How to apply for subclass 887 online in 2026: ImmiAccount, payment and bridging visa

A step-by-step guide to lodging subclass 887 in ImmiAccount, why paying comes first, and how your bridging visa A takes effect.

Published: 8 October 2026

You lodge the Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) online through ImmiAccount, and the application does not move into processing until you pay the first instalment of the visa application charge. That sequence — log in or create an ImmiAccount, attach your documents, pay the first application charge, then note your transaction reference number (TRN) — is set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) official page as at July 2026.

Two consequences follow from that sequence, and they are the parts self-lodging applicants most often get wrong. Paying is not a formality at the end of the process; it is the trigger that puts the application into the queue. And lodging is itself the event that gives you a Bridging visa A (BVA), which sits behind your current visa and switches on if that visa expires before a decision is made.

What does applying online actually involve?

The online application is four actions, in this order.

Log in or create an ImmiAccount.
Attach your documents.
Pay the first instalment of the visa application charge.
Note your TRN.

Everything else — health exams, biometrics, additional documents — happens after lodgement, usually only if the Department asks for it.

Why is nothing happening until I pay?

Because the Department states plainly that it will not process your application until you pay the first instalment of the visa application charge. An application that has been filled in and saved but not paid for has not been lodged in any meaningful sense. It will not be processed until the first instalment is paid.

The practical check is simple: if you have a TRN and a payment record, you have lodged. If you have one and not the other, you have not finished.

What is the TRN and why does it matter?

The TRN is the transaction reference number generated when you lodge. It is the identifier for your application, and it is what you will need for every later interaction — checking whether more information has been requested, attaching documents you could not upload at lodgement, or notifying a change in your situation.

Record it somewhere you will still have access to in a year's time. The Department does not give status updates on applications under assessment; ImmiAccount is where you check whether anything is required from you.

Do I get a bridging visa when I lodge?

Yes. The Department states that when you applied for this visa, you were granted a Bridging visa A (BVA). You do not apply for it separately and you do not need to ask for it.

The BVA does not replace your current visa. It sits behind it and comes into effect only if your current visa expires before the Department decides your 887 application. While your current visa is still valid, you remain on that visa and its conditions.

While your 887 is being processed	What holds you lawfully in Australia
Your current visa is still valid	Your current visa, on its existing conditions; the BVA has been granted but is not yet in effect
Your current visa expires before the decision	The BVA comes into effect, and you stay in Australia on it while the application is processed
You ask to have your current visa cancelled, and it is cancelled	You are staying in Australia unlawfully, and your BVA ceases

Why must I not ask to have my current visa cancelled?

Because cancellation removes the very thing keeping you lawful. The Department's instruction is explicit: do not ask to have the visa you currently hold cancelled. If your visa is cancelled, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully and your BVA will cease.

The trap is easy to walk into. An applicant whose current eligible visa is close to expiry may reason that cancelling it would "activate" the BVA earlier and avoid a period on the wrong visa. It does the opposite — it leaves you unlawful with no bridging visa behind you. The BVA is designed to take over automatically at expiry. Letting the visa run out is the correct mechanism; asking for cancellation is not.

Do I have to be in Australia to apply, and to be granted?

The official pages answer this in two places, and the answer differs depending on which provision applies to you.

The application steps page states you can be inside or outside Australia when you apply, and that you can be outside Australia when the decision is made. The visa's "Apply from" section states that all applicants must be in Australia and hold an eligible visa at the time a subclass 887 application is made, unless COVID-19 concessions apply.

Read together, the in-Australia rule is the general position tied to holding an eligible visa, and the outside-Australia position reflects the concessions. If you are relying on being outside Australia, confirm your specific situation against the official page before lodging.

What should be ready before I start the online form?

The Department's guidance is to gather documents before you apply. Passports are the first gate: you and any family members included must have valid passports or travel documents to submit the application at all.

