Partner · Child · Parent · Remaining Relative
Reunite with your loved ones in Australia. CMG guides partners, children, and parents through Australia's family visa pathways with care and expertise.
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Overview
Australia's Family Stream allows Australian citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens to sponsor their partners, children and parents for visas. The partner visa pathway has two stages: a temporary visa that leads to permanent residency once the relationship is proven genuine and ongoing. Partner visas require evidence across four categories: financial, household, social and commitment. Processing times can be lengthy (12–36 months for partner visas) and documentation requirements are detailed, making specialist assistance essential to avoid delays and requests for further information.
Key Facts
Family and partner visa guidance
Family and partner visa applications are evidence-heavy because the Department needs to understand the relationship, the family unit, sponsorship position and the applicant's circumstances over time. A clear chronology is often as important as the volume of documents.
The offshore partner visa subclass 309 and the onshore partner visa subclass 820 serve different location and temporary-stage situations, with a later permanent stage under subclasses 100 or 801. Parent, child and other family pathways use different tests. Choosing a route requires checking where the applicant is allowed to apply, what status the sponsor holds and whether family members can be included.
Useful relationship evidence is consistent rather than repetitive: shared finances, household arrangements, communication, travel, social recognition and future plans should support one credible timeline. Parent and child cases may need birth records, dependency evidence, family composition information, assurance or sponsorship evidence and documents addressing health and character requirements.
CMG helps families organise a relationship or family evidence plan, identify gaps and prepare explanations for unusual periods, previous applications or changes in circumstances. Processing times, sponsorship rules and documentary requirements change, so the current official pathway should be confirmed before lodging.
Start with the applicant's location, the sponsor's status, the relationship or family category and the evidence available. A subclass 309 is generally considered from outside Australia, while subclass 820 is an onshore partner pathway. Parent, child and remaining-relative visas have separate eligibility tests and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Practical preparation
Confirm whether the case is partner, parent, child or another family pathway before collecting a generic checklist.
Use dated documents and a short explanation to connect meetings, cohabitation, finances, travel and significant events.
Check sponsor eligibility, dependent applicants, custody or dependency issues, and any previous sponsorship history.
Previous refusals, periods apart, name differences and missing records should be addressed openly with supporting context.
Related search themes
This page answers the following closely related searches naturally within the guidance above:
Eligibility
Genuine Relationship
RequiredYou must be in a genuine de facto (12+ months) or married relationship with your sponsor. The relationship must be mutual, continuing and exclusive. Same-sex couples are included.
Sponsor Eligibility
RequiredThe sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 or over. The sponsor must not have sponsored a previous partner within 5 years (with exceptions).
Relationship Evidence: 4 Categories
RequiredEvidence must be provided across all four categories: financial aspects (joint accounts, shared assets), household (shared address, utilities), social (joint activities, knowledge of each other's lives), and commitment (future plans, statutory declarations from friends/family).
Health Requirements
RequiredAll visa applicants must undergo an approved health examination. Conditions such as active tuberculosis will delay processing until resolved.
Character Requirements
RequiredAll applicants aged 16+ must provide police clearances from every country they have lived in for 12 consecutive months in the last 10 years.
Sponsor Assurance of Support (Parent visas)
For parent visas (subclass 143), the sponsor must enter an Assurance of Support (AoS). A bond lodged with Centrelink to ensure the parent does not rely on social security for a set period.
Visa Subclasses
For partners already in Australia. The 820 is a temporary visa; the 801 is the permanent visa granted after 2+ years in the relationship.
For partners outside Australia. The 309 (temporary) leads to the 100 (permanent) after 2+ years.
Permanent residency for parents of Australian citizens/PRs. One of Australia's most expensive visas but provides full permanent residency.
Process
CMG reviews your relationship history, co-habitation period and existing evidence to confirm you meet the genuine relationship requirements before you invest in an application.
Systematically collect evidence across all four categories: joint bank statements, shared lease/mortgage, utility bills in joint names, photos together, statutory declarations from people who know you as a couple.
Your Australian partner lodges a sponsorship application with the Department of Home Affairs and must be approved before the visa application is lodged.
The visa application is lodged with all evidence, health examination results, police clearances and the Department of Home Affairs application fee.
Case officers may request additional evidence of the relationship at any stage. CMG monitors your case and responds promptly to any requests.
The temporary visa is granted, allowing you to live, work and study in Australia. For offshore applicants, this is when you can enter Australia.
After approximately 2 years from the initial application date, a case officer will reassess the ongoing relationship. On approval, the permanent visa is granted.
Fees
| Government Fees 2025–26 | Fee (AUD) |
|---|---|
| 820/801 or 309/100 (primary applicant) | AUD $8,850 |
| Secondary applicant (18+) | AUD $4,430 |
| 143 Parent (primary applicant) | AUD $47,825 |
| Assurance of Support bond (143) | AUD $10,000 |
| Health examination | AUD $300–$600 |
| Police clearances | AUD $40–$100 |
| CMG professional service fee | POA |
| Estimated Total | AUD $10,000–$15,000 (partner, couple only) |
Partner visa government fees are among the highest in the Australian immigration system and are non-refundable once lodged. CMG recommends a professional assessment before lodgement.
