Visa application charges explained - who gets the money and when it moves

The visa application charge - the VAC - is the fee the Department of Home Affairs charges to consider an application. On most family and skilled visas it is larger than the agent's fee, sometimes several times larger, and it is the number most often left off a quote.

Who receives it#

The Commonwealth. Not your agent. An agent who collects it from you is collecting it on your behalf to pay to the Department, which is exactly why it is called a disbursement and why it should appear on a quote as its own line rather than folded into a professional fee.

Two consequences follow:

• Nobody can discount it. An offer to reduce the government charge is either a misunderstanding or a warning sign.
• It is not the agent's income and should not sit in the agent's own account. Under section 50 of the Code, money held for a purpose not yet carried out belongs in a client account.

How it is structured#

Most visas have three figures:

The additional-applicant charges are roughly half and roughly a quarter of the base, depending on the visa. A family of four therefore does not pay four times the headline figure - but they pay considerably more than the headline figure, and a quote showing only the base charge is understating the bill for most families.

As at 1 July 2026, some common examples:

The second instalment#

Some visas carry a second visa application charge, payable after the application has been assessed and before the visa is granted. It is not common, but where it applies it is large, and it appears late - at exactly the point when a family has already spent everything they budgeted.

It most often arises where an applicant does not meet a functional English requirement. The amount is per person and it is not small.

An agent who has read your file will know whether it can apply to you. Ask the question directly: "Is there any second instalment that could apply to us, and how much?" A quote that neither includes it nor rules it out has left a hole in your budget.

Other charges that catch people#

Subsequent temporary application charge. An additional charge that can apply when you apply for certain visas while already in Australia on a temporary visa. Not huge, but real.

Non-internet application charge. A surcharge for applying on paper where an online lodgement was available. Usually avoidable.

Credit card surcharge. The Department passes on card fees. On an $11,710 charge, roughly 1.4% on an international card is over $160 - which is one reason the payment method belongs in a conversation about a large VAC.

Currency. The charge is in Australian dollars. If you are paying from overseas the exchange rate and your bank's margin are yours, and on a five-figure charge the difference between a good and bad transfer is real money.

When the money moves#

An application is not validly lodged until the charge is paid. That matters for more than accounting: if you are trying to lodge before a visa expires, before a birthday changes an applicant's category, or before a programme change, the payment date is the lodgement date.

This is why a payment schedule should state exactly when the VAC falls due, and why "we'll sort that closer to the time" is not good enough on a number this size.

Is it refundable?#

Usually not. The charge buys the assessment, and a refusal means the assessment happened. Refunds exist in narrow circumstances - certain withdrawals before assessment, some administrative errors, some cases where a visa could not be granted for reasons outside the applicant's control - and they are narrow.

Budget on the assumption that it is not refundable. If a refund turns out to be available, that is a pleasant surprise rather than a plan.

What this means for comparing quotes#

Because the VAC is identical no matter who you engage, it is the part of the quote that makes comparison easy - as long as every quote shows it. Two quotes that both show $11,710 as a separate line differ only by the professional fee and the disbursements, and that is a straightforward comparison.

A quote that omits it is not cheaper. It is less finished.

On VisaBid the government charge is a required field. A quote cannot be sent without it, and the platform prints the charge it holds for that visa beside what the agent entered, so a mistyped figure is visible rather than buried.

මිනිසුන් අසන ප්‍රශ්න#

Why did the price go up in July?#

Charges are indexed annually and take effect on 1 July. The rate applied is the one in force on the day the application is lodged, so an application lodged on 30 June is charged at the old rate and one lodged on 2 July is not. On a large family application that difference is worth planning around.

Can my agent pay the charge for me?#

They can pay it on your behalf from money you have provided for that purpose, and under section 50 that money must be held in a client account until it is used. What they should give you afterwards is evidence that it was paid - a receipt, not an assurance.

The agent's quote says "government fees at cost". Is that enough?#

It is better than nothing but it is not an estimate. Ask for a figure, with the number of applicants it assumes. "At cost" on an $11,710 charge is a very large blank.

Do children always cost extra?#

Only if they are included as applicants in your application. A child who is an Australian citizen, or who is not migrating with you, is not an applicant. Whether a particular child should be included is a question for your agent - it affects both the cost and the outcome.

Is there a discount for a second application?#

No. Each application carries its own charge. Where a visa has two stages lodged as a single application - like the partner visas - the charge is paid once, which is a different thing from a discount.

How much will mine be?#

Run it through the පිරිවැය ඇස්තමේන්තුකරු, which combines the current charge schedule with what agents on this platform have actually quoted for similar cases. It will give you a range rather than a single number, because a single number would be a guess wearing a suit.

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මෙම මාර්ගෝපදේශය ගැන. This is general information about how visa costs and fees work in Australia. It is not immigration assistance and it is not advice about your situation — only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner can give you that, and under section 280 of the Migration Act 1958 it is a criminal offence for anyone else to. Figures change, most of them on 1 July. Check any charge against immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you rely on it, and check any agent's registration on the OMARA register.