Short answer
A spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen applies from outside Australia for the subclass 309 Partner (Provisional) visa, which leads to the permanent subclass 100. As of 2 November 2026 the Department of Home Affairs lists the cost as from AUD 11,710.00 for the main applicant, covering both stages, and its processing guide showed 50 per cent of subclass 309 applications decided in 21 months and 90 per cent in 35 months.
Which partner visa applies to you?
Australia has an onshore set and an offshore set. For an applicant in Pakistan, the offshore set is the one that applies, because you must be outside Australia when you apply.
| Visa | Who it is for | Where you must be when you apply | What it leads to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner (Provisional) subclass 309 | Spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen | Outside Australia | The permanent subclass 100 |
| Partner (Migrant) subclass 100 | Holder of a subclass 309 or a Dependent Child subclass 445 | Decided after the 309, no separate charge | Permanent residence |
| Prospective Marriage subclass 300 | A person who intends to marry an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen | Outside Australia | A stay of 9 to 15 months, then an onshore 820 and 801 application after marrying |
| Partner subclass 820 and 801 | Spouse or de facto partner already in Australia | In Australia | Permanent residence through the 801 |
Spouse or de facto
A married couple applies as spouses, and the marriage must be one that Australia recognises. An unmarried couple applies as de facto partners, and the department says you usually must have been in the de facto relationship for at least 12 months immediately before applying. It warns, in its own words, that time spent dating or in an online relationship might not count.
When the 12 months does not apply
The department lists exceptions. The 12-month requirement does not apply where you can show compelling and compassionate circumstances exist, or where you have registered your relationship with an Australian state or territory authority such as a registry of births, deaths and marriages. There are also two cases involving a partner who holds or held a permanent humanitarian visa, where the relationship existed before that visa was granted and the department was told about it beforehand.
Where a Pakistani couple usually lands
Most Pakistani applicants are married before they apply, so the spouse route is the common one. The de facto route is harder to evidence from Pakistan, because twelve months of living together has to be shown with documents, and the relationship registration option is only available in Australia.
The two-stage structure, and the two-year wait
This is the part families misread most often. The 309 and the 100 are one application made at one time, but they are decided years apart.
One application, two visas
You apply for the subclass 309 and the subclass 100 together. The department grants the provisional 309 first, which lets you live, work and study in Australia while the permanent application is processed, travel in and out as many times as you want, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible, and apply for access to Medicare.
Two years from the date you applied
The department says two years must have passed since you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 before you are eligible to be assessed for the permanent subclass 100. It also says the processing time for the permanent visa starts from that date of eligibility, which is two years after you applied, not two years after you arrived.
The exceptions to the two years
The permanent visa may be granted in less than two years in two published cases. The first is where you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied. The second is where the sponsor is or was the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa, the relationship existed before that visa was granted, and the department was told about the relationship beforehand.
What the permanent visa adds
With the subclass 100 you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, access Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, travel to and from Australia for five years, and apply for Australian citizenship if you become eligible.
What the partner visa costs
It is one of the most expensive family visas in the world, and the headline number is not optional.
The published charge
As of 2 November 2026, the department’s subclass 309 page lists the cost as from AUD 11,710.00 for the main applicant, and says that the costs shown cover both the temporary visa and the permanent Partner visa subclass 100. The subclass 100 page confirms this with its own line: you paid for that visa when you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas.
There is also a fee for each family member who applies with you. The department does not publish those amounts on the visa page itself and directs applicants to its Visa Pricing Estimator, so work the total out there rather than taking an agent’s figure.
What the charge does not cover
The department says you might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics, and that the pricing estimator does not include those. For a Pakistani applicant, add the panel clinic’s medical fee, the police character certificate, certified translations and travel to the biometrics appointment.
The charge must be correct
The department states that it cannot process an application if the correct visa application charge is not paid. An underpaid application is not a slow application. It is an invalid one.
