Last updated: 30 March 2026

Partner Visa Processing Time: How Long to Wait

The Australian partner visa is one of the most personal visa categories in the migration system — and one of the longest to process. Understanding the realistic timeline before you lodge helps you plan your life: work arrangements, study, housing, travel, and the two-year wait that sits between the temporary and permanent stages.

This page covers current processing times for each subclass, the factors that affect how long your application takes, bridging visa arrangements while you wait, and what to expect at the permanent stage.

Current Processing Times

The Department of Home Affairs publishes indicative processing times on its website. These represent the time within which a certain percentage of applications are finalised. They are estimates, not commitments, and they change as caseloads shift.

As of early 2026, approximate processing times are:

These figures are approximate. The 75th percentile means that 75% of applications lodged at a similar time are decided within that period — 25% take longer. Partner visa processing has been a consistently long queue in the Australian system.

Total time from lodgement to permanent visa: For most applicants, expect three to five years from the day you lodge the temporary stage application to the day the permanent visa is granted.

Onshore Processing: Subclass 820 and 801

The temporary stage (subclass 820)

When you lodge the subclass 820 while in Australia, the Department places your application in the processing queue. You receive a Bridging Visa A (BVA) automatically at lodgement, which allows you to remain and work in Australia while your temporary stage is assessed.

The 820 is assessed based on whether:

• Your relationship was genuine and continuing at the time of lodgement
• Your sponsor is eligible
• You and your sponsor meet health and character requirements

Once the temporary stage is decided and the 820 is granted, your BVA ceases and you hold the temporary partner visa. This allows you to live and work in Australia, access Medicare (in most cases), and travel to and from Australia.

The two-year wait

The permanent stage (subclass 801) cannot be assessed until at least two years have elapsed since the date your original partner visa application was lodged. This two-year period is counted from the lodgement date of the temporary stage, not from the date the temporary visa was granted. This is a statutory requirement, not a queue issue.

The permanent stage (subclass 801)

After the two-year mark, the Department will review your application for the permanent stage. You do not need to lodge a new application — the permanent stage is assessed within the same application file. The Department will typically request updated evidence at this point: recent bank statements, photos, and a fresh statutory declaration confirming your relationship is continuing.

If your relationship is still genuine and ongoing, the permanent visa (subclass 801) is granted. This is your formal pathway to permanent residency in Australia.

Offshore Processing: Subclass 309 and 100

The temporary stage (subclass 309)

The subclass 309 is lodged when the primary applicant is outside Australia at the time of application. The Australian sponsor does not need to be in Australia when the application is lodged, but the applicant must be offshore.

Unlike the onshore pathway, there is no automatic bridging visa for the 309. While your application is being processed, you remain outside Australia. Once the temporary visa (309) is granted, you can enter Australia and live here.

Processing times for the 309 are broadly similar to the 820, and can vary more due to the requirement for offshore health examinations and police clearances from multiple countries.

The permanent stage (subclass 100)

The same two-year wait applies. The permanent stage cannot be assessed until at least two years after the original application lodgement date. If your 309 took 30 months to be decided, the two-year clock has likely already passed and the permanent stage (100) may be assessed shortly after you receive the temporary visa.

What Affects Processing Speed?

Several factors can either delay your application or allow it to move more smoothly.

Factors that cause delays:

• Incomplete applications at lodgement — missing documents, outstanding health examinations, or police clearances not yet submitted are the most common cause of delay. The Department cannot finalise an application until all required information is received.
• Requests for Further Information (RFI) — if the Department asks you for additional evidence or documents, the clock effectively pauses until you respond. A slow or incomplete response to an RFI extends your wait.
• Health referrals — if your health examination identifies a concern requiring specialist review, this adds time. Panel Physicians refer cases to the Department of Health for assessment, which can take months.
• Character clearance delays — police clearances from some countries can take many weeks or months to arrive. If you have lived in multiple countries, obtaining and submitting all clearances before lodgement is strongly advisable.
• Complex sponsorship history — if your sponsor has previously sponsored a partner, the additional assessment required adds time.
• Jurisdictional and caseload factors — some application files are assigned to processing officers in queues that move more slowly than others.

