Partner visas: bringing your partner home

Falling for someone overseas is the easy part. Getting them a permanent visa to live with you in Australia is a two-stage, multi-year process with one of the most expensive application fees in the world.

The short version

There are two tracks: apply from outside Australia (subclass 309 then 100) or from inside Australia (subclass 820 then 801). Engaged couples have a third option, the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) [1].
Your partner can be sponsored by an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen [1].
The base charge jumped from A$9,365 to A$11,710 on 1 July 2026, and that one payment covers both stages [4][6].
Onshore applications get higher processing priority than offshore ones, so offshore couples should expect to wait longer [2][5].
The permanent stage is generally assessed about two years after you lodge, and the strength of your relationship evidence decides almost everything [2][3].

Pick the right visa before you pick the flights

Your choice depends mostly on where your partner will physically be when you apply. Home Affairs is strict about this: the offshore visas need the applicant outside Australia when they apply, and the onshore visa needs them inside [1].

Visa	Where your partner applies	What it does
Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage	Outside Australia	Lets your fiancé(e) come to Australia to marry you, then apply for a partner visa onshore [1]
Subclass 309 Partner (Provisional)	Outside Australia	Temporary visa; first step towards the permanent subclass 100 [1]
Subclass 100 Partner (Migrant)	Outside Australia	Permanent stage of the offshore track [1]
Subclass 820 Partner (Temporary)	Inside Australia	Temporary visa; first step towards the permanent subclass 801 [1]
Subclass 801 Partner (Permanent)	Inside Australia	Permanent stage of the onshore track [1]

You lodge the temporary and permanent subclasses together as one application. Your partner gets the temporary visa first, then Home Affairs looks at the permanent stage later [2].

Offshore or onshore?

Plenty of couples assume they'll fly home together and apply once they land. That can work, but it's not automatic. Some visitor visas carry conditions that block a further visa application in Australia, and there are extra requirements for anyone applying on a bridging visa or without a visa [3]. Check the conditions on your partner's current or planned visa before you build a plan around an onshore application.

The trade-off is timing. Under Ministerial Direction 117, Home Affairs gives the highest priority to family visa applications where the applicant is in Australia. Applications from outside Australia, including the 309/100 and 300, get lower priority and are likely to take longer [2][5].

What it costs in 2026

The visa application charge is paid upfront, once, and covers both the temporary and permanent stage.

Main applicant (300, 309/100 and 820/801): A$11,710 from 1 July 2026, up from A$9,365 in 2025–26. That's a rise of about 25% [4][6].
Children on the application: extra charges apply, with higher rates for children over 18. In 2025–26 these were A$2,345 per child under 18 and A$4,685 per child over 18 [3]. Check the current figures with the Home Affairs visa pricing estimator before you pay.
Moving from a 300 to an 820/801: a much smaller second charge applies, because most of the cost was paid with the Prospective Marriage visa [4].

On top of the visa charge, budget for medical examinations, police certificates from every country your partner has lived in, certified translations, possibly DNA testing if requested, and flights [3]. If you use a registered migration agent or lawyer, their fees come on top too. Fees usually rise every year on 1 July, so lodging in June can save real money [3].

Processing times: patience is part of the price

Home Affairs publishes processing times on its website and updates them regularly, but they're a guide, not a promise [5]. In recent years, decisions on the temporary stage have commonly taken well over a year, and offshore applications sit lower in the queue [2].

A few things you can control:

Lodge a complete application. Missing documents are one of the most common causes of delay [3].
Get health checks timed right. Health examination results are valid for 12 months [2]. Do them too early and they can expire before a decision.
Have the sponsor's police certificates ready. Home Affairs wants them with the sponsorship or as soon as possible after lodging [2].
Don't count on priority processing. It's only considered in compassionate cases with compelling reasons, and most requests are refused [2].

You also can't ask to speed up the permanent stage until two years have passed since you applied for the temporary visa [2].

Evidence: proving it's real

This is where most of the work sits. Your relationship has to be genuine and continuing, and you need to show it, not just say it [3]. Case officers look across the whole picture: your finances, your household, how others see you as a couple, and your commitment to each other.

What to gather

Identity documents for both of you, plus your marriage certificate if you're married [3].
Proof of living together, such as a joint lease, shared utility bills or mail to the same address.
Shared finances: a joint account, shared bills, one of you supporting the other, joint purchases.
Social evidence: photos together over time, invitations addressed to you both, joint travel, shared activities [3].
Communication during time apart, such as call logs and messages [3].
Two Form 888 statutory declarations from people who know your relationship, usually Australian citizens or permanent residents [3].
Birth certificates for any children you have together [3].
Form 80 (personal particulars) for each applicant aged 16 or over [3].

De facto couples

If you're not married, you'll generally need to show you've been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before applying. Registering your relationship in an Australian state or territory can help where you can't meet the 12 months. Living overseas complicates registration, so look at this early.

Expat-specific tips

Living abroad can actually make evidence easier: a joint lease in Singapore, a shared bank account in London or a joint tax return in Germany all count. What trips people up is translation. Everything not in English needs a certified translation, so keep a running folder and translate as you go rather than in one panicked weekend.

When the permanent visa is decided

Home Affairs usually assesses the permanent stage (100 or 801) two years after you lodged the combined application, and asks for updated evidence that the relationship is continuing [2][3]. It can grant both stages close together if, at the time of application, you'd been in the relationship for three years or more, or for two years with a child together [3].

If the relationship ends before the permanent visa is decided, you must tell Home Affairs. The application can still continue in limited cases: if the sponsor has died, if the applicant or a family member experienced family violence by the sponsor, or if you have a child together with shared parental responsibility [1][2].

If a partner visa is refused, review is through the Administrative Review Tribunal, and the deadline is tight: 28 days from notification [3].

What to plan before you move back together

Getting the visa is one track. Moving your life is the other. Run them side by side.

Decide where you'll apply. That one decision sets your timeline and whether you travel together.
Lodge before 1 July if you're close. Fee rises hit on the first day of the new financial year [3].
Keep living together if you can. Long periods apart while the application is processed mean more evidence to collect.
Plan your partner's health cover. Medicare eligibility for visa holders depends on their circumstances, so ask Services Australia rather than assume.
Think about work and money. Check what work rights the temporary visa gives, and whether you'll be living on one income for a while.
Keep every receipt and letter. You'll need fresh evidence for the permanent stage two years later.
Get advice for anything unusual. Previous visa refusals, prior partner sponsorships, kids from earlier relationships or a partner already in Australia on a restrictive visa are all reasons to talk to a registered migration agent or lawyer first. Sponsors also face limits on how often they can sponsor partners, so check if this isn't your first time.

Bringing a partner home is expensive and slow, but it's well-trodden ground. Start the paperwork as early as you can, keep it organised, and don't book one-way flights until you know which visa your partner is applying for.

Bringing a foreign partner home: how the Australian partner visa works