Eligibility Quiz
Is your partner an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen?
Requirements
To qualify for a Partner visa, you must meet specific relationship, sponsorship, and personal criteria.
Relationship Status
- Married Partners: Your marriage must be legally valid under Australian law. If you were married overseas, the marriage must generally be recognized in the country where it took place and meet Australian legal standards.
- De Facto Partners: You must generally demonstrate that you and your partner have lived together for at least 12 months immediately prior to applying.
- Exception: The 12-month living requirement can be waived if you have registered your relationship with an Australian State or Territory government (e.g., a Civil Partnership or Relationship Certificate) or if there are compelling circumstances, such as having a child together.
- Fiancés (Subclass 300): You must genuinely intend to marry your sponsor within the visa validity period (usually 9 to 15 months) and have met your partner in person as adults.
The Sponsor
Your sponsor must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
- Sponsorship Limits: A person can generally only sponsor two partners in their lifetime, and there must be a gap of at least 5 years between sponsorships.
- Character Requirements: Sponsors must undergo police checks. If the sponsor has a history of "relevant offences" (such as domestic violence or crimes against children), the sponsorship may be refused.
High-Level Thresholds
- Age: Both the applicant and the sponsor must be at least 18 years old.
- Health & Character: Applicants must pass a medical examination and provide police clearances for every country they have lived in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years.
- Location: For the 820/801 stream, you must be in Australia when you apply. For the 309/100 and 300 streams, you must be outside Australia when you apply.
Conditions & Warnings
Sponsors are generally limited to two partner sponsorships in a lifetime with a 5-year gap between them.
Onshore applicants without a valid visa face strict 'Schedule 3' criteria requiring compelling reasons for approval.
A 'Sponsor First' rule may require the sponsor to be approved before the visa application can be lodged.
The permanent stage (801/100) is typically granted 2 years after the initial application, requiring a second stage of evidence.
Qualifications
Fees
Base application charge for main applicant; covers both temporary and permanent stages. Reduced fee of AUD 1,515 if transitioning from Subclass 300 to 820.
Program Details
Australia is on our roadmap
We can notify you when we're ready to support Australia.
Key Developments
The Department of Home Affairs introduced a "digital-first" evidence model for partner visas, requiring all relationship evidence to be categorized and uploaded through specific ImmiAccount prompts to streamline processing.
leadingedgemigration.com.au ↗The Australian government increased the Visa Application Charge (VAC) for Partner visas (subclasses 309/100 and 820/801) to $9,365, reflecting a 3% indexation in line with the Consumer Price Index.
thinkvisa.com.au ↗The Australian government implemented a permanent policy change allowing Subclass 309 (offshore) applicants to be granted their visa while in Australia, removing the previous "location at grant" restriction that required travel abroad.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au ↗