ImmiAccount Surcharge Ends 1 October 2026: What Visa Applicants Save
By Matin Amirshahi, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1685110)
Published 30 Sep 2026
From 1 October 2026, paying a visa application charge by card in ImmiAccount no longer adds a surcharge. The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed it will stop charging the surcharge from that date, and visa charges do not change. On a partner visa charge of $11,710, that is $163.94 you no longer pay.
The ImmiAccount surcharge stops on 1 October 2026. Visa application charges stay the same; only the 1.40% card fee added on top disappears.
What is the ImmiAccount surcharge?
The surcharge is a percentage Home Affairs adds when you pay a visa application charge, a sponsorship fee or a nomination fee by card or PayPal in ImmiAccount. The rates on the Department’s surcharge page are 1.40% for Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB, 1.90% for UnionPay and 1.01% for PayPal.
Debit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks pay the same 1.40% as credit cards, so the surcharge has applied to most payments whether or not the payer used credit.
How much does the ImmiAccount surcharge cost you now?
At 1.40%, the surcharge on the main charges we lodge most often comes to between $56 and $610 per payment. The figures below use the charges that have applied since 1 July 2026, from our visa fees and thresholds page.
| Payment | Charge | Surcharge at 1.40% |
|---|---|---|
| Skills in Demand (482), main applicant | $4,015 | $56.21 |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (186), main applicant | $6,140 | $85.96 |
| Partner visa (820/801 or 309/100), main applicant | $11,710 | $163.94 |
| Contributory Parent (143), second instalment per person | $43,600 | $610.40 |
A family application adds up. A partner visa with one dependent child ($11,710 plus $2,935) carries a $205.03 surcharge today and none from 1 October.
Why is the surcharge ending?
The Reserve Bank of Australia decided on 31 March 2026 that surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards (debit, prepaid and credit) end on 1 October 2026. The decision applies to every business in Australia that accepts those cards, and Home Affairs is treating its ImmiAccount payments the same way.
The RBA’s media release and conclusions paper set out the decision. Home Affairs has confirmed the surcharge stops on 1 October and that visa application charges are not being adjusted to make up for it.
Do you need to do anything?
No. A payment made on or after 1 October 2026 should show no surcharge on the ImmiAccount payment screen. The total you see before you click Pay is what you pay, so read that line rather than relying on the Department’s surcharge page, which still listed the old rates on 30 September.
If you are paying today, the surcharge still applies. Waiting until tomorrow saves it only where no date is at stake. Do not hold a lodgement for the surcharge if any of these apply:
- Your visa is about to expire — a valid application lodged before your visa expires keeps you lawful while it is decided; one lodged after does not.
- A review deadline is running — a refusal must reach the Administrative Review Tribunal within 28 days of the decision notice (14 days if you are in detention), and that deadline cannot be extended.
- You are close to an age cut-off or a points change — the rules that apply are the ones in force on the day you lodge.
Against any of those, a saving of $56 to $610 is not worth the risk.
What about PayPal, UnionPay and second-instalment invoices?
Home Affairs has said it will stop charging the card surcharge. It has not published a card-by-card list, so whether the 1.01% PayPal surcharge also ends is not confirmed. If PayPal is your only option, the payment screen will tell you.
Second instalments are invoiced later and paid in ImmiAccount. The change turns on when you pay, not when the invoice was issued, so a second instalment paid on or after 1 October should come through without the surcharge. BPAY payments have never carried one.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ImmiAccount surcharge apply to debit cards?
Until 30 September 2026, yes: Visa Debit and Debit Mastercard payments carry the same 1.40% as credit cards. From 1 October 2026, no card surcharge applies.
Are visa application charges going down on 1 October 2026?
No. The charges set on 1 July 2026 stay in place. The only change on 1 October is that the surcharge added on top of a card payment disappears.
Can I get a refund of the surcharge I paid before 1 October?
No refund has been announced. The surcharge applied to payments made while it was in force, and the change is not retrospective.
Not sure where you stand?
Tell us your situation and we will tell you which visa fits and what it will cost.
Matin Amirshahi, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1685110) · Preston, Melbourne
This article draws on a Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) member notice and official government sources, fully rewritten for Arta Migration readers.
