Australia Announces Official Waiting Period for Permanent Partner Visa Applicants in 2026
- Australia's Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that applicants for the permanent Partner visa subclass 801 must serve a waiting period before their application is assessed
- The waiting period applies to partner visa applicants onshore and is tied to how long they have held their temporary partner visa
- The Australian government outlined the eligibility conditions and steps applicants must follow to move from a temporary to a permanent partner visa
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Australia has introduced a waiting period requirement for people applying for the permanent Partner visa (subclass 801), according to information published by the country's Department of Home Affairs.
The visa pathway is designed for individuals who are in a genuine relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen and wish to live in Australia permanently. However, applicants cannot move straight to the permanent stage of the process.
Source: UGC
Australia partner visa: Waiting period
Under the current rules, most applicants who lodge an onshore partner visa application are first granted a temporary Partner visa (subclass 820). After holding that temporary visa for a set period, generally two years from the date of the original application, they may then be considered for the permanent subclass 801 visa.
This means that even after the initial application is lodged and the temporary visa is granted, applicants must wait before the permanent visa assessment begins. The two-year period is calculated from when the combined application was first submitted, not from when the temporary visa was actually granted.
During that waiting period, applicants are permitted to live and work in Australia on their temporary visa while the permanent stage remains pending.
Who is exempted from Australia partner visa
The Australian government does provide exceptions to the standard two-year rule. Applicants who were already in a long-term relationship with their sponsor at the time of lodging, typically meaning they had been living together for at least three years or two years if they have dependent children, may be exempt from the waiting period and assessed for the permanent visa more quickly.
Additionally, applicants may qualify for an earlier permanent visa assessment if their partner has since died and they were in a genuine relationship at the time of death, or if they or their child have experienced family violence during the relationship.
Benefits of Australian child visa
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs published details of the Subclass 101 Child Visa, which allows children outside Australia to relocate and live with their parents.
It is noteworthy that this visa covers key privileges, including indefinite stay, the right to work and study, and access to Medicare.
Source: Legit.ng
