Do I Need Functional English for Subclass 858 in 2026?
Explains the functional English threshold for applicants aged 18+ and how the AUD4,890 second instalment declaration works in ImmiAccount.
Yes, if you are 18 years or older at the time you lodge your application. The National Innovation visa (Subclass 858) criteria published by the Australian Department of Home Affairs on its National Innovation visa (Subclass 858) official page state that applicants aged 18 and over must provide evidence of at least functional English, and that anyone who does not have it must pay a second instalment of the visa application charge. The alternative is not a waiver: it is a charge of AUD4,890 per person, and you must declare that intention through your ImmiAccount rather than simply waiting to be asked. As at August 2026 official pages, this is the position set out for subclass 858.
This article summarises the Department's published National Innovation visa (Subclass 858) criteria and is general information, not personalised advice on your circumstances; the criteria and charges can change.
Who actually has to meet the functional English requirement?
The requirement attaches to age at the time of application, not at the time of decision. Anyone aged 18 or over on the day the application is lodged is within scope, including the main applicant and any family members applying with them who are 18 or over.
Applicants under 18 are outside the functional English criterion. They are still within the visa's other age-related rule: applicants under 18, or 55 or older, must show they would be of exceptional benefit to the Australian community, and that benefit is expected to be ongoing, sustained and realised shortly after migration.
Two consequences follow from the age-at-application framing. First, a secondary applicant who turns 18 while the application is being processed does not, on the published criteria, become subject to the requirement mid-stream — it is assessed at lodgement. Second, the second instalment is described as applying to "any applicant aged 18 years or older who has less than functional English", so a partner or adult dependent child cannot rely on the main applicant's English evidence.
What does "functional English" mean for this visa?
The subclass 858 pages do not restate test scores or thresholds. They refer to the Department's separate functional English requirement, which is where the accepted forms of evidence are set out. Treat that page as the operative source for what counts, because it is the standard the 858 criteria incorporate by reference.
What the 858 pages do make explicit is the structure of the choice: either you show at least functional English, or you pay. There is no third pathway described, and no discretionary exemption is set out on the visa page.
Can you pay instead of proving English?
Yes. The charge is the second instalment of the visa application charge, and the Department states it is AUD4,890.
The mechanics matter more than the amount:
- It is charged per person. One second instalment applies to each applicant aged 18 or over with less than functional English.
- It is requested, not self-initiated. The Department says pay it only when asked, and that it asks only if it is going to grant the visa.
- It sits outside the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not account for the second instalment, health checks, police certificates or biometrics, so an estimate produced there is not the full amount payable.
| Show functional English | Pay the second instalment | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it covers | Each applicant 18+ at lodgement | Each applicant 18+ at lodgement with less than functional English |
| What you do at lodgement | Provide evidence of at least functional English | Provide a statement of intention to pay |
| Amount | No second instalment | AUD4,890 per person |
| When money is due | Not applicable | Only when the Department asks, and only if it intends to grant |
The choice is per person, not per application. In a mixed household — for example, a main applicant with English evidence and a partner without it — the statement and the charge attach only to the partner.
How do you declare the intention in ImmiAccount?
The Department's requirement is a declaration made through ImmiAccount, plus a written statement. The sequence is short:
- Sign in to your ImmiAccount.
- Open the subclass 858 application you have lodged.
- Record your intention to pay the second instalment instead of providing functional English evidence.
- Prepare a statement showing your intention to pay the second visa application charge.
- Name each person with less than functional English in that statement.
- Attach the statement to the application.
- Wait for the Department to tell you when to pay.
- Pay only the amount requested, at that point.
Step 7 is the one applicants most often get wrong. Declaring the intention is a lodgement-stage act; paying is a decision-stage act. Nothing on the visa page suggests the second instalment should be paid upfront alongside the base application charge.
When is the second instalment actually payable?
Only when the Department asks for it, and the Department asks only where it is going to grant the visa. That sequencing means the second instalment functions as a near-final step rather than a lodgement cost, and it means an application that is refused before that point would not have been asked for it.
For completeness on cost: the visa page states the second instalment is AUD4,890, and separately records a lower visa application cost for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens lodging a valid application from 1 July 2026, based on the primary applicant's passport. That concession is described in relation to the visa application cost; the second instalment remains a separate charge. The Department's National Innovation visa (Subclass 858) pages do not state the base application charge figure, and the Visa Pricing Estimator excludes the second instalment from any amount it estimates.
Does the English pathway affect the rest of the 858 criteria?
No. Functional English is one criterion among several, and choosing the payment route does not relax any of the others. You still need an invitation to apply, following an Expression of Interest, and you must apply within 60 days of that invitation. At the time of application you must attach a completed Nomination for National Innovation visa (Form 1000) signed by a nominator with a national reputation in your area, together with evidence of an internationally recognised record of exceptional and outstanding achievement that is sustained and unlikely to diminish, and evidence of current prominence. You still need the ability to establish yourself in Australia. Health and character requirements continue to apply to family members, including those not travelling with you.
Applications are processed in line with Ministerial Direction No. 120, which sets the order of consideration and indicators of exceptional and outstanding achievement. Published processing times are a guide based on recently decided applications, not a prediction for any individual case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need functional English for subclass 858?
Yes, if you are 18 or older when you apply. The Department's subclass 858 criteria require applicants in that age group to provide evidence of at least functional English, or to pay the second instalment instead.
Is my partner or adult child also covered?
Yes. The second instalment applies to any applicant aged 18 or over with less than functional English, and each such person attracts their own charge. One applicant's English evidence does not cover another.
How much is the second instalment charge?
AUD4,890 per person, as stated on the subclass 858 visa page. It is charged for each applicant aged 18 or over with less than functional English, and it is separate from the base visa application charge.
Do I need to tell the Department before I pay?
Yes. If you prefer to pay rather than show English evidence, you must tell the Department through your ImmiAccount and provide a statement showing your intention to pay for each person concerned. The Department then tells you when to make the payment.
When do I actually pay the second instalment?
Only when the Department asks you to, and the Department asks only if it is going to grant the visa. Do not pay it at lodgement, and note that the Visa Pricing Estimator does not include it.
What happens if the application is refused?
The visa page states that the application charge is not refunded if an application is refused. It also states the second instalment is requested only where the visa is to be granted, so the request and the decision are closely linked.
Does the Pacific Island and Timor-Leste concession remove the second instalment?
No. The concession described from 1 July 2026 applies to the visa application cost for eligible passport holders and their family members. The second instalment is identified separately as a charge for applicants aged 18 or over with less than functional English.