Documents
Search-led guidance
The partner, parent, child, carer and remaining relative pathways for families who want to reunite in Australia, and how each category is evidenced.
Quick answer
Australian family migration covers the partner, parent, child, carer and remaining relative visas, each built on a different relationship test rather than on skills or points.
Direct answer
Australian family migration covers the partner, parent, child, carer and remaining relative visas, each built on a different relationship test rather than on skills or points.
Before comparing subclasses, it's worth being clear about what this visa is for. It suits partners, parents, dependent children and, in specific circumstances, carers and remaining relatives of Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens.
What the visa is built to do shapes everything that follows: the evidence you'll need, the conditions attached to the grant, where you can live and work, and whether you'll have to apply again later.
Partner, parent, child, carer and remaining relative categories each rest on a different relationship test and a different evidence set.
The practical result of a grant is this: depending on the category, either a provisional visa leading to permanent residence or permanent residence directly once granted.
Key points
Direct answer
You'll need to show the qualifying relationship for the category you apply under, whether partner, parent, child, carer or remaining relative, have an eligible sponsor or, for some categories, an eligible family member in Australia and meet the specific statutory test: genuine and continuing relationship, balance of family, dependency, or care requirement.
Every one of these has to be met on its own. There's no averaging out, and a strong result elsewhere won't cover a gate you've missed.
The order matters more than most people expect. A skills assessment and an English result both take months, and neither can be arranged after an invitation arrives - so start with whichever constraint is tightest, because that's the one setting your timeline.
Key points
Direct answer
A complete application typically requires marriage certificate, de facto relationship evidence or family relationship documents, financial evidence showing shared resources, joint accounts or mutual support and household evidence such as shared leases, utility accounts or address records.
Documentation decides most outcomes, because the case officer can only weigh what's in front of them. The evidence set for this pathway usually includes:
Financial, household, social and commitment evidence for partners; complete family composition evidence for parents and remaining relatives.
Read your file the way a stranger would. If a case officer has to reconcile two spellings of a name, an unexplained gap in employment or a reference that doesn't match the payslip, you'll be asked for more evidence - and that resets part of the assessment clock. Consistency is worth more than sheer quantity.
Key points
Direct answer
Costs vary enormously across the family categories.
Costs vary enormously across the family categories. The partner pathway is among the most expensive, with the combined provisional and permanent charge generally exceeding AUD 9,000 for the primary applicant, plus charges for each dependent included. Contributory parent visas involve a large first instalment and an even larger second instalment payable much later, plus an assurance of support bond. Child, carer and remaining relative categories carry substantially lower government charges. Across every category, supporting costs apply: medical examinations, police clearances from each relevant country, certified translations, and potentially statutory declarations or legal advice.
Two kinds of cost behave quite differently, and mixing them up is what wrecks most budgets. The government charge is fixed, published and unavoidable, and it moves on the Department's schedule rather than yours. Everything else - assessment, testing, medicals, clearances, translations, professional fees - depends on your circumstances and your choices.
Substantial evidence across four dimensions: financial arrangements, household arrangements, social recognition, and the nature of the commitment. Decision makers weigh documented facts more heavily than narrative.
Build the budget line by line rather than from a single headline figure, then add a buffer. A repeated English test, an extra police clearance or a second instalment falling due later are all common. Where a pathway runs in two stages, compare the total across both - a cheaper first step can end up costing more overall.
Charges are indexed and revised, so treat every figure here as a planning guide and confirm the current schedule with the Department of Home Affairs before you pay anything.
Key points
Direct answer
Two very different timing models apply within family migration.
Two very different timing models apply within family migration. Partner visas are evidence-led and two-staged: the provisional grant lets you live and work in Australia while the permanent assessment continues later, so evidence quality and completeness drive the timeline more than anything else. Parent, carer and remaining relative visas sit in capped programs where annual planning levels determine the queue, and the wait can be measured in years regardless of how strong the application is. Understanding which model applies to your category is essential for planning interim arrangements and travel.
It's worth separating two things that often get confused. Preparation is largely yours to control - gathering evidence, finishing a skills assessment or English test, obtaining clearances, assembling a decision-ready file. Assessment is not: it depends on how many applications sit ahead of yours and what checks your case triggers.
Partner visas are two-staged and evidence-led, while parent and remaining relative categories sit in capped queues measured in years.
The encouraging part is that effort spent on preparation pays off during assessment. A complete application with consistent evidence avoids the requests for further information that reset part of that timeline, and time-sensitive documents like medicals and clearances can be sequenced so they're still valid when a decision is made. If the pathway is capped or queued, remember the wait reflects the number of places available, not the quality of your file.
Published times are historical medians rather than promises, so check the Department's current estimate for your subclass before you plan around a date.
Key points
Direct answer
Applying takes 7 stages, and it starts here: identify which family category actually applies to your relationship and circumstances.
