The onshore Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) is a two-stage pathway for the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is in Australia when the application is lodged.
It's designed for couples who want to build their life together in Australia, starting with a temporary visa while the permanent stage is assessed.
To be eligible, you generally need to be:
If your relationship is de facto rather than registered, the Department generally expects you to have lived together for at least 12 months immediately before applying, unless your relationship is registered under an Australian state or territory relationships register or another recognised exception applies.
A previous visa refusal or cancellation doesn't automatically rule you out, but it does need to be disclosed and properly addressed as part of your application.
The subclass 820 is the temporary stage, granted first while your relationship and other requirements are assessed. The subclass 801, the permanent stage, is generally assessed roughly two years after your original application was lodged — not two years from when the temporary visa was granted.
At the permanent stage you'll generally need to show the relationship is continuing, which usually means providing updated evidence alongside what you submitted originally.
Once your temporary partner visa is granted, you can generally:
Your Australian partner needs to be approved as your sponsor, which involves its own eligibility criteria. Sponsorship isn't unlimited — someone who has sponsored a partner before, or who has sponsored several people over time, may face restrictions, although exceptions can apply in circumstances such as the death of a previous partner, a long-term relationship, family violence, or dependent children.
This is usually the heart of a Partner visa application. You'll want to bring together evidence across a few areas: your financial life together (joint accounts, shared bills, shared property), your household (living arrangements, correspondence to a shared address), your social life as a couple (photos, trips, how friends and family see the relationship), and the history and commitment behind the relationship itself (how you met, key milestones, future plans). Identity and character documents are required too, and anything not in English needs to be translated.
Applications are generally lodged online through ImmiAccount.
You'll need to meet health and character requirements, which can involve medical examinations and police checks from Australia and anywhere you've lived overseas. Partner visa application charges are substantial and differ depending on the number and age of people included in the application, so it's worth getting an up-to-date figure before you commit to a timeline.
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The information on this page is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute migration advice for your individual circumstances.
Partner visa requirements, fees and Departmental processes can change. Meeting the general requirements described above does not guarantee that a visa application will be approved.
Professional advice should be obtained based on your individual circumstances before lodging an application.