The evidence core of an 887 application is work and residence. Unless COVID-19 concessions apply, you must show you lived for at least 2 years and worked full-time — a minimum of 35 hours a week, which can be made up across more than one job in a week — for at least 12 months as the holder of an eligible visa, in a regional or low-population growth metropolitan area if a state or territory government nominated you, or a designated area of Australia if a family member sponsored you. Acceptable work evidence includes employment references on company letterhead showing position, period and weekly hours, ATO Notices of Assessment, bank statements showing salary deposits, superannuation documents and payslips. Residence evidence includes leases, utility bills, school reports and title deeds.

Character and English requirements also need to be settled in advance. An Australian police certificate is required if you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, and only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted — not standard disclosure certificates or state and territory police certificates. Those certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Forms 80 and 1221 must also be completed. Applicants aged 18 and over who have not paid the second instalment on their eligible visa need to show functional English, or they will be asked to pay the second instalment.

This is general information about how the published process works, not advice about your own eligibility, and it does not account for concessions or individual history. Where your circumstances are unusual, confirm them against the official page and against professional advice before you lodge.

What does the application cost, and when is the second instalment charged?

The Department states there is a charge for the main applicant, with concessions in limited circumstances, plus a charge for each family member applying with you. The official page does not publish a single figure for the main applicant; use the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out your cost. The estimator does not include the second instalment or other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.

The second instalment charge is AUD 4,890. It applies to a member of the family unit aged 18 or over who has less than functional English and who has not already paid a second instalment in respect of their eligible visa. Pay it only when asked — the Department asks for it only if it is going to grant the visa, and you pay it when the invoice is sent.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Eligibility is recognised from a valid passport issued by a listed country — including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste and others — held by the primary applicant, and family members are also eligible on that basis. The lower cost is charged during the application process in ImmiAccount.

What can I still change after lodging?

Less than most applicants expect.

You cannot add family members after you submit, except for a newborn child. A child born after you lodge but before the decision must be reported as soon as possible.
You can attach documents you did not upload at lodgement, and you should do so as soon as you can in ImmiAccount.
Mistakes on the application must be notified as soon as possible using Form 1023, attached in ImmiAccount.
Changes to your phone number, email, address or passport, changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, and any wish to withdraw must all be reported. Removing an application from ImmiAccount does not withdraw it.
If you travel outside Australia while the application is processed, you do not have to tell the Department. But make sure you have a valid visa to return, and check your current visa's travel entitlement through VEVO before you leave.

How long will the decision take?

The Department does not publish a fixed timeframe. It points applicants to the visa processing time guide tool, which shows times for recently decided applications and is a guide only, not specific to your application. Processing varies with whether the application was complete when lodged, how quickly you respond to requests, how long checks take — particularly health, character and national security checks involving external agencies — and how many places are available in the migration program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my 887 application lodged if I have not paid yet?

No. The Department states it will not process your application until you pay the first instalment of the visa application charge. An unpaid application is not in the queue.

Do I need to apply separately for a Bridging visa A?

No. The Department states you were granted a BVA when you applied for the 887. It comes into effect on its own if your current visa expires before a decision is made on your application.

What happens if I ask to cancel my current visa while waiting?

Do not do it. If your visa is cancelled you will be staying in Australia unlawfully and your BVA will cease, leaving you with no lawful status while the 887 is processed.

Can I travel overseas while my 887 is being processed?

Yes, and you do not have to notify the Department. The decision can be made while you are outside Australia, but you must make sure you hold a valid visa to return — check your current visa through VEVO before travelling.

When do I pay the second instalment of AUD 4,890?

Only when the Department sends you the invoice. It is requested only if the visa is going to be granted, and it applies to family-unit applicants aged 18 or over with less than functional English who have not already paid it on the eligible visa.

Can I add my partner or child after I have submitted the application?

No. Family members cannot be added after submission, and you must include each eligible family member at the time you lodge. The exception is a child born after you lodge but before the decision, which must be reported as soon as possible.

How do I fix a mistake I noticed after lodging?

Tell the Department as soon as possible by completing Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers and attaching it in ImmiAccount.