What Happens If You Leave Australia Before Your Subclass 836 Is Decided in 2026?

The short answer is that travelling overseas while your Carer visa (Subclass 836) is still with the Department puts the outcome of that application at risk. The Department of Home Affairs' Carer visa (Subclass 836) page states plainly that you must be in Australia when you apply and when the Department decides your application, and its step-by-step guide repeats the point under "Travel": tell the Department if you want to travel while your application is being processed, because you must be in Australia at decision time, and if you leave, make sure you have a valid visa to return. What follows is general information, not advice tailored to your situation — your own visa conditions and the latest official guidance should be your reference point.

Does the 836 have to be decided while I'm onshore?

Yes. Both the overview and the step-by-step guide for Subclass 836 list the same requirement: be in Australia when you apply for the visa and when the Department decides your application. The step-by-step guide adds a second condition — when the application is submitted and when it is decided, you must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance. Immigration clearance is the status you hold while you are being processed on arrival at an airport or seaport, so it is not a status from which the application is lodged or decided.

In practice this means the onshore requirement is not a one-off hurdle at lodgement. It runs all the way to the moment of decision, which for this visa can be a long way off. The official page notes that demand for Other Family visas exceeds the places available each year, that processing times can be lengthy, and that applications are subject to capping and queueing.

What actually happens if the decision is made while I'm outside Australia?

The application cannot be granted at that point. Grant depends on you being in Australia at the time of decision, so a decision reached while you are offshore does not meet the requirement stated on the official page. Suppose an applicant lodges a valid paper application in Perth, then travels overseas for a family emergency six months later without checking anything: if the Department reaches the decision while they are away, the condition on the official page is simply not satisfied, and the visa is not granted on that basis.

The Department gives decisions in writing either way. If the visa is granted, the letter sets out the visa grant number, the start date and the visa conditions. If it is refused, the letter explains why and whether there is a right to review the decision, and the application fee is not refunded.

Do I have to tell the Department before I travel?

The step-by-step guide asks you to tell the Department if you want to travel outside Australia while your application is processed, and gives the reason directly: you must be in Australia when the decision is made. That is the mechanism by which the Department knows why your application cannot simply proceed to grant in your absence.

For an application like this one, which is lodged on paper with Form 47OF (Application for migration to Australia by other family members) and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, staying contactable matters for a related reason: the Department may ask for more information, health examinations or biometrics while it assesses your case.

What visa do I need to hold while I'm away?

This is the part that catches people out. Lodging an 836 does not, by itself, give you a travel document. The Department's instruction is that if you leave Australia, make sure you have a valid visa to return.

You will normally be holding one of two things while you wait:

What you may hold	What the official page says
Your current substantive visa	Do not cancel it — if you do, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully and will not be eligible for a bridging visa
A bridging visa granted because you applied for the 836	If your current visa expires before the Department decides your application, the bridging visa starts and lets you stay in Australia while the application is processed

The official page does not spell out the travel position of every bridging visa, so before you book anything, check your own visa details, conditions and travel facility using the Department's VEVO service and treat that as the record of what you currently hold. If you cannot get back in, the onshore requirement at decision time becomes the least of your problems.

Could my application be refused for other reasons while I'm waiting?

Yes, and these do not depend on travel. Three are worth knowing about:

Bupa medical certificate. The person needing care must be assessed by Bupa Medical Visa Services. If you did not provide the certificate when you applied, the guide says to provide it within three months of applying; if the Department does not have it by the time it decides, it will not grant the visa.
Second instalment. The visa is paid in two instalments. You pay the first when you apply and the second when the Department asks, and it warns that it cannot grant the visa unless you pay it.
Complete and accurate information. Incomplete steps can make an application invalid, and the Department does not process invalid applications.

What changes once the visa is granted?

Grant converts the onshore problem into a normal travel question. Subclass 836 is a permanent visa: you can stay indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Medicare, sponsor relatives, and travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for five years from the date of grant, as long as that travel facility remains valid. Permanent residence starts on the day of grant for citizenship purposes.

After the initial five-year travel facility ends, you would need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident, or consider Australian citizenship, which removes the need for a visa to enter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I leave Australia at all while my 836 is being processed?

The official page does not prohibit travel outright, but it asks you to tell the Department if you want to travel and warns that you must be in Australia when the application is decided. The risk is not the departure itself — it is being offshore at the moment of decision.

Will my bridging visa let me come back?

The Carer visa page says only that if you leave Australia you must have a valid visa to return. It does not list the travel terms of each bridging visa, so check your current conditions and travel facility in VEVO before you go.

What if my substantive visa expires while I'm waiting?

The bridging visa granted when you applied for the 836 will start, and you can stay in Australia on it while the application is processed. Do not cancel your current visa yourself — doing so leaves you unlawful and ineligible for a bridging visa.

Can I lodge the 836 from overseas or while in immigration clearance?

No. The official page requires you to be in Australia when you apply and when the decision is made, and the step-by-step guide adds that at both points you must not be in immigration clearance.

Does leaving Australia speed up or delay the decision?

The official page does not link travel to processing speed. It attributes longer processing to incorrect or incomplete applications, requests for further information and slower verification, and notes the visa is subject to capping and queueing.

Is the fee refunded if the visa is refused?

No. The Department states it will not refund the application fee if it refuses the application.