A Carer visa costs A$4,785 in government charges for one carer applying from 1 July 2026: a first instalment of A$2,720 paid when the application is lodged and a second instalment of A$2,065 paid before the visa is granted. Each partner or child added pays a first instalment of A$1,365 (18 or older) or A$680 (under 18) plus their own A$2,065 second instalment, and the carer assessment, health examinations and police certificates cost extra.
The charges are the same for subclass 116 (outside Australia) and subclass 836 (in Australia). They come from Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) and the Department of Home Affairs' current visa pricing page, updated 1 July 2026.
Charges from the Department's price list and the Migration Regulations, from 1 July 2026. The assessment fee is Bupa's, a non-government source.
How much does a Carer visa cost?
A Carer visa costs A$4,785 in visa charges for a single carer with a standard passport, or A$4,295 for a carer with a Pacific or Timor-Leste passport, before any other costs.
On top of the charges, the relative's carer assessment costs from A$429.20, each applicant's health examination in Australia costs about A$283 to A$473, and each adult's Australian police check costs A$56. The Department's Visa Pricing Estimator shows only the first instalment: its own page says "The estimator does not consider the second instalment or other costs." The table under "What other costs should you budget for?" below lists every item with its source.
What is the first instalment for a Carer visa?
The first instalment for a Carer visa is A$2,720 for the main applicant, A$1,365 for each added person aged 18 or older and A$680 for each added child under 18.
| Applicant | From 1 July 2026 | Before 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant (the carer) | A$2,720 | A$2,175 |
| Each added applicant aged 18 or older | A$1,365 | A$1,090 |
| Each added applicant under 18 | A$680 | A$545 |
The 2026–27 Budget raised most first instalments by 25% from 1 July 2026, according to the Explanatory Statement to the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026.
These carer rates apply only to an applicant who, on the information in the application, "appears to the Minister … to be a carer" (Schedule 1, items 1123A and 1123B). Any other Other Family applicant, such as a Remaining Relative or Aged Dependent Relative applicant, pays a first instalment of A$6,600. That is one more reason the carer assessment evidence goes in at lodgement.
The first instalment is paid through ImmiAccount before the paper application is posted, and the Department's subclass 836 page asks for evidence of payment to be included with the application.
What is the Carer visa second instalment?
The Carer visa second instalment is A$2,065 for each person in the application, paid when the Department sends an invoice after every other requirement is met.
The amount is the same for subclass 116 and subclass 836, and it did not change on 1 July 2026. The Department's pricing note says: "The second instalment – for each person included on the application is AUD2,065." The visa cannot be granted until it is paid, unless the carer's instalment is waived.
Can the second instalment be waived?
The second instalment can be waived for the carer only, where the Minister is satisfied that paying it has caused or is likely to cause severe financial hardship to the carer or to the person being cared for.
The waiver is in Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), items 1123A(2)(b) and 1123B(2)(b), and in the note to clause 836.411. It does not cover the carer's family. The Department's subclass 836 page says: "We will not waive the second instalment for anyone applying for the visa with you." The request is made in writing, with evidence of the hardship.
Is there a lower rate for Pacific and Timor-Leste passports?
There is a lower rate for Pacific and Timor-Leste passports: a carer holding one pays a first instalment of A$2,230, with A$1,120 for each added adult and A$560 for each added child.
| Applicant | Standard rate | Pacific or Timor-Leste rate |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant (the carer) | A$2,720 | A$2,230 |
| Each added applicant aged 18 or older | A$1,365 | A$1,120 |
| Each added applicant under 18 | A$680 | A$560 |
| Second instalment, each person | A$2,065 | A$2,065 |
The lower rate applies from 1 July 2026 to a carer who holds a valid passport from the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu. Family members in the same application get it through the carer's passport. The second instalment does not change.
What other costs should you budget for?
Other costs for a Carer visa are the carer assessment of the relative, a visa health examination and police certificates for each applicant, and translations.
