Partner Visa 309/100
If you’re outside Australia when you apply, this two-stage visa may let you join your partner in Australia and stay permanently — a temporary visa (309) followed by a permanent visa (100) once your relationship continues to meet requirements. It’s the right pathway for couples who haven’t yet relocated together.
Who can apply
- You’re in a spousal (married) relationship, or a de facto relationship of at least 12 months (exceptions apply for compelling circumstances or registered relationships)
- Both partners are 18 years or older
- Your sponsor is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
- You’re outside Australia at the time you lodge your application
- Your sponsor has sponsored no more than one previous partner, and generally at least 5 years have passed since any earlier partner sponsorship (exceptions apply)
- Your sponsor meets the Department’s character requirements, including declaring any relevant criminal history
What makes this different from the 820/801
The key difference is simply where you are when you lodge: this visa requires you to be outside Australia at the time of application, though in most cases you can be onshore or offshore when the visa is finally decided. If you and your partner haven’t relocated together yet, or your partner is still overseas, this is usually the correct pathway rather than the 820/801.
This route is also worth knowing about if the recently announced expansion of Condition 8503 affects your visitor visa situation — since 8503 restricts onshore applications, not offshore ones, this pathway remains open even where the 820/801 might not be.
What’s changed this year
Decision-ready lodgement is now the expected standard. Following the Department’s April 2026 Partner Processing Newsletter, case officers generally issue only one request for further information before deciding your case — offshore applications are held to the same standard as onshore ones. Your evidence across all four relationship pillars needs to be complete at lodgement. Visa application charges also rose significantly from 1 July 2026 — confirm the current figure before budgeting.
Applying from overseas shouldn’t mean applying alone
We know distance already makes this process harder — the paperwork shouldn’t be another barrier. Because our service already runs primarily over video call, offshore applicants get exactly the same level of attention as someone sitting across the desk from us. To make starting easier while you’re still overseas, we offer offshore partner visa enquiries a reduced-fee initial video consultation — see our Consultation Booking page for current pricing. There’s no need to wait until you’ve relocated, or to pay full local rates before you’ve even had a proper conversation about your case.
What’s involved
- Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship across four aspects — financial, social, household, and commitment — complete at lodgement, not built up afterward
- A sponsorship application lodged by your partner in Australia
- Health and character checks for the applicant
- Government application charge, set and updated by the Department of Home Affairs
Common reasons applications stall
Long-distance relationship evidence can be harder to gather than for couples living together — call logs, travel records, and communication history all matter more here. Under the 2026 one-response standard, a thin submission has less room to be fixed later. We help clients build a well-organised file that accounts for the realities of a distance relationship, rather than one modelled on a co-habiting couple’s evidence.