Partner Visa (Subclass 820 and 801)

The onshore Partner visa is a 2-stage pathway for the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia. You generally lodge one combined application and are assessed for Subclass 820 (temporary) first, then later for Subclass 801 (permanent) if you continue to meet requirements.

• Subclass 820 (Temporary Partner): lets you stay in Australia temporarily while your permanent stage is assessed; it also allows travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.
• Subclass 801 (Permanent Partner): makes you a permanent resident (stay indefinitely). Like most permanent visas, your travel facility is usually 5 years from grant, after which you may need a Resident Return Visa to re-enter as a permanent resident.

Your sponsor must generally be your partner who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, and they must be approved as your sponsor as part of the process.

In plain terms, you usually need to:

• Be the spouse or de facto partner of an eligible sponsor (citizen/PR/eligible NZ).
• Be in Australia to apply for the onshore (820/801) pathway.
• Prove your relationship is genuine and continuing (see Q5).
• Meet health and character requirements (police checks are commonly required).
• Be able to make a valid application (for example, if your current visa has a “No Further Stay” condition, you may need a waiver before you can apply onshore).

Home Affairs commonly assesses relationship evidence across four key areas:

• Financial aspects (shared bills, joint accounts, joint assets/liabilities)
• Household/domestic arrangements
• Social aspects (shared activities, recognition by friends/family/organisations)
• Commitment to each other (communication, future plans, wills, time apart, etc.)

Supporting declarations (like Form 888) may also be used as part of evidence.

Yes-eligible family members (including dependent children) can be included, and Home Affairs also provides a process to add family members after you apply if needed.

In most cases, yes:

• The 820 is designed to let you live in Australia while your permanent stage is assessed, and it generally allows work/study (your exact conditions should be checked in VEVO/your grant notice).
• The 801 is permanent residence, so work/study rights are broadly unrestricted.

Two different situations matter:

• If you already hold the 820/801 visa: you can travel in/out according to that visa’s travel conditions.
• If you are still an applicant and are on a bridging visa while waiting: you generally need a Bridging Visa B (BVB) to leave and re-enter Australia. Home Affairs explicitly points partner applicants to “Travel on a bridging visa” guidance.

Processing times change frequently and vary by case complexity and whether you’ve provided all required documents. The Department publishes an official global visa processing times tool (updated based on recently finalised applications).

Often yes-if you are in Australia and can make a valid onshore application. However, if your current (or most recently held) visa has a “No Further Stay” condition (e.g., 8503/8534/8535/8540), you generally can’t apply onshore unless you get a waiver.

You must update Home Affairs if your relationship changes. In some circumstances, you may still be eligible for the permanent stage (for example, under family violence provisions, or other limited situations like sponsor death-depending on facts). Home Affairs provides specific guidance and links for relationship change, sponsor death, and family violence support.