Subclass 884 Cost Concession Policy Data: Pacific and Timor-Leste from July 2026
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) application. The concession covers 13 specified countries. Eligibility is recognised through the passport held at the time of application. This is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visa (Subclass 884) official page, as at the October 2026 official page.
Which countries qualify for the lower Subclass 884 cost from 1 July 2026?
The primary applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries:
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Nauru
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
The list is fixed by passport issuer, not by residence, ancestry or the country where the application is prepared. A passport from any other country falls outside this concession, even where the applicant's circumstances are otherwise identical.
How is eligibility recognised during the application?
Recognition is built into the application process rather than claimed afterwards. The Department charges eligible applicants the lower visa application cost during the application process, and identifies eligible applicants when they apply with a valid passport from one of the specified countries.
Two conditions sit inside that sentence. The passport must be valid, and it must be presented at the point of application. The concession is described as applying to applicants who lodge a valid visa application, so the act of lodging a valid application from 1 July 2026 is the trigger.
Do family members get the lower cost too?
Yes. Family members included in the application are also eligible for the lower visa cost, and the Department bases this on the passport of the primary applicant — or of the visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria. A family member's own passport does not need to come from one of the 13 listed countries.
| Element | Primary applicant | Family members |
|---|---|---|
| Passport used to test eligibility | Own valid passport | Passport of the primary applicant |
| Must passport be from a listed country? | Yes | No |
| When the lower cost is charged | During the application process | During the application process |
| Basis of the rule | Valid passport from a specified country | Primary applicant's eligibility extends to them |
This matters in mixed-passport households. If the primary applicant holds a Fijian passport and a family member holds a passport from a country outside the list, the family member is still assessed on the primary applicant's passport. The reverse does not apply: a listed-country passport held only by a family member does not extend the concession to the primary applicant.
What does Subclass 884 cost, and how is it paid?
This visa costs from AUD35,430 for a single applicant. There are additional charges for each family member who applies with you. The Department also notes that concessions apply in limited circumstances, which is the category the Pacific Island and Timor-Leste concession falls into.
Payment is split into two instalments. You pay the first instalment when you apply, and the second instalment when the Department asks you to. Separate from the visa application charge, you might also need to pay other costs for each applicant for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
The Department's page describes the Pacific and Timor-Leste concession as a lower visa application cost but does not publish a separate concession figure alongside the country list, so the amount payable in a specific case is a matter for the Department's current visa pricing page and is subject to change.
Does the concession change what the visa allows, or the link to Subclass 864?
No. The concession concerns cost only. Subclass 884 remains a temporary visa that lets you live in Australia for up to 2 years, work and study in Australia without government support, and travel and return as many times as you want within those 2 years. The visa period starts on the date the visa is granted.
The two-stage pathway is unchanged as well. You can apply for the permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864) after first holding Subclass 884, which spreads the cost of the two visas over several years. You must apply for the permanent subclass 864 visa before your subclass 884 visa expires, so that you meet all applicable lodgement criteria. You cannot stay longer by extending or reapplying for Subclass 884 itself.
Where must you be to lodge, and are there conditions that invalidate an application?
You, and any family members applying with you, must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance when you apply and when the Department makes a decision on the application.
One condition can make an application invalid: if you apply in Australia while on a temporary visa with a no further stay condition, your application will be invalid unless you apply for a waiver of that condition.
Will the concession speed up processing?
Nothing on the cost concession changes how applications are queued. Demand for Parent visas is greater than the number of places available each year, so processing times are long. Applications are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order they are received.
Assessment runs in two stages: an initial assessment to check eligibility to either add the application to the queue or refuse it, then a final assessment as places become available and applications are released from the queue. Processing can take longer if the form is incomplete, documents are missing or further information is needed, or verification of information is slow. The Department can only process an application if the correct visa application charge has been paid; it will notify you if the amount paid is incorrect and return the application if necessary. Do not arrange to stay permanently in Australia until the visa is granted.
How should you use this information?
Treat the country list and the 1 July 2026 date as a record of a published policy setting, not as an assessment of any individual case. This article is general information drawn from the Department's official page and is not personalised immigration or legal advice; visa costs, country lists and application rules can be revised, so the official page and the Department's current visa pricing should be the final reference, and anyone needing advice on their own circumstances should speak to a registered migration professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 1 July 2026 date tied to lodging or to the decision?
It is tied to lodging. The concession applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application from 1 July 2026. The Department charges the lower visa application cost during the application process, not as a later adjustment.
How much cheaper is the Subclass 884 visa under the concession?
The Department's page describes the concession as a lower visa application cost for eligible applicants but does not publish a separate concession amount next to the country list. The headline figure given is that the visa costs from AUD35,430 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member.
Can a family member with a passport from an unlisted country still pay the lower cost?
Yes. Family members are eligible for the lower visa cost based on the passport of the primary applicant, or of the visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria. It is the primary applicant's passport that determines the outcome for the whole application.
Do I need to be in Australia to use the concession?
Yes. You and any family members applying with you must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, both when you apply and when the Department makes its decision. These are general Subclass 884 lodgement requirements, not additional conditions created by the concession.
Does the concession cover health checks, police certificates and biometrics?
The concession is described as a lower visa application cost. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics are listed separately as other costs you might need to pay for each applicant, so they are not folded into the visa application charge.
Can I stay in Australia longer if I qualify for the lower cost?
No. Subclass 884 allows a stay of 2 years and cannot be extended or reapplied for. The route to a longer stay is to apply for the permanent Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864) before the Subclass 884 visa expires.