How long it really takes
The department publishes a processing time guide that shows how long recently decided applications took. The figures below were on that tool on 2 November 2026.
| Visa | 50% processed within | 90% processed within |
|---|---|---|
| Partner (Provisional) subclass 309 | 21 months | 35 months |
| Partner subclass 100, from the date of eligibility | 9 months | 18 months |
| Prospective Marriage subclass 300 | 18 months | 31 months |
| Partner subclass 801, onshore permanent | 6 months | 19 months |
Why the offshore route is the slow one
This is not bad luck, and it is not your file. The department’s Partner visa FAQs say applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 117, that applications are generally assessed in the order received, and that the highest priority is given to onshore subclass 820 and 801 applications. Lower priority is given to the offshore Prospective Marriage visa and to the subclass 309 and 100. It then says, plainly, that applications with lower priority are likely to experience longer processing times.
Put the two published figures side by side. On 2 November 2026 the onshore permanent 801 was at 6 months for half of applications, and the offshore provisional 309 was at 21 months. Same department, same year, and a difference of more than a year because of where the applicant was standing when they applied.
Asking for priority
The department says it may prioritise an application under Direction 117 where there are special circumstances of a compassionate nature and compelling reasons to depart from the order of priority. It also says there is no guarantee, that other applicants may have equally or more compelling circumstances, and that most requests for priority processing cannot be approved. It will only consider a request where all supporting documents and information were submitted with the application.
Where your file is processed
The department says partner applications can be processed at any of its offices, inside or outside Australia, and that the office is not determined by the nationality or location of the applicant. So there is no Islamabad queue to join and no advantage in claiming to know someone in a particular post.
What you must meet
The department sets out the criteria as a list. None of them is a formality.
- Immigration history. The department considers your history, and you might not be eligible if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused.
- Location. You must be outside Australia when you apply, and so must any family applying with you.
- A sponsor. You and anyone applying with you must have a sponsor when you lodge and while you hold the visa.
- Age. Married applicants must usually be 18 or older when they apply, and applicants in de facto relationships must be 18 or older.
- Relationship. You must be the spouse or de facto partner of the sponsor, both when you apply and when the application is decided.
- Health. You and any family applying with you must meet the health requirement, and the department may ask for health information about family not coming with you.
- Character. You and family members aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement.
- Debt. Any money owed to the Australian Government must be paid back or an arrangement made, including by family members not travelling with you.
- Values statement. Everyone aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet and sign the Australian Values Statement.
- Children. The department may refuse the visa if the grant would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Police certificates have a shelf life
The department says that for immigration purposes police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, and that it may ask for them again if they expire before the visa is decided. Given a published 50 per cent figure of 21 months, expect to provide them more than once. Getting them too early is a common and avoidable waste.
The sponsor, and the two-year lock
The sponsor is usually the partner, and must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. The department must approve the sponsor, and the sponsor applies separately after the visa application is lodged.
You cannot change sponsor
The department’s wording is direct. You cannot change your sponsor, and the person who sponsors you when you apply for the visa must be the same person who sponsors you for two years after the temporary Partner visa is granted. At the permanent stage you must continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of that same person.
The order of the two applications
You apply first. The department tells applicants to note the Transaction Reference Number, because the sponsor needs it to apply for sponsorship, and says the sponsor should apply as soon as possible after you lodge. Leaving the sponsorship unfiled is a common cause of a case sitting still.
Immigration assistance
The department says that a person who gives you immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, appointed using Form 956. Anyone in Pakistan charging to act for you with the department should be able to show you which of those three they are.
The four kinds of evidence
The department groups supporting evidence of the relationship into four headings. A file that is thick in one heading and empty in another is the file that gets a request for more information eighteen months in.
The written history first
Before the documents, the department asks you to tell it in writing how, when and where you first met, how the relationship developed, when you moved in together, got engaged or married, what you do together, the time you spent apart, the significant events in the relationship, and your plans for the future. Write this once, together, and make every later form match it.
Finances
Evidence that you share financial matters. The department lists joint mortgage or lease documents, joint loan documents for major assets such as homes, cars or major appliances, joint bank account statements and household bills in both names. For a couple split between Lahore and Melbourne, remittance records and shared costs are usually what exists, so document them properly.
Your household
Evidence that you share domestic matters. The department lists a statement about how you share housework, household bills in both names, mail or emails addressed to you both, documents showing joint responsibility for children and documents that prove your living arrangements.
