The 30-second version
- Confirm which subclass you need (820/801 onshore, 309/100 offshore, or 300 prospective marriage)
- Confirm sponsor eligibility
- Gather relationship evidence across the four pillars
- Prepare statutory declarations
- Get health examinations and police clearances ready
- Lodge through ImmiAccount with the application fee
- Respond to any request for further information
- Wait for the temporary grant, then the permanent stage
Step 1: Pick the right subclass
The most common mistake is picking the wrong subclass — we see it in refused applications every week.
- 820/801 — you're in Australia on another visa and want to live together here
- 309/100 — you're outside Australia and your partner is in Australia
- 300 (Prospective Marriage) — you're outside Australia and plan to marry within nine months
- De facto — under any of the above where you've lived together 12 months or registered the relationship with NSW BD&M
If you pick the wrong subclass and lodge, you usually can't switch — you'd lodge again and pay again.
Step 2: Confirm sponsor eligibility
The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen, generally 18+, not blocked by the five-year/one-lifetime sponsorship limits, and not character-barred. Check this first, not last — sponsor refusals are more common than people expect.
Step 3: The four pillars of relationship evidence
- Financial — joint accounts, shared bills, joint liabilities
- Household — shared address, joint utilities, household responsibilities
- Social — joint photos, friendships, family knowledge of the relationship
- Commitment — future plans, joint travel, statutory declarations
You don't need every item — but absence in one pillar is read as suspicion.
Step 4: Statutory declarations
You'll need a personal statement from each of you and two Form 888 declarations from friends or family. Specific, detailed declarations beat generic ones every time.
Step 5: Health and character
Book health examinations through a panel doctor, get an AFP clearance, and overseas police clearance from any country you've lived in for 12+ months in the last 10 years. Form 80 and 1221 where required.
Step 6: Lodge through ImmiAccount
Attach all evidence and pay the fee. Onshore applicants are placed on a Bridging Visa A the moment the application is lodged, generally carrying the same work rights as the previous visa.
Step 7: Request for further information
Most applications attract at least one RFI. Respond within the deadline (typically 28 days) — careful, well-evidenced responses typically result in grant.
Step 8: Wait, then wait for stage two
Onshore 820 and offshore 309 grants currently take 18–24 months. The permanent stage follows after the relationship-eligibility window, usually two years from lodgement.
Want your evidence checked before you lodge?
Book a consultation →Did you know?
If you registered your relationship with NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages, you don't need to prove 12 months of cohabitation for a de facto application — registration (around $250, processed in a couple of weeks) is a recognised shortcut.
Frequently asked questions
Lodgement itself can be done in a week or two if your evidence is ready. Processing after lodgement is currently 18–24 months for both onshore and offshore cases.
Onshore applicants on a Bridging Visa A generally have work rights. Offshore applicants cannot work in Australia until they arrive on the grant. See Can you work on a partner visa?
No — you can self-lodge. But the refusal rate on self-lodged partner visas is meaningfully higher than on agent-lodged applications.
You generally have 21 days to appeal to the Tribunal. See Partner visa refused? Your options explained.