Australia Spouse (Partner) Visa

The Australian Spouse Visa, officially called the Partner Visa, is for married partners of Australian citizens, permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens. It lets you move to Australia and live together with your spouse legally.

This visa starts as a provisional visa, which means it is temporary at first. During this time, you can work freely, access Medicare, and settle into your new life in Australia.

After living together for a period of time, you can apply for permanent residency. This makes the Partner Visa one of the most important visas for couples who want to build a long-term future in Australia.

Spouse Visa Requirements

To be eligible for an Australia Spouse Visa, you and your partner must meet the following core requirements:

• You must be in a genuine, continuing, and exclusive relationship
• Your partner (the sponsor) must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
• You must meet Australian health requirements (medical examination)
• You must meet character requirements (police clearance from every country you have lived in for 12+ months)

5 Types of Spouse Visas

The Australian immigration department has designed 5 types of spouse visas to suit individual situations and needs.

Visa Subclass	Where You Apply	What It Is	Leads To	Timeframe
Subclass 309	Outside Australia	Temporary Spouse Visa	Subclass 100	9–13 months
Subclass 100	Follows the 309	Permanent Spouse Visa	Permanent Residency	13–32 months
Subclass 820	Inside Australia	Temporary Spouse Visa	Subclass 801	12–26 months
Subclass 801	Follows the 820	Permanent Spouse Visa	Permanent Residency	11–30 months
Subclass 300	Outside Australia	Fiancé Visa	Subclass 820	12–26 months

Important: You apply once and pay one fee. The temporary and permanent stages are bundled into a single application — there is no second fee when you move to the permanent stage.

Offshore Spouse Visa

Subclass 309 — Australia Spouse Visa (from Bangladesh)

The subclass 309 is for applicants who are outside Australia, offshore, at the time of lodgment. If you are based in Bangladesh, this is the visa you apply for. It allows you to live, work, and study in Australia while the Department of Home Affairs monitors your relationship over a two-year period. If you are currently in Australia, then learn about 820 visa.

The Two-Stage Journey

• Stage 1 — Temporary (subclass 309): Live, work, and study in Australia for two years while your relationship is assessed.
• Stage 2 — Permanent (subclass 100): After two years, the Department confirms your relationship is genuine and ongoing, then grants permanent residency.

Requirements for Spouse Visa (Offshore)

• Be outside Australia when applying
• Be married to, or in a genuine de facto relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
• Show the relationship is genuine and ongoing
• Have a sponsor — your partner must formally sponsor you
• Meet health requirements (medical examination)
• Meet character requirements (police clearance)
• Meet identity requirements

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Subclass 100 — Permanent Spouse Visa

Australia spouse visa is the easiest pathway for you to join your Australian Partner. The Subclass 100 is the permanent stage of the offshore pathway. It follows automatically from the Subclass 309 — there is no separate application or additional fee required. Once granted, it gives you the right to live, work, and study in Australia permanently with no end date.

Requirements for Subclass 100

• You must already hold the Subclass 309 visa
• At least two years must have passed since the original application was lodged
• You must still be in a genuine and continuing relationship with the same sponsor
• You and any family members included must continue to meet health and character requirements

Fast-track note: If your relationship was already well-established at the time of applying — typically 3 or more years together, or 2 years if you have a dependent child — you may be granted the 100 visa at the same time as the 309, skipping the two-year wait entirely.

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Confirm your eligibility

Ensure your relationship is genuine and continuing, and your partner is eligible to sponsor you as an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. Check you can meet Australia’s health, character, and visa requirements before applying.

Step 2: Gather documents

Prepare identity documents, relationship evidence, financial records, and proof of living together to support your application.
Include police clearances and complete your health examination when requested by the Department of Home Affairs.

Step 3: Sponsor submits sponsorship application

Your partner must lodge the sponsorship application through ImmiAccount and provide evidence of their identity and eligibility. The sponsorship is assessed together with your Partner Visa application.

Step 4: Applicant lodges visa application

Submit your Partner Visa application online, pay the government fee, and upload all required supporting documents.
Providing complete and accurate information helps avoid unnecessary processing delays.

Step 5: Medical examination

Complete your medical examination with a Home Affairs-approved panel physician to satisfy Australia’s health requirements.
Your results are sent directly to the Department, so you do not need to upload them yourself.

Step 6: Police clearance

Obtain police certificates from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more since turning 16. These documents help the Department assess whether you meet Australia’s character requirements.

Step 7: Provisional visa granted (309 or 820)

If approved, you will receive a temporary Partner Visa that allows you to live in Australia while awaiting permanent residency.
You can usually work and access eligible services during this stage, subject to visa conditions.

Step 8: Maintain your relationship

Keep evidence of your shared life, including finances, communication, travel, and living arrangements after lodging your application. Updated relationship evidence is often required before your permanent visa is decided.

Step 9: Two-year assessment

Most applicants are assessed for permanent residency around two years after the initial Partner Visa application.
The Department reviews whether your relationship remains genuine and continuing.

Step 10: Permanent visa granted (100 or 801)

Once approved, you become an Australian permanent resident with the right to live, work, and study indefinitely.
You may later become eligible to apply for Australian citizenship if you meet the legal requirements.

Processing Times

Processing times vary based on the volume of applications and individual case complexity. The following are approximate current timeframes:

• Subclass 309 (offshore temporary) — 9 to 13 months
• Subclass 100 (offshore permanent) — 13 to 32 months from lodgment

Processing times are indicative only. The Department of Home Affairs updates these regularly. Your individual case may be faster or slower depending on how complete your application is and whether additional information is requested.

Why Your Visa Might Get Refused

Partner visas are refused when the Department is not satisfied that the relationship is genuine. The most common reasons for refusal are:

• Insufficient relationship evidence — no shared finances, address, or social proof
• Inconsistent statements — your answers and your partner’s answers do not match
• Short relationship history — the couple has not been together long enough to establish credibility
• Failure to meet health or character requirements
• Documents that appear incomplete, inconsistent, or fraudulent
• Previous visa refusals or immigration history issues

Strong applications include a wide range of relationship evidence across all four categories the Department assesses: financial, social, household, and commitment. The more categories you can evidence, the stronger your case.