Want to live in Australia with your partner permanently?
If your partner is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealander, and you’re married, in a de facto relationship, or planning to marry, you may be eligible for an Australian Partner Visa. This visa lets you live, work and study anywhere in Australia.
Obligation-free, limited sessions each week
A Partner Visa starts with a temporary visa and then moves to permanent residency if your relationship remains genuine and ongoing.
There are three main visa paths:
Apply for the 820 (temporary) visa first, then the 801 (permanent) visa, usually two years later.
Apply for the 309 (temporary) visa first, followed by the 100 (permanent) visa, usually two years later.
For those who are not yet married and live outside Australia, to come and marry their partner here.
In some cases, you may receive the permanent partner visa immediately if you’ve been married or in a de facto relationship for three or more years, or for two or more years if you have a child together.
Choosing the right partner visa Australia pathway is the first step on your journey. There are three main options, and the best one for you depends on where you are currently located and your relationship status.
Onshore (820/801)
Married or de facto partners
Must be in Australia
Temporary then Permanent
Genuine relationship * 18+ years old
Offshore (309/100)
Married or de facto partners
Must be outside Australia
Temporary then Permanent
* Same requirements apply as onshore * Must remain offshore for the application
Prospective Marriage (300)
Engaged couples
Must be outside Australia
9 months (Temporary)
* Must marry within the visa period * Must have met in person * Must move to 820/801 after marriage
If you are already in Australia on a valid visa (like a visitor or student visa), the 820 visa is generally your pathway. This is a two-stage process. You apply for both the temporary (820) and permanent (801) visas at the same time. You receive the 820 first, allowing you to stay, work, and study. Approximately two years later, the Department assesses your eligibility for the permanent 801.
To qualify, you must be in a genuine relationship and meet health and character checks. If you are de facto, you typically need to show you have lived together for at least 12 months, though registering your relationship in certain states can help you meet this requirement sooner.
For couples where the applicant is currently living outside Australia, the 309 visa is the offshore equivalent. Like the onshore version, it is a two-stage process where the temporary 309 is granted first, followed by the permanent 100 visa roughly two years later. The core eligibility requirements regarding your relationship are identical to the onshore pathway.
Subclass 300
If you are engaged and your partner is overseas, the subclass 300 visa allows you to come to Australia to get married. This visa is valid for nine months. You must marry your partner within this timeframe and then apply for the onshore 820-801 visa to stay permanently. You must have met your fiancé in person to be eligible.
This visa is one of the most reliable and straightforward paths to permanent residence, especially for people with genuine partner relationships that meet Australian requirements.
1
Stage 1
Subclass 820 if you’re onshore, or Subclass 309 if offshore
2
Stage 2
Two years later (unless automatically granted for some long-term relationships), you will need to submit additional evidence for assessment for the permanent visa: Subclass 801 or Subclass 100
3
Stage 3
You may get your permanent visa right away if you have been married or been in a de facto relationship for 3 or more years, or have a child together.
Budgeting for your Australian partner visa is essential, as the costs are high. As of March 2026, the partner visa fee for the main applicant is $9,365. This fee applies to the 820/801, 309/100, and Subclass 300 pathways.
The partner visa Australia cost is non-refundable and typically increases on July 1 each year. Remember to budget for additional costs like health exams, police checks, and professional translations for your documents.
Processing times generally range from 12 to 24 months, depending on the visa type and your circumstances. Several factors affect your wait time:
Usually, the permanent stage (801 or 100) is assessed about two years after you first lodged. However, if you have been together for 3+ years (or 2+ with a child), you may receive both visas at the same time. You can read more about what happens after you lodge, and how to track processing times.
Partner (Temporary Stage) / Prospective Marriage
$4,850
Excl. GST
Partner (Permanent Stage)
$4,550
Excl. GST
Partner (Permanent Stage – Existing Clients)
$1,800
Excl. GST
Tell us about your situation, and we’ll try to help you get results like these:
It is a rare experience to work closely with a private business and find that, without exception, they go beyond the call of duty to provide expertise, insight, reassurance, wisdom and kindness – in addition to their advertised services. This was, however, my constant experience when dealing with Skylark. When I was preparing to apply for a partner visa, I spoke to several migration agents. Many gave conflicting or cursory advice.
My visa was granted less than 5-month-wait. Both 820 and 801 were granted at the same time!! My partner and I are over the moon and extremely happy with the service that Skylark team has provided us throughout our journey! Once again, thank you so much for being so professional. I highly recommended their services to anyone who needing visa advice 🙂
We are absolutely thrilled to have received the grants for both our Subclass 820 (Temporary) and Subclass 801 (Permanent) Partner visas! Skylark Immigration has been nothing short of exceptional throughout our entire journey from Samoa to Australia. From securing our Visitor Visa to guiding us through the Bridging Visa process and ultimately achieving permanent residency, their expertise and support have been invaluable.
