Subclass 866 visa document checklist (Protection)

The Protection visa (subclass 866) is a permanent visa for a person in Australia who arrived legally on a valid visa and engages Australia's protection obligations. This checklist is a starting point as at November 2026; confirm each item on the Home Affairs subclass 866 page before lodging.

Who can apply

• The applicant must be in Australia, and must have arrived holding a visa in effect and been immigration cleared. Unauthorised maritime arrivals and people not immigration cleared on their last entry cannot make a valid application.
• The applicant must engage Australia's protection obligations, as a refugee or under the complementary protection criteria, or be a member of the same family unit as someone who does.
• The applicant must not have been refused a protection visa, or had one cancelled, since last arriving, and must never have held a subclass 785, 790, 449 or 786 visa.
• Applicants must meet the health, character and security requirements.

Key points (as at November 2026)

• Applications are lodged online in ImmiAccount. The online form lists the documents to include.
• Home Affairs can decide using only the information given at lodgement, so every claim and supporting document should be in the application. If there is an interview, it may be the only other chance to present claims.
• The applicant is responsible for every claim in the form, even if a migration agent completes it, and should leave no gaps in the education, work, travel, relationship and address history. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence.
• Family members in Australia can apply on the same application. Only a partner or dependent child can be added after lodgement, using Form 1436.

Documents from the applicant

• Identity: all pages of current or expired passports, birth certificate, national identity card, driver's licence, evidence of any change of name, and any other document that supports identity, nationality or citizenship. If there are none, a statement explaining why. See identity requirements.
• Claims for protection: answers to every claims question on the form, with further pages attached if needed
• Supporting evidence: any documents that support the claims
• Visas and residence permits: a copy of any visa or residence permit held by each person in the application
• Relationships: birth, marriage or notarial certificates, evidence of de facto relationships, and financial evidence that any dependant over 18 relies on the applicant
• Character: military service records, if anyone in the application served in the armed forces. Police certificates from each country lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, other than a country from which protection is claimed, once Home Affairs asks for them.
• Health: health examinations through Bupa Medical Visa Services, using the HAP ID Home Affairs gives after lodgement
• Biometrics: fingerprints and a facial photograph when Home Affairs asks. Without them the application is invalid.

Collect it with Immiluma

Protection applications depend on complete, accurate records. Build this checklist once as a visa template in Immiluma, or ask the assistant to draft it from this page. Each matter sends it to the client's portal, the client uploads against each item, and you review each document beside it before anything is lodged. See all visa checklists.