How to Apply for Subclass 835 on Paper in 2026: Forms 47OF and 40

How to lodge a paper Subclass 835 application in 2026: Form 47OF for you, Form 40 for your sponsor, payment, and posting to Perth.

Published: 12 October 2026

A Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) application is split across two paper forms: you complete Form 47OF as the main applicant, your sponsor completes Form 40, and the two are posted together. You cannot lodge it online, you cannot pay in person, and you cannot hand it in — the application goes by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, Western Australia. This reflects the Department of Home Affairs' Remaining Relative visa (subclass 835) page as at October 2026, read alongside Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994.

The steps below describe the published process in general terms. They are not an assessment of any individual case, and the criteria that bind a particular application, including any later amendment to them, should be checked against the Department's current official pages and, where your circumstances are complicated, against professional advice.

Which form does each person fill in?

Form	Who completes it	What it covers
Form 47OF — Application for migration to Australia by other family members	You, the main applicant	Your identity, your family members included in the application, and your claims to be a remaining relative
Form 40 — Sponsorship for migration to Australia	Your sponsor	The sponsor's details and their undertaking to sponsor your migration

Form 47OF must be completed in English. Any person included in your application — a partner, dependent children — is dealt with inside the one Form 47OF, supported by their own documents; they do not lodge a separate Form 40, because the sponsorship in Form 40 must cover them as well.

Who can sign Form 40 as your sponsor?

Your migration must be sponsored by your eligible relative, or by that relative's eligible partner. According to the Department's page, the sponsor must be aged 18 years or older and must be a settled Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen. The Migration Regulations 1994 also express the sponsorship requirement in terms of the sponsor being usually resident in Australia.

That means Form 40 is not a formality your relative signs and forgets. The sponsor has to prove both limbs: who they are, and their status in Australia.

What documents go in the envelope?

The Department's page groups the supporting documents by purpose rather than by form, but they all travel with the same paper application.

Your identity. Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates. Also provide a national identity card if you have one, and proof of any change of name — 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.

Proof of the relationship to your sponsor. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, adoption certificates, and family status certificates or family books where these are officially issued and maintained.

Proof of your sponsor's status. A citizenship certificate, a passport, or — for eligible New Zealand citizens — a valid visa.

Character documents. The Department asks for police certificates only when it asks for them, so do not arrange them in advance.

Dependants under 18. Identity documents, proof of your relationship to them such as a birth or marriage certificate, and character documents where applicable.

Dependants over 18. Identity documents, documents about their other relationships where applicable, character documents, and proof of dependency. A child can only be included as a dependent child if they are under 18 years, or over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or over 23 years of age, unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner.

Your partner. Identity documents, character documents, documents about other relationships where applicable, and either your current marriage certificate or enough documents to show a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before you apply — joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, or documents showing your partner lived at the same address as you.

If someone is helping you, that is handled by separate forms: Form 956A to appoint someone to receive correspondence, and Form 956 to appoint a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person to give immigration assistance. Only those three categories of person can lawfully give immigration assistance.

How do you pay for a paper application?

You pay the first instalment at the time you apply, and you pay it before the application is submitted. The Department's page directs applicants to the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount for this, and to include evidence that the application has been paid for with the application itself. You cannot pay in person. Other payment options are set out on the Department's "how to pay" page; the amounts payable are those published by the Department at the time you lodge, and these can change.

The second instalment comes later. The Department sends an invoice for it once you have met all other requirements for the visa, and the visa cannot be granted until it is paid.

Where do you send it, and can you hand it in?

No — you cannot submit this application in person. Send it by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, Western Australia, at the address shown on the form. Include all required documents and forms in the one parcel.

Two rules about the physical envelope matter more than people expect. Send certified copies, not original documents. Keep a complete copy of the finished application, including supporting documents, for your own records.

What makes a paper 835 application invalid?

If any of the required steps are incomplete, the application may be invalid — and the Department does not process invalid applications. It will notify you if that happens, and will return the application if you ask it to. A missing Form 40 or a missing payment is therefore not a small delay; it can stop the application before assessment begins.

Do you have to be in Australia?

Yes, at both ends. You must be in Australia when you apply, and you must be in Australia when the Department makes its decision. If you want to travel while the application is being processed, you need to tell the Department, and you need a valid visa to return on. The Department also warns against cancelling your current visa: doing so leaves you unlawful and ineligible for a bridging visa. A bridging visa is granted when you apply, and it starts if your current visa expires before a decision is made.

What happens after the parcel is posted?

The Department confirms receipt of the application and documents. Once you have the acknowledgement letter, you can import the paper application into ImmiAccount — new and existing applications for this visa can both be imported. Importing needs three pieces of information: your application ID, your date of birth, and your identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number).

Once imported, ImmiAccount gives you access to attach supporting documents, view messages, update your details, view your application status, apply for a Bridging visa, and withdraw the application. If you cannot use ImmiAccount, additional documents can be sent through the Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.

A few things follow on their own timetable rather than yours. Health examinations and biometrics are requested only if they are needed. The Department does not provide progress updates within normal processing times, and will contact you if anything further is required. If you made a mistake on the application, you notify it on Form 1023 — uploaded through ImmiAccount if imported, or attached to the Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form if not. Changes such as a new phone number, email, address or passport, a change in marital or de facto status, or the birth of a child also need to be notified.

The outcome arrives in writing. A grant letter sets out your visa grant number, the date the visa starts, and your visa conditions; a refusal letter sets out why the application was refused and whether you have a right to review. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Separately, Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 conditions a grant on an assurance of support having been accepted by the Secretary of Social Services, so read the current legislative text as well as the Department's page when planning the later stages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I lodge subclass 835 online?

No. This visa must be applied for on paper, and you must be in Australia when you apply. Online management is still available afterwards: once you receive the acknowledgement letter, you can import the application into ImmiAccount and use the online services from there.

Do my sponsor and I send the forms separately?

They travel together. Form 40 is completed by your sponsor, but the Department's instruction is to include all required documents and forms with the application, so Form 40 should be inside the same parcel as your Form 47OF.

Should I include original documents?

No. The Department asks for certified copies only, and advises you to keep a copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records. Originals stay with you.

Can I pay after I have posted the application?

No. The first instalment must be paid when you apply, and before the application is submitted, using the payment function in ImmiAccount; evidence of payment goes in with the application. Paying in person is not an option.

What if I need to leave Australia while it is being processed?

Tell the Department that you want to travel, and make sure you hold a valid visa to return on. The binding point is the decision: you must be in Australia when the Department decides the application.

Will the Department tell me how my application is progressing?

Not within normal processing times — the Department states it cannot provide those updates. It will contact you if you need to provide anything further, and it will request health examinations, biometrics or police certificates only if they are required.

Is the fee refunded if the visa is refused?

No. The Department states that the application fee will not be refunded if the application is refused. The refusal letter will explain why, and whether you have a right to a review of the decision.