Social matters
Evidence that others know about the relationship. This one has a hard requirement: you must provide statements from two witnesses who are 18 or older, know you and your partner, and know about your relationship. The department points to Form 888, and says that where a witness is an Australian citizen or permanent resident you should provide evidence of that, such as a passport or birth certificate. Joint invitations, proof of friends in common, proof that you have told government or commercial bodies about the relationship, joint activities and travel together all help.
Commitment
Evidence that you are committed to a long-term relationship. The department says the evidence must show that you have knowledge of each other’s background, family situation or other personal details, have combined your personal matters, stay in touch when apart, and are not related by family. The terms of your wills can also be used.
What this means for an arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a normal basis for a partner visa. What matters is that the four headings are answered honestly. A couple married in Gujranwala three months ago with a nikah nama and nothing else is not hiding anything, but the file is thin in finances, household and commitment, and it will be assessed as thin. Start the record early.
The Prospective Marriage visa
The subclass 300 exists for a couple who intend to marry and cannot yet apply as spouses or de facto partners.
What it gives
As of 2 November 2026, the department lists the cost as from AUD 11,710.00 and the stay as 9 to 15 months from the date the visa is granted. With it you can live, work and study in Australia for that period and travel in and out while the visa is valid.
The conditions that catch people
You must be 18 or older. You must have met your prospective spouse face to face as adults, since turning 18, and be known to each other personally at the time you apply. You must intend to marry before the visa period ends, and you must be outside Australia when you apply.
It is not a shortcut
After the marriage you still have to apply for the Partner visa subclass 820 and 801 from inside Australia, before the subclass 300 ends. That is a separate application with its own charge. On 2 November 2026 the published processing guide showed 50 per cent of subclass 300 applications decided in 18 months and 90 per cent in 31 months, so the route is neither cheap nor quick.
If the relationship ends or something changes
The department publishes the circumstances in which a partner application can continue even though the relationship with the sponsor has ended.
- the sponsoring partner has died;
- the applicant, or a family member included in the application, has experienced domestic and family violence committed by the sponsoring partner;
- the applicant and the sponsoring partner have a child and share access and parental responsibility.
The department also asks applicants to tell it if their contact details, address or passport change, and says it may need to contact you. Over a wait measured in years, an abandoned email address is a real risk.
How to apply, step by step
The order below puts the expensive decisions before the expensive payment.
Confirm which relationship you actually have
A married couple applies as spouses. An unmarried couple applies as de facto partners, and usually has to have been in that relationship for at least 12 months immediately before applying. A couple who are engaged but have not married, and cannot meet the de facto test, look at the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) instead.
Check the sponsor and understand the two-year lock
The sponsor is usually the partner, and must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. The department must approve the sponsor. You cannot change sponsor: the person who sponsors you when you apply must be the same person who sponsors you for two years after the subclass 309 is granted.
Write the relationship history before you touch the forms
The department asks you to tell it in writing how, when and where you first met, how the relationship developed, when you moved in together or married, what you do together, the time you spent apart, the significant events and your plans for the future. Write this once, agree it with your partner, and keep every later form consistent with it.
Build evidence in all four categories
The department looks at finances, your household, social matters and commitment. That means joint financial documents, evidence of how you share domestic life, statements from at least two witnesses aged 18 or over on Form 888, and evidence that you know each other’s backgrounds, have combined your personal matters and stay in touch when apart.
Gather identity and character documents
Provide a birth certificate showing both parents’ names, or one of the listed alternatives, plus the photo page of your passport, a national identity card and proof of any name change. Police certificates are valid for 12 months for immigration purposes, so check the published processing times before you get them.
Apply from outside Australia, then have your sponsor apply
You and any family applying with you must be outside Australia when the application is made. Apply in ImmiAccount, note the Transaction Reference Number, and give it to your sponsor, who should apply to sponsor you as soon as possible afterwards. Pay the charge in full, because the department cannot process an application without the correct visa application charge.
