What Does the Subclass 115 Visa Cost in 2026 — and When Is the Second Instalment Due?
Explains the Subclass 115 two-part visa charge, when the second instalment is invoiced, and which costs the official pricing estimator leaves out.
The Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 115) is charged in two instalments: you pay the first when you lodge the application, and the second only after the Department of Home Affairs sends you an invoice — which happens once you have met every other requirement for the visa. As at the July 2026 version of the Department's official Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 115) page, the visa "costs from" a published base amount, with concessions available in limited circumstances, and applicants are pointed to the Visa Pricing Estimator for their own figure. That estimator covers the first instalment only; it does not include the second instalment, health checks, police certificates or biometrics.
This is general information about how the published charge is structured, not advice tailored to any one application, so check your own number against the official estimator and take professional advice where your circumstances are unusual.
How does the two-instalment system work?
The visa application charge is split rather than billed as a single sum. The split is not optional and it is not something you can elect to pay early.
| Part | When it is payable | Shown in the estimator? |
|---|---|---|
| First instalment | When you apply, before the application is submitted | Yes |
| Second instalment | Only when the Department invoices you, after you meet all other requirements | No |
| Health checks, police certificates, biometrics | As and when they are required or requested | No |
The practical consequence is that the figure you see at lodgement is never the full cost of getting the visa to grant.
When exactly is the second instalment due?
There is no fixed date, and no set number of months after lodgement. The Department issues an invoice for the second instalment after you have met all other requirements for the visa, and you then pay it.
That trigger sits at the end of the process, not the start. The requirements that typically have to be cleared first include the ones the Department asks for in stages: health examinations, which you are told about rather than arranging yourself; police certificates, which the page specifically says not to organise until you are asked for them; biometrics, if requested; and an assurance of support, which you provide when asked. The second instalment invoice arrives after that set of requirements is satisfied.
The consequence of not paying is stated plainly: you must pay the instalment, or the visa cannot be granted. Payment is a precondition of the grant, not an administrative formality that can be tidied up afterwards.
Assume, for example, an applicant who has completed health examinations and provided police certificates for every family member included in the application. The invoice that follows is the point at which the second instalment becomes due; there is nothing to pay on that account before it is issued, and nothing gained by trying to pay it earlier.
What does the Visa Pricing Estimator leave out?
The estimator gives you a figure for the first instalment based on your circumstances. It explicitly does not take into account the second instalment or other costs.
The "other costs" named on the visa page are:
- health checks
- police certificates
- biometrics
Each of these is arranged separately and priced separately from the visa application charge, and none of them appears in the estimator output. A further structural point: because the second instalment is invoiced after the other requirements are met, there is no way to know from the estimator what the combined total will be at the time you lodge.
What happens if the first instalment is wrong?
The Department cannot process an application if the correct visa application charge has not been paid. If that occurs, you are notified, and the application is returned if necessary.
For a Subclass 115 application this matters more than it might for an online lodgement, because the visa must be applied for on paper. The first instalment has to be paid before the application is submitted, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount; you cannot pay for this visa in person. Evidence that the application has been paid for must be included with the application itself.
If any of the lodgement steps are incomplete — including payment — the application may be invalid, and invalid applications are not processed.
Does the cost change when family members apply with you?
Yes. There is an extra charge for each family member who applies with you. Members of the family unit can be included when you apply, and can also be added at any time before a decision is made, so the charge can change after lodgement if your family composition does.
Concessions apply in limited circumstances. One is set out specifically on the page: from 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Eligibility is recognised through a valid passport issued by one of the listed countries — Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu — held by the primary applicant. Family members are also eligible for the lower charge on that basis, and the lower amount is applied during the application process in ImmiAccount.
What else should you plan around?
Two things sit behind the payment schedule and are worth holding in mind while budgeting.
The first is timing. Other Family visas, which include this subclass, are subject to capping and queueing, and demand for places each year exceeds the number available, so processing can be lengthy. The Department does not provide progress updates within normal processing times. A lengthy wait does not change the rule about when the second instalment falls due, but it does mean the gap between paying the first instalment and being invoiced for the second can be long, and costs such as health checks may need to be incurred in that window.
The second is finality. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Combined with the rule that an incorrect charge prevents processing altogether, the safest approach is to confirm the first instalment amount through the official estimator at the time you lodge rather than relying on a figure remembered from an earlier check.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I pay both instalments at the same time?
No. The first instalment is paid when you apply, and the second is paid only when the Department invoices you for it. The two payments are separated by the assessment process, not by a fixed interval.
When will I be invoiced for the second instalment?
The Department sends the invoice after you have met all other requirements for the visa, including any health, character and assurance of support requirements that apply to you. There is no fixed date set at lodgement.
What happens if I do not pay the second instalment?
The visa cannot be granted. Paying the invoiced instalment is a condition of grant, so an otherwise complete application will not result in a visa while it remains unpaid.
Does the Visa Pricing Estimator show my total cost?
No. It does not take the second instalment into account, and it does not include health checks, police certificates or biometrics. Treat its output as the first instalment only.
Is there an extra charge for family members?
Yes, there is an extra charge for each family member who applies with you. Family members can also be added to the application at any time before a decision is made, which can change the total charge after lodgement.
Are Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants charged less?
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible citizens of a listed set of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste who lodge a valid application. Eligibility is based on the primary applicant holding a valid passport from one of those countries, and family members are eligible on the same basis.
Is the application fee refunded if the visa is refused?
No. The Department states that the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Nor is an application processed at all if the correct visa application charge was not paid.