A partner visa is won on evidence, not on how much you love each other.
The Department does not meet you. It reads a file. We build that file across the four pillars it assesses, manage the risks that sink genuine couples, and lodge it decision-ready, because for partner visas there is usually one chance to get it right.
Government charges, partner visas
- Partner visa 820/801 or 309/100one charge, both stages$11,710
- Each adult dependant$5,860
- Each child under 18$2,935
- Prospective Marriage 300then a reduced partner charge after marriage$11,710
- Administrative Review Tribunal, if refused$3,727
As at 1 July 2026. This is the largest visa charge in the program and it is not refunded on refusal, which is why we do not lodge thin applications.
Three pathways, chosen by where your partner is standing.
The choice is set by location on the day of lodgement and by whether you are married, de facto or engaged. Each has its own bridging visa and travel consequences.
- 820 / 801
Onshore partner visa
Your partner is in Australia on a valid visa. The 820 is lodged first and a bridging visa keeps them lawful with work rights while it is assessed. The permanent 801 is assessed two years after the original lodgement.
- 309 / 100
Offshore partner visa
Your partner is overseas. The 309 lets them enter and live in Australia; the 100 makes it permanent. Long-term relationships of three years, or two years with a child, can be granted the permanent stage straight away.
- 300
Prospective Marriage visa
You intend to marry. The 300 brings your fiancé to Australia for nine months to marry you, after which an onshore partner visa follows at a reduced charge. You must have met in person as adults.
What the case officer is actually scoring.
Regulation 1.15A sets out four aspects of a relationship. A strong file has evidence under every one of them, dated across the whole relationship, not a pile of photographs.
Financial
Joint accounts and how they are used, shared liabilities, who pays what, and money sent between you when apart. Bank statements matter more than declarations.
Household
Living arrangements, joint leases or mortgages, mail to the same address, and how domestic responsibilities are shared. Evidence spanning time, not a single snapshot.
Social
How family, friends and institutions see you as a couple. Form 888 statutory declarations from Australians who know you both, joint invitations, travel together and public records.
Commitment
Knowledge of each other's lives, wills and beneficiary nominations, plans for the future and the history of the relationship in your own words. The personal statements carry more weight than most applicants expect.
Where genuine couples get refused.
Refusals of real relationships almost always trace to one of these. Each is fixable before lodgement and very expensive after it.
| Risk | What we do |
|---|---|
| De facto under twelve months | Register the relationship in Victoria or another state that allows it, which removes the twelve-month rule, or evidence the compelling circumstances that excuse it. |
| PIC 4020 from a previous application | Audit every earlier visa application, including ones lodged by an agent, and address any inconsistency head-on in a submission rather than hoping it is not noticed. |
| Sponsor limitations | Check the sponsor's own visa history, character, and whether they have sponsored a partner before. Two previous sponsorships or one in the last five years usually bars a further sponsorship. |
| Expiring visa and bridging timing | Lodge the 820 while the current visa is valid so the bridging visa A follows automatically, and plan any travel around a bridging visa B. |
| Thin or inconsistent evidence | A document request written for your relationship, then a lawyer's review of every statement for dates, names and facts that must match across the file. |
Partner visas, answered plainly.
How long does a partner visa take in 2026?
The Department publishes processing times that move monthly and vary by stream. Decision-ready applications with complete evidence are decided faster and rarely attract a request for further information, which alone can add months. We do not lodge until the file is complete.
Can my partner work while the 820 is being processed?
Yes, if they applied onshore while holding a substantive visa. The bridging visa A that comes into effect when the previous visa expires carries full work rights. Applicants who held a bridging visa or no visa at lodgement are in a different position and need advice first.
We have been together less than a year. Can we apply?
A de facto couple normally needs twelve months of the relationship before lodgement. Registering your relationship under a state or territory scheme, which Victoria allows, removes that requirement. Married couples have no minimum period.
Do we have to live together?
Not necessarily, but you must show you are not living separately and apart on a permanent basis. Couples kept apart by work, visas or family obligations can succeed with clear evidence of the reason and of ongoing commitment.
What is Form 888?
A statutory declaration by an Australian citizen or permanent resident who knows you as a couple. Two are expected, more are useful. We give your witnesses a structure so the declarations say something specific rather than repeating that you are a lovely couple.
Lodge once, with the evidence right.
The consultation covers which visa, the twelve-month rule, any previous refusals, and exactly what evidence your relationship needs. Fixed fee quoted in writing afterwards.