Managing Your Subclass 838 Application After Lodgement in 2026
What to do after lodging a paper Subclass 838 application: importing it into ImmiAccount, sending documents, adding family and paying later.
Once a paper Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 838) application is lodged, the Department of Home Affairs acknowledges receipt of the application and documents, and the applicant's practical next step is to import the paper application into ImmiAccount. According to the Department of Home Affairs Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 838) official page, as of the August 2026 official page, importing is possible after the acknowledgement letter arrives, and it is what unlocks online management of the file. Everything below describes published procedure only; it is general information rather than advice on an individual case, so decisions about your own circumstances should be checked against the official page or with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.
What actually happens immediately after lodgement?
The Department confirms it has received the application and documents, and then the file sits with the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre. The application itself must have been lodged on paper while the applicant was in Australia and not in immigration clearance, and that same presence rule applies at the moment of decision.
Importing the application is the applicant's own action, not something the Department does automatically. Until it is imported, online services for that application are not available.
How do you import the paper application into ImmiAccount?
The steps published on the official page are:
- Create a new ImmiAccount or log in to an existing one.
- Import the application by entering three items: the application ID, the date of birth, and the identity document number — that is, the Passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number.
The same facility covers new and existing applications for this visa, so a household with more than one 838 application can bring them into the same account.
What can you do online once it is imported?
Importing gives access to a defined set of online services for the application:
| Online service | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Attach supporting documents | Uploading further evidence during processing |
| View messages | Reading correspondence from the Department |
| Update your details | Contact and other personal detail changes |
| View application status | Seeing the recorded status of the application |
| Apply for a Bridging Visa (BV) | Lodging a bridging visa through the account |
| Withdraw the application | Ending the application if you choose to |
Anything not on that list — for example asking for an assessment update — is not an online function for this visa.
Will the Department give you progress updates?
No. The official page states that the Department cannot provide updates on an application's progress within normal processing times. Contact is initiated by the Department when something is needed from the applicant — further information, health examinations, biometrics (fingerprints and photo), an assurance of support, or the second instalment invoice.
That asymmetry is the main thing to plan around: silence is not a signal to do anything, and it is not a signal that something is wrong.
How do you send more documents after lodgement?
If documents were missing at lodgement, or the Department later asks for more, there are only two published channels:
- If the application has been imported, upload the additional documents into ImmiAccount.
- If ImmiAccount cannot be used, attach them to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.
Do not arrange police certificates in advance. The official page instructs applicants not to obtain police certificates until the Department asks for them.
When is the second instalment payable?
The second instalment is paid only when the Department tells you to. The invoice is issued after the applicant has met all other requirements for the visa, and the visa cannot be granted if the instalment is not paid. There is no step the applicant takes to accelerate this; the invoice is the trigger.
Can family members be added after lodgement?
Family members may be added before a decision is made, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, together with evidence of the relationship and the family member's passport. Three conditions matter:
- The family member must be in Australia at the time they are added. For example, suppose an applicant wants to add an adult child who is still living overseas and has not travelled to Australia — on the published rule that person cannot be added at that point.
- Added members must meet the health requirement and the character requirements.
- The completed form and documents can be uploaded through ImmiAccount if the application has been imported.
What if something in the application is wrong, or your representative changes?
Incorrect answers are corrected with Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. Changes to who assists or receives correspondence are handled by Form 956 (registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person) and Form 956A (authorised recipient), including withdrawal of an existing appointment.
Each of these forms can be uploaded through ImmiAccount once the application is imported; otherwise the completed form is attached to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.
What must you keep doing while you wait?
The waiting period has a few continuing obligations rather than a task list that moves the file forward:
- Stay lawful. Hold a valid visa throughout processing. A bridging visa was granted when the application was lodged; if the current visa expires before the decision, the bridging visa starts. Do not cancel the current visa — doing so means staying unlawfully and losing eligibility for a bridging visa.
- Tell the Department about travel. Because the applicant must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, at the time of decision, travel outside Australia needs to be notified, and a valid visa is needed to return.
- Report changes. Changes to phone number, address or passport, the birth of a child, and any wish to withdraw the application all need to be notified.
- Respond to requests. Health examinations, biometrics and an assurance of support are each requested when required; the assurance of support is provided when asked.
How is the outcome delivered?
The decision is given in writing, and the applicant must be in Australia and not in immigration clearance when it is made. If the visa is refused, the written notice states why and whether there is a right to a review of the decision. The application fee is not refunded on refusal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is importing the application into ImmiAccount compulsory?
The official page does not make importing a requirement, but it is the mechanism for online services. Without it, document uploads and status viewing are unavailable, and further material has to go through the Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form instead.
What three details are needed to import a paper 838 application?
The application ID, the applicant's date of birth, and the identity document number. The identity document can be a passport, an ImmiCard or a Titre de Voyage.
Can the Department tell me my application's position in the queue?
No. The Department states it cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times. It makes contact when it needs further information, health examinations, biometrics, an assurance of support or the second instalment payment.
Can I add a relative who is currently outside Australia?
No, not while they remain outside Australia. Any family member added after lodgement must be in Australia at the time they are added, and must also meet the health and character requirements.
When will I be asked for the second instalment?
You will receive an invoice after you have met all other requirements for the visa. Paying it is necessary for the grant; the visa cannot be granted if the instalment is unpaid.
Should I cancel my current visa while the 838 is being processed?
No. Cancelling it leaves you in Australia unlawfully and makes you ineligible for a bridging visa. If your current visa expires before the decision, the bridging visa granted at lodgement begins.
Do I need to send police certificates with the application?
No. The Department asks applicants not to arrange police certificates until it requests them, so character documents are supplied on request rather than at lodgement.