Form 1023 in Australia is the “Notification of incorrect answer(s)” form you lodge with the Department of Home Affairs when an answer you previously gave in a visa application, on a passenger card, or in reply to a departmental notice was wrong at the time you gave it.1Department of Home Affairs. Notification of incorrect answer(s) – Form 1023 It is a free PDF download, there is no government fee to submit it, and lodging it promptly is a legal obligation under section 105 of the Migration Act 1958.2AustLII. Migration Act 1958 – Section 105 Particulars of incorrect answers to be given
Is Form 1023 the Right Form for You?
Form 1023 corrects information that was wrong when you provided it: a misspelled name, an incorrect date, a wrong answer to a health or character question, an employment history entered out of order. If the information was accurate when you lodged but has since changed — you married, had a child, divorced, or lost a family member — you need Form 1022, “Notification of changes in circumstances,” instead.1Department of Home Affairs. Notification of incorrect answer(s) – Form 1023
Failing to tell the Department about either type of discrepancy can lead to visa cancellation.3Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Applying on paper Pick the form that matches the nature of the problem: original error, Form 1023; later change, Form 1022.
When You Are Required to Lodge It
Section 105 of the Migration Act 1958 sets the duty in plain terms. If you become aware that an answer you gave was incorrect, you must notify an officer in writing as soon as practicable.2AustLII. Migration Act 1958 – Section 105 Particulars of incorrect answers to be given The duty does not end when your visa is granted. It continues to apply after a decision.
The obligation covers three categories of documents:
- Your original visa application form.
- An incoming or outgoing passenger card completed at the Australian border.
- Information you provided in reply to a notice from the Department asking you to comment on possible non-compliance.
The error does not have to be yours personally. If a migration agent or other representative entered wrong information on your behalf, you remain responsible for correcting it. Home Affairs has stated that officers exercise discretion in deciding whether incorrect information was given deliberately or accidentally, and accidental errors corrected promptly are treated differently from deliberate fraud.4Department of Home Affairs. Providing accurate information That distinction is the practical reason to move quickly.
How to Complete the Form
The form runs four pages and uses numbered questions. Download the PDF from the Department of Home Affairs form listing before you start, and have your passport and any correspondence from the Department in front of you.1Department of Home Affairs. Notification of incorrect answer(s) – Form 1023
Personal Details (Questions 1–10)
Questions 1 through 9 collect your full name, date of birth, place of birth, relationship status, passport number and country, any government-issued identity number, country of citizenship, residential address, and correspondence address. Question 10 asks for the client or file number the Department issued for your case. Check any letters or emails you received after lodging your application to find it.
Other Applicants (Question 11)
If your visa application included a partner or dependants, list each person’s name, date of birth, country of birth, passport details, and residential address. Include everyone affected by the correction.
The Correction Itself (Questions 12–14)
This is the heart of the form. Question 12 asks which document contained the error: your visa application, a passenger card, or a Form 1022 you previously submitted. Question 13 gives you two columns, one for the incorrect information and one for the correct details that should replace it. Write with enough specificity that an officer who has never seen your file can understand exactly what changed and where. Question 14 asks why the wrong information was provided in the first place. Keep the answer brief and honest. “I misread the question,” “my agent entered the wrong date,” or “I confused the order of my employment history” are the kinds of explanations that work. Trying to minimise or obscure the reason tends to invite more scrutiny, not less.
Visa and Application Details (Questions 15–16)
Question 15 covers a visa you already hold: grant date, stay period, and visa class. Question 16 covers an application still pending: application date, stay period applied for, and visa class. Complete whichever applies, or both if you hold one visa and have applied for another.
Declaration and Signatures (Question 17)
Every applicant named on the original visa application who is 18 or older must sign the declaration confirming the information on the form is true and correct.1Department of Home Affairs. Notification of incorrect answer(s) – Form 1023 For applicants under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs. There is no signature field for migration agents or legal practitioners. Even when an agent prepares the form, the applicant signs it personally.
How to Submit It
The submission route depends on how you originally lodged your visa application.
Online Applications
If you applied through ImmiAccount, you have two options. You can complete the notification of incorrect answers directly within ImmiAccount if your application supports it, or you can fill out the PDF, sign it, scan it, and attach it through ImmiAccount’s document upload function.3Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Applying on paper If you lodged on paper originally but have since imported your application into ImmiAccount, use the online tool there.
Paper Applications
If you submitted a paper application, complete the PDF, sign it, and email it to the office that processed your application.3Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Applying on paper The correct email address should appear on the correspondence you received from the Department after lodging. The Department’s guidance for online applicants specifically says not to email documents in place of using the online attachment system.5Department of Home Affairs. Attach documents to your application The email route is for paper applicants sending corrections to the processing office.
Whichever method you use, keep proof. Save the sent email, or take a screenshot of the ImmiAccount confirmation. That paper trail is what protects you later if there is any dispute about whether you met your notification obligation.
What Happens After You Lodge
Once the Department receives Form 1023, the corrected information is added to your case file, and a case officer reviews it alongside the rest of your application to assess whether the correction affects your eligibility. If the error touched character, health, or identity, expect a follow-up asking for further explanation or supporting documents.
There is no separate processing track or published timeline for corrections. The review happens as part of the normal assessment. If your application is still pending, the correction feeds into the pending decision. If a visa has already been granted, the corrected information may be used in any future compliance review.
Why This Form Is Worth the Trouble: PIC 4020
Public Interest Criterion 4020 is the enforcement mechanism sitting behind the notification duty. If the Department finds that you or a family member provided false or misleading information, or submitted bogus documents, your visa application can be refused, and no visa with PIC 4020 as a criterion can be granted to you for three years.4Department of Home Affairs. Providing accurate information Because most visa subclasses include PIC 4020, a three-year bar effectively closes off the Australian visa system.
Identity failures are treated more harshly. If a visa is refused because you could not satisfy the Department as to your identity, the non-grant period is ten years, and no waiver is available.4Department of Home Affairs. Providing accurate information The three-year bar can sometimes be waived, but the bar is high, generally requiring compelling circumstances affecting Australia or compassionate reasons involving an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Lodging Form 1023 as soon as you spot a mistake creates the record you want on file: you identified the error, you corrected it, you did not wait to be caught. That is the strongest evidence available that the mistake was not intentional. An error the Department discovers on its own is much harder to explain.
When Withdrawing the Application Makes More Sense
Occasionally the mistake is so fundamental — the wrong visa subclass entirely, or a situation so changed that the original application no longer reflects it — that correcting it would effectively create a new application. Withdrawing and starting again may be the cleaner move.
Withdrawal carries real costs. It is processed immediately, and any associated bridging visa ceases within 28 to 35 calendar days depending on when it was granted.6Department of Home Affairs. You want to withdraw an application If you are in Australia on a bridging visa with no other valid visa, you become an unlawful non-citizen once that period expires, with possible detention and removal. Visa application fees are generally not refunded after withdrawal. For most applicants fixing a specific factual error, Form 1023 is the simpler and safer path.