Subclass 100 — Partner visa (offshore, permanent)

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The subclass 100 is the permanent stage of the offshore partner pathway. In general terms, it is not a fresh application that you start on its own: it usually flows from the combined partner application you lodged earlier, where the provisional subclass 309 and the permanent subclass 100 are decided in two steps from a single lodgement. Typically the permanent stage is assessed some time after that lodgement — often around the two-year mark — although timing depends on individual circumstances and current departmental processing. At a high level, the things commonly relevant to this stage include: continuing to be the partner of the same Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen who sponsored the original application; that sponsorship remaining in place; and the relationship still being genuine and continuing at the time the permanent stage is considered. Applicants are generally expected to keep meeting health and character expectations. Where location requirements attach to particular points in the offshore process, the official page sets out how they apply at the permanent stage. A key practical theme is continuity of evidence: because the permanent stage looks at the relationship as it stands later in time, it generally helps to keep building a record of the relationship across the whole waiting period rather than only at lodgement. Exact criteria, exceptions, and how each factor is weighed change over time and turn on personal facts. Check the official page for current requirements, and a registered migration practitioner can advise on your circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Health and character checks

Applicants for this visa are generally asked to meet both a health requirement and a character requirement. The Department advises whether health examinations are needed and, for applicants outside Australia, when to provide police and character information. In many cases health examinations are arranged after an application has been lodged. Where health examinations are done, the results are generally treated as valid for around 12 months, and if a health undertaking is signed it is generally valid for about 6 months, so timing is often considered alongside expected processing times. For the character requirement, applicants are generally asked to provide police certificates for each country they have lived in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years, with certificates generally expected to cover the period since they turned 16. All relevant criminal conduct is expected to be declared. The character requirement is set out under section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. Sponsors are separately asked to provide an Australian police check and any overseas police checks when they lodge their sponsorship. Family members who are included in an application are generally also asked to meet the health and character requirements, and non-migrating family members may in some cases be asked to complete health examinations. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Health cover and Medicare

This visa is a permanent residence pathway, and Australian Government information indicates that people can generally enrol in Medicare once they have applied for permanent residency, including through a combined offshore Partner application (subclass 309 and 100), rather than waiting until a visa is granted. Enrolment can generally start from the date the permanent residency application was made, or from the date of arrival for people who applied from outside Australia. Enrolment is generally handled through Services Australia, for example by signing in to a myGov account or by completing a Medicare enrolment form. Applicants are generally asked to provide identity and residency documents, such as a current passport or ImmiCard and proof from the Department of Home Affairs that a permanent residency application has been made. Where a person's current visa does not allow them to work in Australia, additional documents are generally requested. Because Partner visa processing can take time, Medicare eligibility may need to be extended, and Services Australia indicates that eligibility can in some circumstances be extended online. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

What this visa costs

The offshore Partner visa is a two-stage process, and applicants generally apply for the temporary Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) and the permanent Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) together, paying a single Visa Application Charge that covers both stages. The Department lists this charge as starting from AUD 11,710, paid when the application is lodged. This government Visa Application Charge is separate from any fee a service provider or agent might charge for assistance. An additional applicant charge generally applies for family members included in an application, and the charge is generally not refunded even if an application is withdrawn or unsuccessful. Applicants may also face other costs, such as health examinations and police certificates. A surcharge can apply depending on the payment method used. Charges can change over time, and the amount payable generally depends on the date the application is received, so the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator is used to confirm a current figure. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Timing and visa validity

This is a permanent visa, so once granted it generally lets the holder live in Australia permanently, and a person becomes a permanent resident on the day it is granted. It is the second stage of the offshore Partner visa, reached after the temporary Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309). The Department generally assesses the permanent subclass 100 from a date of eligibility that falls about two years after the temporary and permanent Partner visas were applied for. In some cases the permanent visa may be granted in less than two years, for example where the applicant was in a long-term partner relationship with the sponsor when they applied. Processing times vary between applications, and the Department publishes indicative processing times through its visa processing time guide, which are intended as a guide only and not specific to any one application. Health examination results are generally valid for about 12 months and any health undertaking for about 6 months, which applicants often weigh against expected processing times. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa conditions that may apply

The permanent Partner visa (subclass 100) is a permanent residence visa. Unlike temporary visas, it does not limit how long the holder can stay and it does not restrict work or study. It carries no ongoing stay-limitation or "no further stay" type condition, and holders may generally live, work and study in Australia indefinitely. According to the Department of Home Affairs visa conditions tool, two conditions may be attached to a subclass 100 visa in particular circumstances: condition 8502 and condition 8515. Condition 8502 means a dependent family member's visa may require that they must not arrive in Australia before a specified person, usually the main applicant. Condition 8515 means the holder must not marry or enter into a de facto relationship before entering Australia; it is relevant where the visa is granted while the holder is still outside Australia. More generally, holders and their family members are expected to comply with any conditions recorded on the visa and to obey Australian laws. The exact conditions on a particular visa can be confirmed through the Department's VEVO service or the visa grant letter. Separately from these conditions, the visa carries a travel facility that generally allows travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of grant; after that period a Resident Return visa is usually needed to re-enter as a permanent resident. Where the visa is granted while the holder is outside Australia, they must make their first entry by the first entry arrival date shown in the grant letter. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility in detail

