Lower visa charges for Pacific applicants on subclass 114 from July 2026
How the lower subclass 114 visa application charge for Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens works from 1 July 2026, and how eligibility is assessed.
From 1 July 2026, eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114) application are charged a lower visa application charge (VAC), and the Australian Department of Home Affairs applies it during the application process in ImmiAccount rather than on request. This is what the Department's official Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114) page says, as at the August 2026 version of that page.
What changes on 1 July 2026, and what does not
The change is confined to price. The visa itself is unchanged: subclass 114 remains a permanent visa that lets the holder stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Medicare, sponsor relatives, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible. Travel to and from Australia runs for five years from the date of grant, after which a Resident Return visa (subclass 155/157) is needed to re-enter as a permanent resident.
What is new is that a lower VAC applies to eligible applicants from the listed Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste who lodge a valid application from 1 July 2026. The published rule ties the lower charge to the lodging of a valid application, so applications lodged before that date fall outside it.
How does the Department work out who gets the lower charge?
Through the passport. The Department says it will recognise eligible applicants when they apply with a valid passport from one of the specified countries, and will charge the lower VAC during the application process in ImmiAccount. Eligibility therefore turns on two things at once: the passport must be valid, and it must have been issued by a listed country.
Which passports qualify?
The primary applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following:
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Nauru
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
Do family members pay the lower charge too?
Yes. Family members included in the application are also eligible for the lower VAC, and the Department bases that on the passport of the primary applicant or visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria — not on each family member's own travel document. For subclass 114, family members means dependent children and stepchildren; all applicants must still meet health and character requirements, and details of all family members must be listed whether or not they are migrating.
What does the lower charge cover?
It is a reduction of the visa application charge, which for this visa is paid in two instalments — the first when you apply, the second when the Department asks for it. There is also a separate charge for each family member who applies with you, and costs that sit alongside the charge rather than inside it: health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Because specific amounts change and depend on the composition of the application, the amount that applies to a given case is the one shown for that application when it is lodged; the Visa Pricing Estimator does not factor in the second instalment or those other costs.
Where does the application have to be lodged?
You and every applicant must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the Department decides the application. One consequence of the pricing rule is worth noting: the Department states it cannot process an application if the correct visa application charge is not paid, and it will notify the applicant and, if necessary, return the application.
Does a lower charge change how long subclass 114 takes?
No. Demand for Other Family visas exceeds the places available each year, applications are subject to capping and queueing, and processing times can be lengthy. The charge reduction does not move an application up any queue. Once granted, the holder must enter Australia before the date in the grant letter, generally set 12 months from the date of grant.
Charge settings move with each program year and whether a household qualifies turns on its own documents, so treat this as general information rather than advice on an individual case — confirm the current charge and your own position against the Department's official page or with a qualified adviser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to request the reduced charge separately?
No separate request is described. The Department states it will recognise eligible applicants from the passport they apply with and charge the lower VAC during the application process in ImmiAccount.
What if my passport is close to expiring?
The rule is expressed in terms of a valid passport issued by a listed country, so an expired document will not meet it. Renewing before lodgement is the straightforward way to keep the passport valid at the time you apply.
My child holds a passport from a country not on the list — do they still get the lower charge?
Yes, if the primary applicant holds a valid passport from a listed country. The concession for family members is based on the primary applicant's passport, not on each family member's own nationality or travel document.
Does the reduced charge speed up a decision?
No. Subclass 114 applications remain subject to capping and queueing within the Other Family visa categories, and processing times can be lengthy. The change affects cost only.
Can I apply while I am in Australia?
No. You and all applicants must be outside Australia when you apply and when the Department makes its decision on the application.
Does the lower charge apply to the second instalment as well?
The published rule says a lower VAC applies to eligible applicants who lodge a valid application; the two-instalment structure is unchanged. Check the charge shown for your own application and the Department's current fees and charges information for how it breaks down.