Can you get an 887 visa in 2026 if your visa was cancelled or an application refused?
How a past visa cancellation or refusal affects a Subclass 887 application, and the two different rules for applying onshore and offshore.
Yes — in some circumstances. A past visa cancellation or a refused application does not automatically disqualify you from the Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887), but it is not ignored either: the Australian Department of Home Affairs states on its Skilled Regional visa (subclass 887) page, as at October 2026, that it "will consider your immigration history" when deciding your application, which means "you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused." Whether you can still apply turns on two separate rules — one for people applying inside Australia, one for people applying outside it. What follows is general information about how those rules fit together, not advice about your own record; for that, rely on the official current requirements or a qualified professional.
What does the Department mean by considering your immigration history?
The subclass 887 page does not publish a checklist of factors. It states plainly that the decision-maker will consider your immigration history and that a cancelled visa or a refused application may make you ineligible. That wording leaves room for judgment, which means the reason behind the cancellation or refusal, and everything else in your record, is weighed rather than ticked off.
This is a separate requirement from the one about complying with your eligible visa's conditions. The conditions requirement looks at whether you obeyed the terms of the qualifying visa itself; the immigration history point reaches wider, to what happened across your dealings with the visa system.
Does a cancellation or refusal automatically disqualify you?
No. The published language is conditional — you "might not be eligible" — and the same page goes on to say that in some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa. There is no rule on the page saying a single past cancellation or refusal ends your chances.
That said, "not automatic" is not the same as "no consequence." A cancellation can damage an 887 application indirectly, by removing the visa you needed to be holding, by cutting short the time that counts toward residence and work, or by raising a character issue. Those knock-on effects are often more decisive than the immigration history point itself.
Which rule applies to you: the onshore limit or the re-entry ban?
The Department points people with a cancellation or refusal to two different places, depending on where they will lodge:
| Where you will lodge | Rule the Department points to | What it goes to |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Australia | Limitations on applications in Australia (Form 1026i) | Whether you can make a new application at all while you are in Australia |
| Outside Australia | Can I go to Australia — re-entry ban | Whether you can return to Australia, and on what terms |
They are different tests asking different questions. One asks whether you may lodge; the other asks whether you may come back. Having one does not automatically mean you have the other.
For most subclass 887 applicants, the onshore rule is the one that matters, because the visa normally has to be applied for while you are in Australia and holding an eligible visa (unless a COVID-19 concession applies). The re-entry ban path is the one the page points to for people applying from outside Australia. The subclass 887 page does not set out the content of either rule; it refers readers to those separate pages, so read the current version of whichever applies to you.
Could a cancelled visa break the other 887 requirements?
A cancellation rarely matters in only one place. Three published requirements can be affected at once:
- You must hold an eligible visa when you apply. The eligible visas are subclass 489, 495, 496, 475 or 487, or a Bridging visa A or B after a valid application for a subclass 489, 495 or 487. You must also be in Australia at the time of application, unless COVID-19 concessions apply. If your eligible visa was cancelled, you may no longer hold one of these.
- Your residence and work time only counts on an eligible visa. The two-year residence and 12-month full-time work requirements must be met as the holder of one or more eligible visas (shorter periods apply where COVID-19 concessions apply). Periods on other visas, or after a cancellation, do not build toward them. Full-time work is 35 hours a week, and you can add concurrent part-time jobs together to reach it.
- You must have complied with the conditions of your eligible visa. This applies for the whole period you held the visa and covers family members holding one too. The Migration Regulations 1994 express this as having "substantially complied" with the conditions rather than having met them perfectly.
On top of those, the usual requirements still apply: you and family members aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement, and any money owed to the Australian Government must have been repaid or arranged to be repaid.
What should you check before relying on "in some circumstances"?
- Decide whether you would be lodging inside or outside Australia.
- Read the rule that applies to that situation — the onshore limitation or the re-entry ban guidance.
- Confirm which eligible visa you hold now, and when it was granted.
- Count your regional residence and full-time work only over periods on that visa.
- Find the decision record for the cancellation or refusal and note the reason given.
- Check whether you still meet the character requirement and whether any government debt is outstanding.
Regulations and policy in this area are amended from time to time, so treat the official current pages as the reference rather than any restatement of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a past visa refusal automatically stop me from getting a subclass 887 visa?
No. The Department's page says it will consider your immigration history and that you "might not be eligible," and it also says that in some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa. The effect of a refusal is assessed on the facts rather than applied as an automatic bar.
What is Form 1026i and why does it matter here?
It is the Department's "Limitations on applications in Australia" document, which the subclass 887 page points to for people who have had a visa cancelled or an application refused. It deals with whether you can make a new application while you are in Australia. Because the 887 is normally lodged onshore, it is usually the first rule to check.
Is a re-entry ban the same thing as a bar on applying?
No. They are separate rules: the onshore limitation goes to whether you can lodge an application from inside Australia, while the re-entry ban goes to whether you can return to Australia if you are outside it. The subclass 887 page directs offshore applicants to the re-entry ban guidance.
If my eligible visa was cancelled, does my time in regional Australia still count?
Only time you spent as the holder of one or more eligible visas counts toward the two-year residence and 12-month full-time work requirements. A cancellation can also mean you no longer hold an eligible visa at the time you apply, which the 887 separately requires.
Do I still have to meet the character requirement if my visa was cancelled?
Yes. The character requirement applies to you and to family members aged 16 and over who apply with you, independently of the cancellation question. The same page also requires any debt to the Australian Government to have been repaid or arranged.
Why doesn't the subclass 887 page deal with re-entry bans itself?
The subclass 887 page does not itself deal with re-entry bans — it refers readers to the separate Can I go to Australia guidance, so that page is where to check how a re-entry ban may affect you.