The offshore Partner program is a two-stage process that is applied for together in one application: a temporary Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) and the permanent Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100). Applicants generally must be outside Australia when they lodge the application, and they may be in or outside Australia when the temporary visa is decided. The permanent subclass 100 is normally assessed about two years after the application was lodged. There are two relationship streams. An applicant applies either as the married spouse of, or as the de facto partner of, an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. Married and de facto applicants are generally expected to be at least 18. Being a relationship-based visa, it is assessed on the relationship rather than a points test, a skilled occupation list or an English-language test. At the temporary stage, decision-makers generally consider whether the applicant has a sponsor, is the right age, is in a genuine relationship, meets the health and character requirements, has no debts to the Australian Government, signs the Australian values statement, and whether granting the visa is in the best interests of any applicant under 18. Immigration history, including any earlier visa refusal or cancellation, may also be considered, and there are limits on how many partners a person can sponsor and how often. For the permanent subclass 100 stage, an applicant generally must still hold the subclass 309 visa (or a Dependent Child subclass 445 visa) and, in most cases, continue to be in a genuine and ongoing relationship with the same sponsor. Applicants and their family members must continue to meet the health requirement and repay any debts owed to the Australian Government. The permanent visa may be granted in under two years where the couple was in a long-term relationship at the time of application, or in certain cases linked to a sponsor's permanent humanitarian visa. Applicants may still be eligible for the permanent visa in defined circumstances even if the relationship has ended, if the partner has died, or where family violence has occurred. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and life after grant

Members of the family unit, such as a dependent child, can generally be included in the application when the temporary subclass 309 visa is lodged, and they must also be outside Australia. A dependent child can also be added after lodgement but before the temporary visa is decided. To include a dependent child in the permanent subclass 100 application after the temporary visa has been granted, the child generally first applies for a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445) and can then be considered for the subclass 100. Families are asked to notify the Department if a baby is born after the application is made. Once the permanent subclass 100 visa is granted, the holder is a permanent resident of Australia. They can generally live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, access Australia's public health scheme Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, and, if eligible, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program. The visa generally allows travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of grant; to travel after that period the holder usually needs a Resident Return visa. Holders who meet the requirements may later apply for Australian citizenship. Holders and their family members are expected to comply with any visa conditions and obey Australian laws, and to keep the Department informed of relevant changes, such as a new passport, the birth of a child, or a change in their relationship. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

If an application is refused, and review

According to official material, applications of this type are commonly refused where the decision-maker is not satisfied the relationship is genuine and continuing, where the health or character requirement is not met, where there are outstanding debts to the Australian Government, or where sponsorship requirements are not met, including the limits on how many partners a person can sponsor and how often. Immigration history, such as a previous visa refusal or cancellation, and the best interests of a child can also affect the outcome. If the Department makes an unfavourable decision, merits review may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). The Department's decision letter states whether the decision can be reviewed and who is able to apply. Because the visa applicant is outside Australia in an offshore Partner application, the decision letter identifies who may apply for review; for offshore refusals this is generally an eligible person who is in Australia, such as the sponsor, rather than the applicant. Strict time limits apply and are set out in the decision letter, and a fee applies to lodge a review. The ART's fee for reviewing a migration decision made under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 is $3,727, with a 50% reduction available in cases of financial hardship, and half of the fee may be refunded where the review results in a favourable outcome, such as the decision being set aside, varied or remitted to the Department. On review the Tribunal may affirm the original decision, or set it aside and substitute a different decision, or send the matter back to the Department for reconsideration. This is a neutral description of the process and is not a prediction about any individual case. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs and charges

The Australian Government's Visa Application Charge (VAC) for the offshore Partner visa starts at AUD 11,710 for the main applicant. This single charge covers both the temporary subclass 309 stage and the permanent subclass 100 stage, so there is no separate base charge payable again at the permanent stage. Concessions apply in limited circumstances, and from 1 July 2026 a lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants. An additional applicant charge applies for each family member included in the application, with separate amounts for applicants aged 18 and over and for those under 18. Because these amounts can change, the current figures should be obtained from the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator rather than assumed. The VAC can be structured as up to two instalments. A second instalment, where one applies, is payable before the visa is granted, may be nil, and is not payable if the application is refused or withdrawn before it is paid. Other components can also form part of the first instalment in some cases, such as a non-internet application charge or a subsequent temporary application charge. The VAC is generally not refunded, even if the application is refused or withdrawn. A surcharge may apply when the charge is paid by credit card or PayPal. Applicants may also need to pay other costs that are separate from the VAC, such as health examinations, police clearance certificates and biometrics. These are paid to the relevant providers, not as part of the visa charge. Any service or platform fee charged by a third party for help with an application is separate from, and additional to, the Australian Government's Visa Application Charge and these other government costs. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.