Factors that support smoother processing:

• Lodging a complete, well-evidenced application from the start
• Having all health examinations and police clearances completed before or at lodgement
• Organising your evidence clearly and logically
• Responding promptly to any request from the Department
• Keeping your contact details and ImmiAccount information up to date

Bridging Visa While Waiting (Onshore Applicants)

If you lodged the subclass 820 onshore, you hold a Bridging Visa A (BVA) while your temporary stage is being processed.

What the BVA allows:

• You can remain in Australia lawfully
• You can work in Australia without restriction (in most cases)
• You can access Medicare if you are from a country with a reciprocal healthcare agreement
• If your substantive visa expires while you hold the BVA, you remain lawful in Australia

Travel on a BVA:

A BVA does not allow you to depart and re-enter Australia. If you travel on a BVA, it ceases when you depart and you cannot re-enter on it.

If you need to travel overseas while your 820 is pending, you must apply for a Bridging Visa B (BVB) before you depart. A BVB specifies a travel period and allows you to re-enter Australia and return to BVA status. You should apply for the BVB well in advance of your planned travel.

Note: If you depart Australia without a BVB while on a BVA, your 820 application may be taken to have been withdrawn. This is a serious risk. Do not travel internationally without confirming your bridging visa status and obligations with a migration agent first.

After the Two-Year Mark

At the two-year anniversary of your original lodgement date, the Department becomes eligible to assess your permanent stage. In practice, there may be a further wait in the processing queue after this eligibility date is reached.

What to prepare for the permanent stage review:

• Updated bank statements and financial evidence from the most recent 6–12 months
• Recent photographs showing you together
• Updated statutory declarations from both partners confirming the relationship continues
• Any new evidence of commitment (joint lease renewal, travel together, significant shared decisions)

The Department may send a formal request for this updated evidence, or they may proceed to a decision based on what is already in the file. Stay responsive to any correspondence from the Department or from your migration agent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a partner visa take to process in Australia?

Processing times vary. For the temporary stage, the subclass 820 (onshore) currently takes 20–33 months for 75% of applications. The subclass 309 (offshore) takes 17–36 months for the same percentile. The permanent stage (subclass 801 or 100) cannot be assessed until at least two years after the original application date, and then typically takes a further 6–18 months. Most applicants wait three to five years total from lodgement to permanent visa grant.

Can I stay in Australia while my partner visa is being processed?

If you lodged the subclass 820 (onshore), you are automatically granted a Bridging Visa A (BVA) at lodgement. This allows you to remain in Australia with work rights while your application is assessed. If your current substantive visa expires while the BVA is active, you remain lawfully in Australia. If you need to travel, you can apply for a Bridging Visa B before departing.

What can I do to speed up my partner visa application?

There is no formal priority processing lane for the partner visa. The most effective way to avoid delays is to submit a complete, well-organised application at lodgement — including all required evidence, health examination results, and police clearances. Incomplete applications and requests for further information are a primary cause of delay. Responding quickly to any Department request also helps.

What to Do While You Wait

The years between lodgement and permanent visa grant are real life, not just administrative time. A few things worth keeping in mind:

• Keep your relationship evidence current — continue accumulating the financial statements, photos, and records that will be requested at the permanent stage
• Update ImmiAccount if anything changes — address, phone number, email, or change in relationship status must be notified to the Department
• Note your travel obligations — if you are on a BVA, apply for a BVB before any international travel
• Understand your work rights — the BVA typically includes work entitlements, but confirm this for your specific circumstances

For a full overview of the application, see the partner visa Australia overview. For evidence and documentation, see partner visa requirements. For cost planning, see partner visa cost.

The permanent stage of the partner visa is the gateway to permanent residency in Australia — and from there, to citizenship eligibility.