Do I need a lawyer or a migration agent?

Many visa applications are lodged directly. A registered migration agent or immigration lawyer helps with complex or refused matters.

What is a Section 48 bar?

It limits the visas you can apply for while unlawfully in Australia after a refusal or cancellation. A professional can map your options.

Can I appeal a refused visa?

Often yes — the Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews many decisions, but strict time limits apply.

Your Subclass 602 visa expiry and lawful stay options in Australia 2026

What happens when a subclass 602 visa expires, how to check your date in VEVO, and which options keep you lawful.

A Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602) cannot be extended. If your treatment, or your reason for staying, will not be finished by the expiry date, the only route is to be granted another visa — and the safest time to apply is before the current one runs out. As at the August 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs page "Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602)", the visa is temporary, the length of stay is decided case by case with your treatment plan taken into account, and the Department states plainly that you can't extend this visa to stay longer in Australia.

What actually happens when a 602 visa reaches its expiry date?

The visa stops being in effect, and from that point you are in Australia without a valid visa. The Department's application guidance is direct about the sequence: don't let your current visa expire before you apply, because if you do, you will be in Australia unlawfully and you might not be eligible for a Bridging visa A.

That second point is the one people underestimate. It is not only about the day after expiry; it is about what you lose the ability to do. Applying while your 602 is still valid is what normally keeps you covered while a fresh application is being considered.

How do I check my exact expiry date and stay period?

Use Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO). The Department's guidance for holders of this visa points to VEVO for four separate things:

when you must leave Australia
your visa conditions
your work entitlement
whether you were granted single or multiple entry

Your visa grant letter carries the same core details — the visa grant number, the date the visa starts, the period it is valid for, and any conditions. If VEVO and your grant letter appear to disagree, the grant letter is the record of what was decided, and VEVO is the record the Department says to rely on day to day.

Where to look	What it tells you
VEVO	The date you must leave, your conditions, work rights, single or multiple entry
Visa grant letter	Visa grant number, start date, validity period, conditions
ImmiAccount	The status of any application you have lodged and any requests for more information

Why is there no extension for a 602 visa?

Because the visa was granted for a period that matched the circumstances assessed at that time. The Department decides the stay period individually, and its published list of things it considers includes your treatment plan. When the plan changes — longer recovery, a further procedure, a support person who now needs to stay — the answer is not to stretch the existing visa but to test the new circumstances against a fresh application.

This is also why "renewal" is the wrong word for this visa. A new application is a new decision, with new evidence, and it can be refused.

What are my options if treatment isn't finished by the expiry date?

In practice there are three shapes the answer can take.

Apply for a new subclass 602. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply, but the rule at grant is strict: if you applied in Australia you must be in Australia when the visa is granted, and if you applied outside Australia you must be outside. If you apply in Australia and do not hold a substantive visa, you will also need Form 1507, Evidence of intended medical treatment (includes consultation).

Look at other visa options. The Department refers holders to its Visa Finder to see what else may fit. What fits depends on your purpose in Australia once treatment is over.

Plan around the date, not the treatment. For example, suppose an applicant's 602 visa expires in one month and the treating specialist has scheduled the final review two months out. Waiting until the last week to apply risks a gap; applying while the current visa is still in effect keeps the application and the lawful stay moving together.

What should I sort out before lodging another application?

A few things change the shape of the decision.

A "no further stay" condition. If your current visa carries a condition such as 8503, 8534, 8535 or 8540, the Department's Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) guidance indicates that you generally need that condition waived before a further application can be made in Australia. Confirm the current position against the Department's published guidance, as procedural instructions change.

Documents that carry the decision. For a medical treatment application, the doctor's letter should cover your medical condition, the treatment required, an estimate of the timeframe and an estimate of the cost. Add proof of funds for treatment and for supporting yourself and anyone with you, and, if you are being treated in a public hospital, a letter from the hospital's financial officer or administration department confirming both that it is satisfied with the payment arrangements and that no Australian will be disadvantaged in accessing medical services as a result of your treatment. The Department may decide your application without asking you for anything further, so incomplete lodgements carry a real cost.

Cost and timing. The visa is free if you apply outside Australia; a fee applies if you apply in Australia, with concessions in limited circumstances, and the Visa Pricing Estimator is the tool the Department provides to work out your cost. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics may add separate costs. There is no refund of the application charge if the application is refused. For processing times, use the Department's global visa processing times tool — it shows times for recently decided applications and is a guide only, not specific to yours.

How do I stay lawful while the new application is decided?

By holding a valid visa throughout. In Australia, that usually means being on a bridging visa linked to the new application rather than on the old 602. This is why the expiry date matters more than the decision date: the Department warns that letting your visa expire before you apply can leave you unlawful and may affect eligibility for a Bridging visa A.

If you need to travel while the application is being processed and you applied in Australia while holding a Bridging visa A, you may be eligible for a Bridging visa B, which is the one that lets you return. Tell the Department if you want to travel outside Australia while an application made in Australia is being processed.

One point that catches support people out: the Department must grant the patient's or donor's visa first, before granting a support person's visa, although the applications can be processed together.

Does leaving Australia buy more time?

No. The Department's guidance for this visa states that time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa. Travel also interacts with the entry type you were granted:

Entry type	What it means
Multiple entry	You can leave and re-enter as many times as you want while the visa is valid
Single entry, granted outside Australia	You can enter Australia once; if you leave, you can't return
Single entry, granted in Australia	You can leave and return once; if you leave again, you can't return

Whichever you hold, you must arrive in Australia on or before the expiry date on the visa, and if you need to travel to Australia again after the visa has been used up, you must apply for another visa.

What if the decision comes late or goes against me?

You will be told the decision in writing. If the visa is granted, you will be given the grant number, the start date, the period the visa is valid for and any conditions, and you should keep a copy of the decision with you while in Australia. If it is refused, the notice explains why and whether you have a right to a review of the decision; the application charge is not refunded. Check the outcome against your expiry date as soon as it arrives, so you know whether there is a gap you need to plan for.

This article sets out the published rules in general terms and is not advice about your own circumstances; what you should do depends on your visa conditions and your treatment timeline, so check the official pages listed below and, if you need help with your own case, get it from someone who is registered to give immigration assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I extend my subclass 602 visa if my treatment takes longer than expected?

No. The Department states that you cannot extend this visa to stay longer in Australia. If you need more time for medical treatment or for another reason, you need to apply for another visa, which may be a new subclass 602 or a different visa found through Visa Finder.

Where do I find the date I must leave Australia?

Check VEVO, which the Department names as the place to see when you must leave, your conditions, your work entitlement and your entry type. Your visa grant letter also records the start date of the visa and the period it is valid for.

What happens if my 602 visa expires before I lodge a new application?

The Department's guidance warns that you will be in Australia unlawfully and that you might not be eligible for a Bridging visa A. That combination is what makes applying before the expiry date, rather than after it, the safer sequence.

Does time spent outside Australia extend a 602 visa?

No. Time outside Australia does not extend the visa. You must also arrive in Australia on or before the expiry date, and if your visa was single entry, leaving may mean you cannot return without a new visa.

Do I need to be in Australia when the new visa is granted?

It depends on where you applied. If you applied in Australia you must be in Australia at the time of grant; if you applied outside Australia you must be outside Australia at the time of grant.

Is there a fee to apply for another 602 visa?

The visa is free if you apply outside Australia, and a fee applies if you apply in Australia, with concessions in limited circumstances. Use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator to work out the cost, and note that the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused.