When Is the Second Instalment Due for Subclass 884 in 2026?
Explains when the Subclass 884 second instalment falls due, what triggers the invoice, and why an unpaid invoice leads to refusal.
The second instalment for a Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) falls due just before the visa is granted — not on a date you choose, and not at lodgement. According to the Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) official page, as at the August 2026 version, you must pay a second instalment before the visa will be granted; the Department sends an invoice when it is due; and if you do not pay the invoice, the application will be refused. Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 records the same requirement, with the note to clause 884.411 tying the second instalment to the point of grant.
When is the second instalment due?
It is an event-based deadline rather than a calendar date. The official page sets no fixed number of days from lodgement; instead, the payment obligation is triggered when the Department issues an invoice, and it must be cleared before the grant is made. "Pay the second instalment" appears among the post-lodgement steps alongside health examinations, biometrics and requests for further information, so in practice it arrives at the very end of a long wait rather than early in the queue.
The contrast with the first instalment is what catches applicants out:
| First instalment | Second instalment | |
|---|---|---|
| When it is payable | At the time you apply, on paper | Before the visa is granted |
| What triggers it | Lodging the application | An invoice the Department sends when it is due |
| If you do not pay | The application may be invalid and will not be processed | The application will be refused |
| Refund on refusal | The official page states the application fee is not refunded | No refund pathway is described for amounts already paid |
Because the trigger is an invoice, the practical task is not diarising a date but making sure the invoice reaches you and that the money is sitting ready when it does.
What triggers the invoice, and how will you know it has arrived?
The Department sends the invoice when the payment is due; nothing on the official page suggests you can set the timing yourself, and no mechanism for paying ahead of the invoice is described. That makes your contact details load-bearing. The official page asks you to notify changes to your phone number, email, address, passport, relationship status and family composition while the application is on hand, and to notify changes to who receives your correspondence.
One step genuinely helps here. A subclass 884 application cannot be lodged online — it is a paper application, lodged in Australia and not in immigration clearance — but once you receive your acknowledgement letter you can import the paper application into ImmiAccount. Importing it gives you access to online services, including viewing messages the Department sends you, attaching documents and checking application status. For a payment deadline that arrives without warning after years of waiting, that inbox is the difference between seeing the invoice and missing it.
What happens if the second instalment is not paid?
The consequence is stated bluntly on the official page: if you do not pay the invoice, the Department will refuse your application. This is not a request for more information or a holding pattern — non-payment is itself a ground of refusal, and it can undo an application that otherwise met every criterion.
Two follow-on points matter for budgeting. First, the official page states that the application fee is not refunded where an application is refused. Second, if the visa is refused, the Department will tell you why and whether you have a right to a review of the decision. Review applications to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal are generally expected within about 21 days of receiving the refusal notification, and review periods can change.
Does paying the second instalment mean the visa will be granted?
No. Paying the invoice removes one barrier; it does not decide the application. The criteria that must still be satisfied at the time of decision are set out in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 and include continuing to meet the aged parent relationship, having sponsorship that has been approved, and satisfying the applicable public interest criteria covering health, character and related matters. The official page also states that you must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when the decision is made.
That last condition has a budget and logistics consequence. If you want to travel while the application is on hand, the official page requires you to notify the Department first; you also need a valid visa to return, and you need to be back in Australia for the decision itself. The official page notes that applying in Australia is likely to result in a bridging visa, which starts if your current visa expires before the decision; it also warns against cancelling your current visa, since doing so may leave you unlawful and ineligible for a bridging visa.
How should you budget for a payment with no fixed date?
Treat the second instalment as a liability you carry for years, not a bill you plan for next quarter. The official page directs applicants to the Parent visa queue release dates for processing-time information, and subclass 884 sits in a capped, queue-managed parent stream, so the invoice can arrive long after the first instalment was paid. No amount is set out on the official page, and visa charges change over time; confirm the current figure against the Department's latest published information before you fix a number in your budget.
A workable approach, using only what the official page supports:
- Set the funds aside at lodgement, at the same time as you pay the first instalment.
- Keep those funds separate and untouched for the full life of the application.
- Update your phone number, email and address with the Department whenever they change.
- Import your paper application into ImmiAccount so you can see messages.
- Plan any travel so you are in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when the decision is made.
- Assume that every instalment paid is committed money, since the fee is not refunded on refusal.
Does the second instalment end the cost of the parent pathway?
No. Under Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, subclass 884 is a temporary visa of up to two years and the step that precedes the Contributory Aged Parent visa (Subclass 864). Moving from 884 to 864 is a separate application with its own charges. Anyone mapping the full cost of a contributory parent pathway should therefore budget in stages — first instalment, second instalment, then a later permanent-stage application — rather than treating the 884 second instalment as the final payment. Confirm the current position on the Department's official pages, as visa settings and charges are updated over time.
This article is general information about how the published rules work, not advice tailored to any one application; verify the amounts, timing and criteria against the Department's current published pages, and seek professional advice about your own circumstances before acting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fixed deadline for paying the Subclass 884 second instalment?
No fixed date applies. The Department of Home Affairs' official page states that you must pay the second instalment before it will grant the visa, and that it sends an invoice when the payment is due. The deadline is therefore the one set out in your invoice, not a date calculated from your lodgement date.
Can I pay the second instalment before the invoice arrives?
The official page does not describe any mechanism for paying early. It states only that the Department sends an invoice when the second instalment is due and that payment is required before grant. The practical response is to hold the funds ready rather than to try to pay ahead.
What happens if I simply do not pay the second instalment?
The official page states that the Department will refuse the application if the invoice is not paid. The application fee is not refunded where an application is refused, and the Department will tell you why it refused and whether you have a right to a review.
Will I get a refund if my application is refused?
The official page states that the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused, and it sets out no refund pathway for instalments already paid. For budgeting purposes, every instalment should be treated as committed once paid.
Does paying the second instalment guarantee the visa will be granted?
No. The second instalment is a precondition to grant, not a decision on the merits. The criteria set out in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994 must still be met at the time of decision, and the official page requires you to be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when the decision is made.
How can I avoid missing the invoice?
Keep your phone number, email and address current with the Department, and import your paper application into ImmiAccount once you have your acknowledgement letter. Importing gives you access to the Department's messages, application status and document uploads, which is where an invoice and any related correspondence will surface.
Is the 884 second instalment the last payment on the parent pathway?
No. Under Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, subclass 884 is a temporary visa of up to two years and the precursor to the Contributory Aged Parent visa (Subclass 864). The move to 864 is a fresh application carrying its own charges, so the pathway should be budgeted in stages.