🇦🇺 Australia Partner & Family Visa Guide 2026
The partner visa (820/801 onshore, 309/100 offshore) is one of Australia's most-applied-for and most complex visas — and the parent visa queue has become so long that new applicants are looking at a wait measured in decades.
Partner Visa: Onshore (820/801) vs. Offshore (309/100)
If you're already in Australia and your partner is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, you apply onshore for the 820/801. If you're outside Australia, the equivalent is the 309/100. Both work the same way: one combined application, one fee, with the temporary stage granted first and the permanent stage assessed roughly 2 years later.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Combined fee (2025-26) | AUD $9,365 |
| Temporary stage grant | 12-24 months from lodgement (onshore); 7-28 months (offshore) |
| Permanent stage | Assessed ~2 years after original lodgement, no extra fee |
| Total time to permanent grant | Typically 3-5 years in practice |
Onshore applicants get a Bridging Visa A immediately after lodgement, keeping them lawfully in Australia once their current substantive visa expires. Married, de facto, and same-sex couples are all eligible on the same terms. There's no English requirement for the temporary stage, though "functional English" is encouraged for the permanent stage.
Evidence: The Four Pillars
Applications are assessed against four categories of evidence: Financial (joint accounts, shared expenses), Social (how others see the relationship — photos, invitations, social media), Household (shared address, bills, joint responsibilities), and Commitment (long-term plans together). Consistency across every form and document matters enormously — a mismatched date between your relationship statement and a lease agreement is a genuinely common reason for delay or refusal.
Parent Visa: A Realistic Decades-Long Wait
The non-contributory parent visa queue is now so backed up that, as of early 2026, the Department is releasing applications lodged around 2013 for final processing. For a new lodgement today, a realistic outcome is a wait measured in decades, not years. Families with genuine urgency generally need to consider the Contributory Parent visa (Subclass 143, much higher fee but meaningfully faster) or the Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa as a stopgap instead.
Common Mistakes
- Inconsistent dates across forms. Relationship dates, address history, and sponsor details must match exactly across every document — the single most common source of unnecessary delay.
- Assuming the standard parent visa is a realistic option. With current queue releases processing 2013-era applications, a new applicant needs to seriously weigh the (expensive) Contributory Parent visa or the temporary Subclass 870 instead.
- Leaving Australia on a Bridging Visa A without a Bridging Visa B. Departing on a BVA cancels your partner visa application — always apply for a BVB before any travel.
- Missing a visa condition that blocks onshore applications. Conditions like 8503 ("no further stay") on a visitor visa can prevent lodging the 820/801 from within Australia at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an Australian partner visa take?
Typically 3-5 years from application to the final permanent grant (801/100) — the temporary stage (820/309) is usually granted within 12-24 months (onshore) or 7-28 months (offshore), with the permanent stage assessed roughly 2 years after the original lodgement.
How long is the wait for an Australian parent visa in 2026?
For the standard (non-contributory) parent visa, the Department is currently releasing applications lodged around 2013 for processing — meaning a new lodgement today faces a realistic wait measured in decades. The Contributory Parent visa (143) is faster but considerably more expensive.
Do I need English for an Australian partner visa?
Not for the temporary stage (820/309). "Functional English" is encouraged, not strictly required, for the permanent stage (801/100), with flexible testing options like PTE available.