What a visa refusal appeal costs
The Administrative Review Tribunal charges an application fee for most migration reviews, with a hardship reduction and different rules for protection and character reviews. Fees for a lawyer or migration agent are separate, and no official range is published.
The Administrative Review Tribunal fee for most migration reviews is A$3,727 from 1 July 2026 (checked 16 October 2026). Protection visa reviews and character reviews have different fees, and a 50% reduction can be requested on financial hardship grounds for most migration reviews. These are the fees the Tribunal charges. A registered migration agent or lawyer charges separately.
Fees change, usually each 1 July, so check the ART's fee page before you pay. Your decision letter tells you whether the decision can be reviewed and the time limit, and the fee usually has to be paid within that time.
Fees charged by the ART
| Type of review | Fee | When it is payable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most migration decisions (including many visa refusals and cancellations) | A$3,727 | Before your deadline to apply | A 50% reduction may be granted on financial hardship grounds |
| Protection visa refusals or cancellations | A$2,293 | Only if the review is not successful, within 7 days after you receive an invoice | No fee at lodgement. No fee if the Department referred the decision to the ART |
| Character-related decisions (standard fee) | A$1,195 | When you lodge the application | The ART will not start until you pay. The ART's expedited-review fact sheet lists a reduced fee of A$100 for some groups |
| Bridging visa decisions that put you in immigration detention, and some subclass 070 refusals | No fee | Not applicable | See the ART's immigration page for the exact cases |
Fees shown apply from 1 July 2026, and the ART increases its fees each year. The ART says the new fees apply to any fee paid on or after 1 July 2026, even if the application was lodged earlier. Source: ART fee pages, checked 16 October 2026.
The main migration fee
The ART's fee page says the new fees apply to any application fee paid on or after 1 July 2026, even if the application was lodged earlier. The Migration Regulations show a base amount of A$3,496, but that is the starting figure before annual increases, not what you pay now. Do not rely on a regulation number you find on its own.
For migration reviews of Part 5 decisions, the ART says you must pay the fee before your deadline for applying. The Act says the application must be accompanied by the prescribed fee. The ART's practice direction says it cannot review an application that is not properly made, including in relation to payable fees. You can pay by Mastercard or Visa online or by phone, or by EFTPOS, cheque or money order at a registry. See the ART application fee explained.
The hardship reduction
If paying the full fee would cause or has caused you financial hardship, you can ask for the fee to be reduced by 50%. The mechanics matter, because you do not wait for an answer before the deadline.
- Pay either the full fee or 50% of it by the application deadline.
- Then complete the ART's request for fee reduction form before your review is finalised.
- Include supporting documents, such as payslips or Centrelink statements, rent or mortgage and utilities, and recent bank statements. Remove tax file numbers.
- The ART looks at household income, expenses, liabilities, assets and capacity to pay. The decision is made by the ART's Principal Registrar.
If the ART does not grant your request, you must pay the full fee, and if you do not pay, your application will not go ahead. The ART says you cannot ask it to review the decision on a fee reduction. For most migration reviews it can only reconsider for a process error, such as relevant material not being considered. See fee reduction for financial hardship.
Protection reviews: the fee only if unsuccessful
For a protection visa refusal or cancellation you do not pay a fee when you apply. If the review is not successful, you must pay A$2,293 within 7 days after getting an invoice. You do not pay if the Department referred the decision to the Tribunal for review. The ART lists free refugee and immigration legal services for protection reviews. See protection visa refusals: where to get help.
Character reviews
For a section 501 decision, the ART says the standard review fee is A$1,195 and you should pay it when you lodge, because the review will not start until you pay. The immigration page adds that the review might be dismissed if you do not pay within 6 weeks of lodging. The ART's expedited-review fact sheet (July 2026) lists a reduced fee of A$100 for some people, including those in prison or immigration detention, those granted legal aid, some concession card holders, people under 18, and people the ART decides would face financial hardship. Check the ART's current page for who qualifies. Character decisions also have short time limits. See the 28-day deadline.
Refunds
The ART refunds the review fee in full if it decides the application is invalid. It refunds 50% of the fee paid, whether full or reduced, if the decision is set aside or varied or the application is remitted to the Department. If a hardship reduction is granted after you paid in full, you get 50% back. If the ART affirms the decision, the fee is not refunded. Refunds on withdrawal apply only in very limited circumstances set out in the regulations.
Professional fees: what is and is not published
No official range of fees for registered migration agents or migration lawyers is published. We looked at OMARA, Home Affairs, the ART, the Migration Agents Code of Conduct and a Law Council directory of immigration lawyers, and none gives a schedule or typical dollar figures. For that reason, this site does not quote prices for professional help, and you should treat any figure called typical on a website with caution.
What is published is the standard fees must meet. OMARA says an agent's fees depend on the type of visa, the time it will take and the services you need, and must be fair and reasonable. Under the Code of Conduct, a registered migration agent must tell you in a written, signed service agreement, before work starts:
- The fees, as either an hourly rate (with a reasonable estimate of the time) or a fixed total amount, including GST.
- The likely disbursements, such as visa charges, with an amount or a reasonable estimate for each.
- A refund policy that is fair and reasonable.
- What will happen to your file if the agreement ends or the work is complete.
An agent cannot take fees before the agreement is in force, other than a fee for a permitted initial consultation, and must give itemised invoices and receipts. An agent is also not entitled to be paid unless they give you a statement of services. If an hourly estimate needs to change, the Code requires your written agreement to an updated estimate. Client money must be kept in a separate account.
Lawyers charge under legal profession law. A Law Council directory says lawyers usually charge either fixed fees or time-based fees, and the Legal Services Council says a lawyer must charge no more than fair and reasonable costs and must give a written estimate of total costs above a threshold in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia. Rules in other states were not checked, and the threshold may have changed, so ask any lawyer for a written costs estimate. The council also notes an estimate is not a quote.
See choosing a lawyer or migration agent, migration agent fees and written agreements and the ART appeal lawyer guide.
Other costs
The ART arranges and pays for an interpreter at hearings, so you do not pay for that. An agent's own interpreter is a different matter, because the Code allows an agent to charge for it. If you later go to court, the Federal Circuit and Family Court says the unsuccessful party generally has to pay the other side's legal costs, and that there are filing and hearing fees, with some exemptions. See judicial review after an ART decision.
Ways to reduce the cost
You can deal with the ART yourself. The ART describes its process as informal and says you can deal with it directly with little or no assistance if you wish. Some people may be able to get free advice from legal aid or a community legal centre. See representing yourself at the ART and free and low-cost help.
Before you pay anything
This article is general information, not legal advice or immigration assistance. It does not say whether you can apply, what you will owe, or whether you would qualify for a reduction. The ART's fee page and your decision letter state what applies to you.
Where this came from
- ART, Fees (checked 16 October 2026).
- ART, Upcoming application fee increase (22 June 2026, checked 16 October 2026).
- ART, Immigration and citizenship reviews (checked 16 October 2026).
- ART, Expedited review of decisions under section 501 or 501CA, fact sheet (July 2026, checked 16 October 2026).
- Migration Regulations 1994, regulations 4.13 to 4.14 (checked 16 October 2026).
- OMARA, Steps to choose a registered migration agent (checked 16 October 2026).
- Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021, sections 42 to 52 (checked 16 October 2026).
- Legal Services Council, Information sheet for consumers (July 2022, checked 16 October 2026).
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Migration review brochure (checked 16 October 2026).