After Lodging Subclass 101 in 2026: Importing to ImmiAccount and Uploading Documents

How to import a paper Child visa (subclass 101) application into ImmiAccount, and what online services that unlocks.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

Yes — a paper Child visa (subclass 101) application can be brought into ImmiAccount, and you can do it as soon as you receive the acknowledgement letter. Importing requires three pieces of information: the application ID, the applicant's date of birth, and the identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage). This reflects the Department of Home Affairs' official Child visa (subclass 101) page and its ImmiAccount guidance. The steps below describe published procedure only and are general information rather than personalised advice — because a child's circumstances vary, anything specific to a particular case should be checked against the current official pages or with a qualified professional.

Why the acknowledgement letter is the trigger

Subclass 101 is a paper-only visa. The application is made on Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia), posted or couriered to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. Because there is no online lodgement step, ImmiAccount has no record of the case until you create one yourself by importing it.

The Department states you should receive an acknowledgement of the application within approximately one month of lodgement. That letter carries the application ID you need for the import, which is why the import step cannot be completed before it arrives.

What three details do you need to import the application?

Required item	What the Department accepts
Application ID	The identifier shown on your acknowledgement letter
Date of birth	The applicant's date of birth
Identity document number	Passport number, ImmiCard number, or Titre de Voyage number

If any one of the three does not match the Department's record, the import will not attach the application to your account. Keep the acknowledgement letter and a copy of the lodged forms together, since those are the documents the three values are taken from.

Which subclass 101 applications can be imported?

ImmiAccount can hold any new or existing applications for this visa made in Australia. You can also import existing applications made outside Australia that were lodged on or after 1 April 2020.

That date matters because subclass 101 must generally be applied for from outside Australia. So the practical question is usually whether the lodgement fell on or after 1 April 2020: if it did, importing is available; if it was lodged outside Australia before that date, the application sits outside the import route, and the paper-based channels below apply instead.

What online services does importing unlock?

Once the application is in ImmiAccount, the Department lists the following as available through online services:

attaching supporting documents to the application
viewing messages
updating your details
viewing application status
applying for a Bridging Visa (BV)
withdrawing the application

In other words, importing is what converts a posted application into a case you can service online. Without it, the remaining route for sending anything to the processing centre is the departmental online form covered further down.

How do you upload documents after importing?

If you did not include all the necessary documents when you applied, or the Department later asks for more information, upload them into ImmiAccount once the application has been imported. The same route is used for several post-lodgement forms:

Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers), if you need to correct a mistake on the application — the Department asks to be told as soon as possible
Form 956A (Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient), if you want to change who receives correspondence
Form 956 (Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person), if you want to change who provides immigration assistance

Uploading through ImmiAccount replaces sending these separately by post, and it also means the documents are attached to the case record rather than arriving as loose correspondence.

What if you cannot use ImmiAccount, or the application was lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020?

Use the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form. Attach the additional documents, or the completed Form 1023, Form 956 or Form 956A, to that form instead of uploading them to ImmiAccount.

This is the fallback channel the Department publishes for paper child visa cases that cannot be imported, and it covers both the older outside-Australia lodgements and anyone who simply cannot access ImmiAccount.

What else changes once the case is in ImmiAccount?

Importing does not speed the case up. The Department states it cannot provide progress updates while an application is within the published global visa processing times, and will contact you if anything further is needed. The practical benefit is that you can see messages, status and your own details in one place, and act on requests without waiting for postal correspondence.

Other post-lodgement points still apply independently of importing:

Do not arrange for the child to travel to Australia until the Department notifies you in writing that the visa has been granted.
The Department will tell you when to arrange health examinations, and will tell you if biometrics are required.
A child's dependent child can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made.
Changes to phone number, address or passport, changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, or a decision to withdraw the application all need to be notified after lodgement. Withdrawal itself is one of the actions available in ImmiAccount once imported.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I import my subclass 101 application into ImmiAccount?

You can import it after you receive the acknowledgement letter, which the Department says you should get within approximately one month of lodgement. The import needs the application ID from that letter, plus the applicant's date of birth and identity document number.

What counts as the identity document number for the import?

The Department accepts a passport number, an ImmiCard number, or a Titre de Voyage number. Use the same document the applicant was identified by in the paper application, so the three values match the Department's record.

Can I import a subclass 101 application lodged outside Australia?

Yes, for existing applications made outside Australia that were lodged on or after 1 April 2020; applications made in Australia can be imported whether they are new or existing. For an outside-Australia lodgement before 1 April 2020, use the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form instead of ImmiAccount.

How do I correct a mistake on the application after lodging?

Complete Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers) and tell the Department as soon as you can. If the application has been imported, upload the completed form in ImmiAccount; otherwise attach it to the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.

Does uploading documents through ImmiAccount affect processing time?

It does not change the queue position, and the Department does not give progress updates while an application is within global visa processing times. What it does is put your documents, messages and status on the same record, so requests from the Department can be answered without postal delays.

Can I withdraw the application online?

Withdrawal is listed among the online services available in ImmiAccount once a paper application has been imported. A decision to withdraw is also one of the changes the Department asks to be told about after lodgement.