Must I Stay Outside Australia While My 116 Carer Visa Is Decided in 2026?
Whether you must stay outside Australia while a subclass 116 carer visa is assessed — at lodgement and at decision.
Yes. If you apply for a Carer visa (subclass 116), you must be outside Australia when you lodge the application and outside Australia when the Department of Home Affairs decides it. This is set out on the Department's official "Carer visa (Subclass 116)" page, and it appears three separate times across the application steps: before you apply, in the travel instructions after you apply, and in the section on your visa outcome. The material below reflects that page as published in July 2026; carer and other family visa settings can change, so treat the Department's current published version as the authority for your own planning. This article is general information only and is not individual advice about your circumstances.
Where exactly does the outside-Australia rule apply?
The rule attaches to two specific moments, not to the whole calendar year you spend waiting.
- When you apply. The page's official requirements state you must "be outside Australia when you apply and when we decide your application." The visa is also paper-only: you complete Form 47OF (Application for migration to Australia by other family members) and send it by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address shown on the form.
- When the decision is made. The same requirement repeats in the "After you apply" travel section and again under "Visa outcome": you must be outside Australia when the Department decides the application, and the Department will notify you of the decision in writing.
The practical consequence is that the obligation is continuous in effect even though it is expressed at two points. Holding an intention to leave before the decision is not enough; your location on the day of decision is what matters.
Can you travel to Australia at all while the application is on foot?
The instruction on the official page is unusually blunt: do not arrange to travel to Australia until you have been told, in writing, that the visa has been granted. That is stated as a travel instruction attached to the processing period, alongside the repeated requirement to be outside Australia at decision.
This creates a real planning problem for carers, because the wait is long. The Department notes that demand for Other Family visas exceeds the number of places available each year, that processing times for these applications can be lengthy, and that applications are subject to capping and queueing. The global visa processing times tool shows times for recently decided applications, but it is a guide only and is not specific to your application. Nothing in capping, queueing or a long wait relaxes the requirement to be offshore when the decision is made.
If you need to be in Australia during this period for another purpose, the safest assumption when reading the official instructions is that doing so puts your application at risk, because it conflicts with a requirement the Department has stated must be met at the moment of decision.
What happens if you are in Australia at decision time?
The official page states the requirement but does not set out a list of exceptions, and it does not describe a cure if you are onshore when the decision falls. Judging from the way the page is written, being outside Australia is treated as a condition that must be satisfied for the grant to be made rather than a preference. Because the decision itself cannot be finalised in your favour unless that requirement is met, arranging to be in Australia at that point directly affects the outcome rather than merely delaying it.
Two related points follow from the same page. The Department says plainly that it will not refund the application fee if the application is refused. And if your circumstances change — your address, phone number or passport, your marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, or a decision to withdraw — you are expected to notify the Department.
What should you be doing offshore while you wait?
Remaining outside Australia does not mean the file sits idle. Several steps have deadlines that affect whether the visa can be granted at all.
- Bupa medical certificate. Your relative, or their family member, must be assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services. The certificate must state that the person has a medical condition requiring a certain amount of care. If you did not include it with your application, provide it within three months of applying; if the certificate is not held by the time the decision is made, the visa will not be granted. Written evidence is also required that your Australian relative or their family member does not have reasonable access to care options in Australia.
- Importing your application. After you receive your acknowledgement letter, you can import the paper application into ImmiAccount using your application ID, date of birth and identity document number. That gives you online services: attaching supporting documents, viewing messages, updating details, checking application status, and withdrawing. The listed services include applying for a bridging visa, but nothing in that step overrides the requirement to be outside Australia when the decision is made.
- Health exams, biometrics and police certificates. Provide these only when asked. The Department specifically says not to arrange police certificates until requested.
- Second instalment. This is invoiced after you have met all other requirements for the visa, and it must be paid or the visa will not be granted. The Department may consider reducing it to nil if you can show us it is likely to cause you or the person you are caring for severe financial hardship, but not for family members applying with you.
When does the outside-Australia requirement finally end?
It ends when you receive written notice of the grant, not before. The decision letter sets out your visa grant number, the date the visa starts, the date you must enter Australia by, and your visa conditions. Keep a copy of it.
From there, the timing moves to the first entry date. The Department states that you must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter, and that the first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant. If you do not travel before that date, you can still travel with an expired first entry arrival date if the visa itself remains valid, but the visa may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. You can check whether the visa is still valid using VEVO.
Two consequences of that first entry are worth noting. You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted, and the visa lets you stay indefinitely; but for citizenship purposes your permanent residence starts on the day you enter Australia on the visa. Once you have entered, you may travel to and from Australia as often as you like for five years from the date of grant, after which you would need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be in Australia while my subclass 116 application is being processed?
The official requirement is that you be outside Australia both when you apply and when the Department decides the application. Being onshore at either point conflicts with that requirement.
What if there is a family emergency and I need to travel before the decision?
The page instructs applicants not to arrange travel to Australia until written notice of grant has been received. Because the decision cannot be made in your favour unless you are outside Australia at that moment, travelling beforehand changes the risk profile of the application rather than just the timing.
How long do I have to enter Australia after the visa is granted?
You must enter before the date stated in your grant letter, which is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant. Use VEVO to confirm the visa is still valid before booking travel.
My first entry date has already passed. Is the visa gone?
Not automatically. The Department says you may travel with an expired first entry arrival date if the visa is still valid, but the visa may still be cancelled before arrival or at the border.
Does being onshore cost me the application fee?
The page states the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. It sets the offshore requirement as a condition for deciding the application and does not describe a refund pathway.
How do I check my visa details once granted?
Use VEVO to see your visa validity, conditions, work and study entitlements, and when your travel facility ends. Your visa is digitally linked to your passport; you will not receive a label.