Plan for the wait, then the permanent stage
Two years must pass from the date you applied before you can be assessed for the permanent subclass 100, unless you were in a long-term partner relationship when you applied or the humanitarian exception applies. Keep the department updated on address, passport and relationship changes for the whole period.
What goes wrong most often
Budgeting for the 309 and expecting a second bill later
Families are sometimes told the permanent stage costs again. The department says the charge covers both. The real surprise is the other way around: AUD 11,710 is due at the start, not spread across the two stages.
Planning a life around the median
Fifty per cent in 21 months means half of applicants wait longer, and 90 per cent in 35 months means a significant number wait close to three years. Resignations, tenancy decisions and wedding receptions planned around the shorter figure cause real harm.
A de facto claim with no proof of living together
Couples who have been together for years but never lived together apply as de facto partners and then cannot show the twelve months. The department says dating and online relationship time might not count. Either marry, or use the registration or compassionate exceptions honestly.
Only two of the four evidence headings
Wedding photographs and a marriage certificate answer social matters and little else. Finances, household and commitment have to be evidenced separately, and they take time to build.
Missing or weak Form 888 statements
Two witnesses aged 18 or over who genuinely know you both is a stated requirement, not a suggestion. Statements from people who have never met the applicant read as what they are.
Getting police certificates too early
They are valid for 12 months for immigration purposes, against a published 50 per cent figure of 21 months. Getting them in month one usually means getting them again in month thirteen.
Letting the sponsorship application sit
The applicant applies, then the sponsor applies with the Transaction Reference Number. Where the sponsor never files, the case does not progress and nobody notices for months.
A realistic example
This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client. Imagine Bilal, an Australian permanent resident in Perth, and Maryam, who lives in Rawalpindi. They married in Rawalpindi in February, with both families present.
- Before applying. They check that Maryam will be outside Australia when she applies, that she is over 18, and that Bilal holds permanent residence and can be approved as a sponsor.
- The history. They write the relationship history together: how they met through family in 2024, the two visits Bilal made, the engagement, the wedding, the months apart and their plan to live in Perth.
- The four headings. Finances: remittance records and a joint account opened after the wedding. Household: tenancy papers in Perth and bills put in both names. Social: Form 888 statements from Bilal’s cousin and a family friend, both Australian citizens with passport copies. Commitment: updated wills, daily call records, and evidence each knows the other’s family.
- Documents. Birth certificate showing both parents, passport photo page, national identity card, marriage certificate with a certified translation. They wait on the police certificate until the department asks, knowing it lasts 12 months.
- Applying. Maryam applies in ImmiAccount for the 309 and 100, pays AUD 11,710, notes the Transaction Reference Number and sends it to Bilal, who files his sponsorship that week.
- Planning. Reading 21 months at 50 per cent and 35 months at 90 per cent, they plan on two and a half years and treat anything sooner as a bonus. Maryam keeps her job in Rawalpindi.
Nothing in that is unusual. The difference between this file and a weak one is that the evidence was started before the application, not after a request for more information arrived in month eighteen.
The version that goes wrong
Now imagine a friend who is told by an agent that a Prospective Marriage visa is the fast route, pays a lump sum with no breakdown, and discovers that the subclass 300 showed 18 months at 50 per cent and that the onshore 820 and 801 application afterwards is a separate charge. Before paying anyone, read the guide to checking a visa consultant in Pakistan. Australian immigration assistance is reserved to registered migration agents, legal practitioners and exempt persons, and the Australia visitor visa guide explains the separate rules for visiting while an application is pending.
Key takeaways
- The offshore Partner visa is one application for the subclass 309 and 100, and you must be outside Australia when you apply.
- The Department of Home Affairs listed the cost as from AUD 11,710.00 on 2 November 2026, covering both the temporary and the permanent visa, with a further fee for each family member.
- On 2 November 2026 the published guide showed 50 per cent of subclass 309 applications processed in 21 months and 90 per cent in 35 months.
- Ministerial Direction 117 gives highest priority to onshore 820 and 801 applications and lower priority to the offshore 309, 100 and 300, and the department says lower priority means longer waits.
- Two years must pass from the date of application before the permanent subclass 100 can be assessed, unless the long-term relationship or humanitarian exception applies.