| Cost | Amount | When and who | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carer assessment of the relative | A$429.20 in a centre; A$579.20 to A$988.30 at home, by distance; A$375.10 on the papers (exceptional) | Paid when booking, usually before lodgement | Bupa fee table, from 1 July 2026 (not a government source) |
| Health examination in Australia, age 15 or older | A$473.20 (examination and chest x-ray A$392.00, HIV test A$60.90, kidney function test A$20.30); hepatitis B test A$70.40 more if born in a higher-risk country | When the Department asks | Bupa fee table, from 1 July 2026; test list from the Department, updated 21 September 2026 |
| Health examination in Australia, age 11 to 14 | A$392.00 | When the Department asks | Bupa fee table, from 1 July 2026 |
| Health examination in Australia, under 11 | A$283.00; A$111.80 more for a TB test for a child aged 2 to 10 from a higher-risk country | When the Department asks | Bupa fee table, from 1 July 2026 |
| Health examination outside Australia (subclass 116) | Set by the approved panel doctor in each country | When the Department asks | No single figure published |
| Australian police check | A$56 each; A$113 if fingerprints are needed | For each adult who has spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16 | Australian Federal Police, seen 24 September 2026 |
| Overseas police certificates | Set by each country | For each adult, by the same residence test | Each country's police |
| Translations | Quoted per document by NAATI-certified translators | For every document not in English | No government fee schedule |
| Form 40 sponsorship | A$0 | Lodged with the application | Department's 836 page |
The test list for applicants aged 15 or older comes from the Department's health examinations page: a medical examination, a chest x-ray, an HIV test and a serum creatinine (kidney function) test, plus hepatitis B for people born in a higher-risk country. The police check fee is on the Australian Federal Police national police checks page. An Assurance of Support is not a Carer visa criterion, so it is not in this budget.
The relative's carer assessment is usually the first cost a family pays, and the steps behind the fee are explained in the guide to how the carer assessment works.
What does a carer, partner and child pay in total?
A carer, partner and 8-year-old child applying in Australia pay about A$12,731 in total: A$10,960 in visa charges and about A$1,771 in assessment, health and police costs.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| First instalment: A$2,720 + A$1,365 + A$680 | A$4,765.00 |
| Second instalment: 3 × A$2,065 | A$6,195.00 |
| Carer assessment of the relative, in a centre | A$429.20 |
| Health examinations: carer A$473.20, partner A$473.20, child A$283.00 | A$1,229.40 |
| Australian police checks: carer and partner, 2 × A$56 | A$112.00 |
| Total | A$12,730.60 |
This example assumes standard passports, that no one was born in a higher-risk country for hepatitis B or TB, and that both adults have spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16. Charges from the Migration Regulations and the Department's price list from 1 July 2026; assessment and health fees from Bupa's tables for appointments booked from 1 July 2026; police fee from the Australian Federal Police, seen 24 September 2026.
A single carer applying in Australia pays about A$5,743 on the same basis: A$4,785 in charges, A$429.20 for the assessment, A$473.20 for the health examination and A$56 for the police check.
The totals leave out translations, overseas police certificates, extra medical tests, a home assessment and any professional fees.
When is each Carer visa amount paid?
Each Carer visa amount falls due at a different time, from the first instalment on the day you lodge to the second instalment years later, just before grant.
- The carer assessment is paid upfront when the relative's appointment is booked, before or after lodgement.
- The first instalment is paid in ImmiAccount before the paper application is posted.
- Health examinations and police certificates are paid when they are needed. An 836 applicant sends police certificates with the application and has health examinations before the queue date (Ministerial Direction 103). For a 116, the Department asks for both when it reviews the application after release, according to its Other Family Visa Processing Centre form page, and the subclass 116 page says: "Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to."
- The second instalment is paid when the Department sends an invoice, after every other requirement is met and before the visa is granted.
Is anything refunded after a Carer visa refusal?
Nothing is refunded after a Carer visa refusal: the Department's subclass 836 page says "We will not refund the application fee if we refuse your application."
The first instalment is refunded only in the circumstances set out in regulation 2.12F of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), for example where the application was unnecessary, where it was made because of a mistake by the Department, or where the applicant dies before a decision. The second instalment is not charged if the application is refused before the invoice is sent. Because the money is lost on refusal, it pays to understand why Carer visas are refused before lodging.
How does the cost fit with the rest of the application?
The cost fits the application in two parts, because the charges are split around a queue that the Department estimates at 12 years for a new Carer application.
The first instalment and the assessment are paid at the start, and an 836 applicant's police certificates and health checks come before the queue date; the second instalment, and a 116 applicant's health checks and police certificates, come at the end, after release from the queue. The Department's Other Family visas queue page gave the 12-year estimate in its update of 9 July 2026, and the page answering how long does a Carer visa take explains the queue date, the cap and the release dates.
The charges last changed on 1 July 2026, so check the Department's price list on the day you pay. Professional fees are separate from all of the amounts above; before paying anyone to prepare the application, check a migration agent's registration. The overview of both subclasses is on Carer Visa Australia.
A registered professional makes a grant more likely
The first instalment is not refunded after a refusal, so an application that fails one criterion loses thousands of dollars along with years in the queue. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner makes it more likely the application is right before you pay, and knows when the carer's severe-hardship waiver is worth asking for.
Ask about your caseRead next
Carer visa medical assessment: how the carer assessment works, step by stepSeven steps turn a doctor's report into the certificate the visa depends on.
Carer visa processing time: the queue, the cap and your likely yearHow the cap and the queue decide the wait, and where your queue date sits.
Carer visa refusal: why Carer visas are refused and what comes nextEach refusal names a failed criterion, and the ART clock starts at notification.