We cannot recommend Skylark Migration highly enough. From the outset, they transformed what could have been an overwhelming visa process into a seamless and reassuring experience. We felt fully supported every step of the way.
One word that comes to my mind when I think of Skylark Migration is “Brilliance”. From the first day my wife and i stared our visa process we felt comfortable, So Wun and Walter who were the main players working on our special case, were just exceptional in every aspect, from liaising in a manner that was easy for us to understand, compassionate, understanding, and they worked so very hard for us to achieve the perfect outcome.
It has been a great experience working with Skylark.They have been very helpful with all my queries. I would like to particularly appreciate Van from Skylark team who used to call us whenever we had questions and solved them in shortest time possible, I got my partner visa just within a 1.5 months which we never expected to come so early. I will thank all of the Skylark team for being extremely professional.
5 out of 5 for Skylark who delivered what they said. They made the whole process very straight forward. Their templates were well laid out and they had a lot of time and patience for us. After 6 months we now have the 820 visa thanks to Sonny, Carmel & So Wun and the rest of the team. We will absolutely be using you for 810. Thank you so much Skylark you have made my 2024 the best year yet for me and my boyfriend. All the very best
If you are looking for a Migration Lawyer, look no further than Skylark! I’m extremely happy to say that my wife (and son) were recently granted their 309 (offshore )Partner Visa. They are now with me in Australia, and we owe so much of that to Skylark. Applying for a Partner Visa can be a long and stressful process, but Skylark were there beside us through the whole process and we..
We had a great experience with Skylark and think it was totally worth the investment!! Skylark Migration Specialists made the whole process of applying to a 309 visa very smooth! We expected to get a positive answer in around 6 months but it took only a bit over a month after the visa lodgment.
Used their services for a PMV 300. We got the grant in 3 months and couldn’t be happier! Great communication and adheres to deadlines! The administrative work Skylark put into the application makes every dollar worth it! The format of our application that Skylark put together most likely helped with our quick grant as it was logical and easily to follow.
When you choose Skylark Migration, you’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a trusted partner in your journey
Former-Department of Immigration
With a former Immigration officer on our team, we have unique insight into what a strong application looks like and red flags you should avoid.
100% success rate
We maintain a 100% success rate across a large range of visas. Our secret? A proven Skylark process and meticulous internal checklists.
100% money-back guarantee
We are confident enough in our proven process that we offer you a 100% money-back guarantee.
Competitive, all-inclusive fees
We are transparent with our pricing and are fiercely against charging exorbitant fees.
Nothing beats hearing it from our customers. See what our customers have said.
100% success rate
We maintain a 100% success rate across a large range of visas. Our secret? A proven Skylark process and meticulous internal checklists.
Nothing beats hearing it from our customers. See what our customers have said.
You must be married, engaged, or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. You’ll also need to show that your relationship is genuine and ongoing. Each visa subclass has different requirements, so check the relevant page for details.
Immigration case officers assess Partner visas based on four key areas. You’ll need to provide evidence in each of these:
Processing times vary. Right now, 75% of 309 visas are processed within 16 months. The 100 visa is usually assessed two years after you apply, but you may be approved sooner if you meet certain criteria.
If you apply onshore, you will usually be granted a Bridging Visa A (BVA). Whether you have work rights on your BVA often depends on the conditions of your previous visa. If your BVA doesn’t automatically include work rights, you may need to apply for them separately by showing financial hardship.
If your relationship ends before your permanent visa is granted, your visa is usually at risk. However, you may still be eligible to stay if you have suffered family violence or if you have joint custody of a child from the relationship. We strongly recommend seeking professional advice immediately in these cases.
If your application is refused, you may have the right to appeal to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). However, strict time limits (often 21 days) apply to lodge an appeal. A refusal is a serious setback that can affect your ability to apply for future Australian visas.
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Are you the visa applicant or the sponsoring Australian business?
What is included:
1) 30min in-depth consultation
2) 1-to-1 strategic planning session to get you from HERE to your migration goals
3) Step-by-step recommendations by our most experienced migration agents and PR planning specialists
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Are you a student, graduate or skilled professional? Don't have enough points, or not sure what your best options are to get PR?
What is included:
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2) 1-to-1 strategic planning session to get you from HERE to PR
3) Step-by-step recommendations by our most experienced migration agents and PR planning specialists
* Due to the complex nature of PR planning and in-depth research involved for high quality advice, this is a paid consultation.
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