- You cannot change sponsor, and the same person must sponsor you for two years after the 309 is granted.
- Evidence is assessed under four headings, finances, household, social matters and commitment, and two Form 888 witness statements are required.
Frequently asked questions
How much is an Australian partner visa from Pakistan?
As of 2 November 2026, the Department of Home Affairs lists the subclass 309 Partner (Provisional) visa as costing from AUD 11,710.00 for the main applicant. The department states that this charge covers both the temporary subclass 309 and the permanent subclass 100, so there is no second visa charge at the permanent stage. There is a further fee for each family member who applies with you, and health checks, police certificates and biometrics are extra.
How long does a subclass 309 partner visa take?
On the department’s own processing time guide on 2 November 2026, 50 per cent of subclass 309 applications were processed in 21 months and 90 per cent in 35 months. The department calls this a guide only, based on recently decided applications, and not specific to any one case.
Why is the offshore partner visa slower than the onshore one?
Because the department says so in its own priority rules. Its Partner visa FAQs state that applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 117, with the highest priority given to the onshore subclass 820 and 801 applications, and lower priority to the offshore Prospective Marriage visa and the subclass 309 and 100. On 2 November 2026 the onshore 801 showed 50 per cent processed in 6 months against 21 months for the 309.
Do I have to be outside Australia to apply for a 309?
Yes. The department says you must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa, and that family who apply with you must also be outside Australia. You can be in or outside Australia when the temporary visa application is decided.
What is the 12-month de facto rule?
An unmarried couple usually has to have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months immediately before applying. The department warns that time spent dating or in an online relationship might not count. The 12-month requirement does not apply if you can show compelling and compassionate circumstances, if you have registered the relationship with an Australian state or territory authority, or in the specified humanitarian visa cases.
When do I get the permanent subclass 100?
Two years must have passed since you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 before you can be assessed for the permanent visa. The department may grant it in less than two years if you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied, or if the humanitarian visa exception applies. On 2 November 2026, 50 per cent of subclass 100 applications were decided in 9 months from the date of eligibility.
Can I change sponsor after I apply?
No. The department states that you cannot change your sponsor, and that the person who sponsors you when you apply must be the same person who sponsors you for two years after the temporary Partner visa is granted. You must also continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of that same person at the permanent stage.
What happens if the relationship ends while the visa is being processed?
The department says an application may continue in certain circumstances, including where the sponsoring partner has died, where the applicant or a family member included in the application has experienced domestic and family violence committed by the sponsoring partner, or where the couple have a child and share access and parental responsibility. These are published exceptions, and each is assessed on its own facts.
What evidence does the department want?
Four kinds. Finances, meaning evidence you share financial matters. Your household, meaning evidence you share domestic matters. Social matters, which must include statements from two witnesses aged 18 or over who know you both, usually on Form 888. And commitment, meaning evidence you know each other’s backgrounds, have combined your personal matters, stay in touch when apart and are not related by family.
What is the Prospective Marriage visa, and should we use it?
The subclass 300 lets you come to Australia to marry your prospective spouse, and the department lists it as costing from AUD 11,710.00 with a stay of 9 to 15 months from the grant date. You must be 18 or older, have met your prospective spouse face to face as adults since turning 18, and be outside Australia when you apply. After marrying, you apply for the subclass 820 and 801 onshore before the subclass 300 ends, which is a separate application.
Can I ask for faster processing?
You can ask, and most requests fail. The department says that under Ministerial Direction 117 it may prioritise an application where there are special circumstances of a compassionate nature and compelling reasons to depart from the order of priority, that there is no guarantee, and that most requests for priority processing cannot be approved. It will only consider a request where all supporting documents were submitted with the application.
Can Ch. Bilal Rasheed file an Australian partner visa?
He can give general guidance on how the route works and an honest reading of whether a plan is realistic, in a consultation in Lahore, on WhatsApp or by phone. No one can guarantee a visa. He is an immigration advisor in Pakistan and is not registered with OMARA, so he does not act as a registered migration agent in Australia, and Australian immigration assistance is reserved to registered migration agents, legal practitioners and exempt persons.
