms the practical shape of this. TPV and SHEV holders who have made a valid application for another TPV, SHEV or RoS — including a converted RoS — "will remain holding their current visa indefinitely until a final decision is made on the subsequent application." You are not pushed into a gap while the permanent case is assessed.

One caveat sits alongside that protection: a RoS applicant must be in Australia for the grant of the visa. If you are overseas when the RoS visa is ready to be granted, you will be contacted and asked to return to Australia within 28 days, and if you do not return, the application may be refused.

If you apply before your TPV or SHEV ceases	If you do not apply before it ceases
Your TPV or SHEV is extended until a decision is made on the RoS visa	You become an unlawful non-citizen once the visa ceases
You remain lawful while the permanent case is processed	You may lose access to government services
You keep holding your current visa indefinitely pending the decision	The extension mechanism described by the Department is not triggered

What happens the day after your TPV or SHEV ceases?

You become an unlawful non-citizen. That is the status change the Department warns about, and it is the reason the application timing matters more than almost any other step in the process.

The Department does describe one narrow pathway for people already in that position: if you are currently unlawful because your TPV or SHEV expired before 14 February 2023, "an application for a RoS visa is also an application for a bridging visa." But this is presented as a note about a specific group, not as a substitute for timely lodgement — the same page immediately restates that current TPV and SHEV holders must apply before their visa ceases.

Assume, for example, an applicant whose SHEV ceases on 30 September 2026 and who lodges on 1 October 2026. On the published rules, the extension of the SHEV until a decision is made is tied to having made a valid application before the visa ceased; the later application would fall to be considered on its own terms, and the bridging visa provision above applies only to people who are unlawful because their TPV or SHEV expired before 14 February 2023. This is an illustrative scenario showing how the rule operates, not a prediction of any outcome.

Who needs to apply, and who is converted automatically?

Not every TPV or SHEV holder has to lodge anything. The Department's conversion rules remove the need to apply in two situations:

You applied for an initial TPV or SHEV before 14 February 2023. If the Department finds you meet the criteria for the TPV or SHEV, it will convert your application to a RoS visa application and notify you if a RoS visa is granted.
You hold a TPV or SHEV and applied for a subsequent TPV or SHEV before 14 February 2023. The Department says it has already converted that application to a RoS visa application.

The group that must act is the one this article is written for: current TPV and SHEV holders with no application before the Department, and no subsequent TPV or SHEV application lodged before 14 February 2023. You apply yourself, online, through ImmiAccount.

Two eligibility limits are also worth checking before you spend time on the form. You cannot make a valid application if your most recent TPV or SHEV was cancelled, or if a TPV or SHEV application was refused and finally determined. And you cannot make a valid application while subject to an application bar, including the section 46A bar that applies to unauthorised maritime arrivals — the online RoS form itself includes the notification of the section 46A bar lift, which is one reason the default channel is online.

How do you lodge before the expiry date?

The Department's step-by-step guidance sets out the sequence.

Check eligibility and your cease date first. The Department's first instruction is to confirm you are eligible and confirm when your current TPV or SHEV ceases.
Apply online through ImmiAccount. Create or log in to an ImmiAccount, complete the form, attach documents if required, and note the transaction reference number. You can save an application part-way through and return to it.
You must be in Australia when you apply. "Apply from" on the official page is simply: in Australia.
Complete the Australian Values Statement and declaration. Applicants aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, Life in Australia, and confirm they will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
Expect requests for identity, health, character and security information. All applicants must meet health, character and security requirements. The Department may ask for original and translated identity documents, biometrics, or police certificates for countries lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years after turning 16 — but only if asked. You do not need to re-supply claims or documents already provided with your earlier TPV or SHEV application.

There is no visa application charge for the RoS visa. The Department also notes it does not charge a fee to fast-track a visa, and that an offer of that service is a scam.

What if ImmiAccount fails just before your visa ceases?

The Department anticipates this. Its guidance says the ImmiAccount front page lists planned and unplanned outages; you may need to return later to complete the application, "but you must apply before your current visa ceases." The Department publishes technical help for ImmiAccount issues on its online support pages.

Paper lodgement is not a general alternative. The Department says there are limited circumstances in which it will authorise a paper application, including verified ImmiAccount system issues, and that it must notify you in writing of the application bar lift for that route. If you have already been given a paper form and a bar lift notification, you can still apply online. The Department's page also notes that free legal assistance is available for RoS applicants through specialist community legal service providers listed by state and territory, and that it encourages applicants to use them.

What does the Resolution of Status visa give you once granted?

It is a permanent visa. You become an Australian permanent resident on the day the visa is granted, and for citizenship purposes your permanent residence also starts on that day.

With the visa you can live, work and study in Australia permanently; access government services including Medicare and Centrelink; access short-term counselling for torture and trauma; sponsor eligible family members for permanent residence through the family visa stream of the Migration Program; travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of grant (after which a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter); attend free English language classes if eligible; and become an Australian citizen if eligible.

Family members may apply together on the same form, and each applicant must meet the requirements in their own right. A child born after you submit and before the decision is included in the application once you notify the Department using Form 1022 and provide a clear colour copy of the child's original birth certificate.

On processing, the Department says it continues to actively process all RoS applications, that some cases are more complex than others, and that cooperating with requests for further information — particularly on identity — allows applications to be processed as quickly as possible. It states that it cannot give processing status updates; you can check in ImmiAccount whether more information is needed. No published processing times appear on this page, so any timeframe figure should be treated as unavailable rather than estimated.

If a RoS application is refused, the Department will write to you setting out why, your review rights with the Administrative Review Tribunal, and the time limit for lodging a review application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a fixed 2026 deadline for applying for Subclass 851?

No. The Department of Home Affairs sets the timing by reference to your own visa: you must apply before your current TPV or SHEV ceases in order to remain lawful. That means the effective deadline differs between holders rather than falling on one published date.

What happens to my TPV or SHEV while my 851 application is pending?

The Department says it will extend the TPV or SHEV of current holders who make a valid RoS application until it has made a decision on the RoS visa. You keep holding your current visa, including for travel purposes, until a final decision is made.

What if my TPV or SHEV has already ceased?

You would be an unlawful non-citizen, and the Department warns that people who do not apply before the visa ceases may lose access to government services. The Department notes that for people who became unlawful because their TPV or SHEV expired before 14 February 2023, a RoS application is also an application for a bridging visa.

Do I need to apply if I already applied for a TPV or SHEV before 14 February 2023?

No. The Department says it will convert, or has already converted, applications for an initial or subsequent TPV or SHEV lodged before that date into RoS visa applications. It will notify you if a RoS visa is granted.

Does it cost anything to apply for the Resolution of Status visa?

No. The official page states there is no cost, and there is no visa application charge. The Department also warns that it never charges a fee to fast-track a visa, and that anyone offering this is running a scam.

Can I travel overseas while my 851 application is being decided?

TPV and SHEV holders who have made a valid RoS application remain on their current visa until a decision is made, and can continue travelling overseas subject to the usual permission-to-travel rules. However, you must be in Australia for the grant: if you are overseas when the visa is ready, you will be asked to return within 28 days or the application may be refused.

Can I get help filling in the application?

Yes. The Department lists specialist community legal service providers by state and territory that offer free support to RoS applicants, and encourages applicants to use them. If someone gives you immigration assistance for a fee, they must be a registered migration agent or a legal practitioner.