Our partners and spouses guide is packed with useful information you will need to know when emigrating to Australia.
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You are already here. The house is shared, the routines are real, the life is genuinely Australian: everything except the visa. The onshore partner pathway, Subclass 820 leading to 801, exists to fix exactly that: one application, two stages, and permanent residency without leaving the country.
Applying onshore brings real advantages, and real traps. Here is how the 820/801 works, and how couples get it right the first time.
The onshore partner route is one application, assessed twice:
You must be in Australia when you apply; the 820 can be granted whether you are inside or outside Australia. From lodgement you are anchored: most applicants receive a bridging visa that keeps them lawfully in Australia (usually with full work rights) the moment their current visa ends. Couples together three or more years, or two with a child of the relationship, are frequently granted the permanent 801 immediately.
The tests mirror every partner visa, with an onshore twist:
Before anything is lodged, we audit your current visa status and history, the single most important onshore check there is.
The onshore pathway’s quiet superpower is the bridging visa:
Managed well, the waiting period simply feels like living your life. Managed badly, a single overseas trip or lapsed visa can undo the entire strategy.
The Department encourages partner applications to be decision-ready at lodgement: complete evidence, first time:
Our partner visa hub explains the four pillars in depth, and our former immigration officials audit your file the way a case officer will.
Cost: AUD 11,710 for the primary applicant (one charge covering both the 820 and 801 stages) plus AUD 5,860 per additional adult and AUD 2,935 per child.
Processing: the Department of Home Affairs processing guide currently shows half of temporary partner visa applications decided within eighteen months and nine in ten within thirty two months. The bridging visa makes the wait livable; long-standing couples may skip straight to permanent residency.
Onshore or offshore? If you are weighing both, our offshore 309/100 guide covers the other road, and our assessment tells you which one your circumstances favour.
Discuss your eligibility and explore your options with a dedicated migration specialist.
Your current visa grant, conditions and full Australian immigration history: the onshore-specific evidence that decides whether and when you can lodge. Any “no further stay” conditions or past refusals are addressed here, first.
Certified passports and birth certificates for both partners, marriage or relationship registration, divorce or death certificates ending prior relationships, and name-change evidence, consistent to the letter.
The four-pillar file: joint finances, the shared household (lease, bills, correspondence), social recognition (Form 888 declarations, photos across time, travel), and commitment: your statements, plans and communication history.
Sponsorship forms, the sponsor’s citizenship or PR evidence, sponsor police certificates, and disclosure of previous sponsorships, screened before lodgement, not after.
Immigration medicals for applicant and dependants, plus police certificates from every country of 12+ months residence in the past decade since turning 16, sequenced early where issuing is slow.
Nearly three decades guiding successful emigrations to Australia.
Former Emigration Officials with deep, current knowledge of Australian immigration law.
Considered, discreet guidance tailored precisely to your circumstances.
Yes. That is exactly what the 820/801 pathway is for. You must be in Australia when you lodge, on a visa that permits the application; the 820 itself can be granted while you are inside or outside Australia.
In most cases, yes. Lodging onshore typically generates a bridging visa that keeps you lawfully in Australia with full work rights once your current visa ends.
Generally yes. The bridging visa associated with an onshore partner application usually carries unrestricted work rights.
Partner applicants typically become eligible to enrol in Medicare after lodging the onshore application, one of the pathway’s most valuable, least-known benefits.
Only with the correct bridging arrangement in place before you leave. Travelling on the wrong bridging visa can compromise your application; always check before booking.
The Department of Home Affairs processing guide currently shows half of temporary partner visa applications decided within eighteen months and nine in ten within thirty two months, with the permanent 801 stage assessed from two years after lodgement, or immediately for long-established couples.
AUD 11,710 for the primary applicant, covering both stages, plus AUD 5,860 per additional adult and AUD 2,935 per child.
A waiver may be possible in limited circumstances, but timing and strategy are everything: get advice before your current visa expires, not after.
You may be granted the permanent 801 at the same time as the 820: one decision, straight to permanent residency.
Book an assessment and our team will assess your options.
Receive tailored advice and a clear migration strategy built entirely around you.
Let us manage your application from lodgement to decision, or choose to be guided.
Partner Visas Guide
Our Partner Visas guide carries the information you need to decide whether joining your partner in Australia is right for you.
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Complete our Australian immigration assessment and we will send your copy.
Comparing life in Australia to the United Kingdom.
Daytime temperatures in Rockhampton sit well above those in Norwich all year round. Each figure is a long term average taken from the official weather station records on both sides.
| Measure | Rockhampton | Norwich |
|---|---|---|
| Mid winter daytime high | 23.3 °C | 7.2 °C |
| Mid summer daytime high | 32.3 °C | 22.5 °C |
| Year round daytime high | 28.5 °C | 14.5 °C |
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology; Met Office Australian source
Launceston counts fewer wet days across the year than Inverness. The national weather service in each country publishes these averages from decades of station records.
| Measure | Launceston | Inverness |
|---|---|---|
| Days of rain a year | 81.8 | 147.9 |
| Annual rainfall | 612 mm | 755 mm |
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology; Met Office Australian source
Wollongong collects more sunshine, sees fewer wet days and runs warmer through the year than Swansea. Both columns come from the long term station averages published by each country’s national weather service.
| Measure | Wollongong | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine per day | 7.2 hours | 4.3 hours |
| Days of rain a year | 92.8 | 152.5 |
| Year round daytime high | 21.5 °C | 13.7 °C |
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology; Met Office Australian source