The sequence carries as much weight as the content, because some steps have to be complete before the next is even possible. A workable order looks like this:
Often yes, depending on the category. Dependent children must meet age and dependency rules, and child visas require consent from the other parent or a lawful order.
Most of the avoidable delay traces back to the same 5 mistakes:
This is an evidence-led process, not a form-filling exercise. Each claim needs support a case officer can check, and the cheapest way to get there is to decide what the evidence will be before you start writing anything.
Key points
FAQ
How the engagement works
Partner visas are decided on evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship, and refusals usually come from a thin or inconsistent evidence pack rather than from a legal defect. Our work is building a file that shows the relationship as it actually is, across all four of the department's categories, in a way a case officer can follow.
309 / 820
Main pathways
Offshore and onshore partner visas
Four categories
What is tested
Financial, household, social and commitment
Two stages
Typical structure
Provisional then permanent
Fixed scope
Fee basis
Agreed in writing before work starts
Side by side
Where the applicant is, and the relationship's history, determine which pathway applies.
| Criterion | 309 offshore | 820 onshore | 300 prospective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | Outside Australia | Inside Australia | Outside Australia, to marry in Australia |
| Relationship stage | Married or de facto | Married or de facto | Engaged, intending to marry |
| Lets you | Enter Australia and live here | Remain in Australia while it is decided | Enter Australia to marry, then apply for the partner visa |
| Watch for | Travel plans during processing | Bridging visa conditions and work rights | The marriage must occur within the visa period |
| Evidence load | Full four-category pack | Full four-category pack | Proof of the intention to marry, plus the relationship |
| If it does not go ahead | Withdraw, or re-plan | Bridging visa consequences | The visa ceases, with limited options |
Which pathway applies depends on facts at lodgement, including where the applicant is and whether the relationship is married or de facto.
Sequence
The evidence work happens before lodgement. Rushing it is what creates requests for further information later.
We map your history against the four categories and identify where the evidence is thin.
Financial, household, social and commitment evidence is gathered and organised chronologically.
Your own statements and supporting statements from people who know the relationship.
Sponsorship and application are lodged together with a complete, indexed evidence set.
The department assesses the relationship and may request further information or an interview.
The permanent stage is assessed later, normally without a second full evidence build.
Processing times for partner visas are long and vary widely. Plan around them rather than against them.
Budget
The charge is significant and is paid at lodgement. Other costs are smaller but frequently unbudgeted.
| Cost item | Amount | When it applies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government visa application charge | Several thousand dollars | On lodgement | Confirm the current charge for the specific subclass. It is indexed annually. |
| Our professional fee | Quoted per matter | Agreed in writing | Fixed scope covering both stages where that is agreed at the outset. |
| Police certificates | AUD 30 - 200 per country | Before or at lodgement | Every country where the applicant has lived 12 months or more in the last 10 years. |
| Health examinations | AUD 350 - 700 per person | After lodgement | Panel clinics only. |
| Translations | AUD 25 - 60 per page | With the application | Marriage, birth and divorce documents are the usual ones. |
Indicative only. We give a written estimate of third-party charges before you commit to lodging.
Fit test
Most partner cases succeed. Most refusals come from evidence gaps that were visible months earlier.
Failure modes
These are the failure modes specific to this pathway. Each is manageable if it is identified before lodgement rather than after a request from the department.
Files that are strong on social evidence but silent on financial or household aspects attract requests and doubt.
Fix: We build all four categories deliberately, not just the easy ones.
Different dates for when the relationship began, across statements and documents, is a classic refusal trigger.
Fix: One agreed chronology is used across every statement and form.
Previous refusals, cancellations or sponsorships are visible to the department and must be disclosed.
Fix: We review the full history first and address issues head-on.
Lodging before the evidence exists creates a permanent weak record.
Fix: We set a realistic lodgement date and build toward it.
Breakdown has specific consequences, and there are narrow exceptions involving family violence or children.
Fix: Tell us immediately. Timing and evidence matter greatly.
Documents dated in the weeks before lodgement carry far less weight than a record built over years.
Fix: We start the pack early and date-stamp the history honestly.
Identical witness wording signals the statements were written for the application, not by the witnesses.
Fix: Each witness writes their own account, in their own words.
Couples who live apart for work or study need to explain it, or it reads as no shared household.
Fix: We document the reason and the ongoing connection explicitly.
Evidence
The department assesses relationships across four areas. This is what each one looks like as evidence.
| Document | What it has to establish | What strips it of weight |
|---|---|---|
| Joint accounts and shared liabilities | Financial interdependence | Accounts opened days before lodgement |
| Lease, utilities and household records | A shared household | Addresses that never overlap between partners |
| Photographs and travel history | A shared social life over time | Undated images with no context |
| Statements from friends and family | That the relationship is recognised by others | Statements that repeat each other word for word |
| Communication records | Continuity during periods apart | Selective extracts rather than a continuous record |
| Marriage or relationship registration | Formal status where it applies | Registration documents without any relationship history around them |
| Superannuation and insurance nominations | Long-term commitment to each other | Nominations that were never updated after separation from a previous partner |
| Correspondence addressed to both | Recognition of a shared address over time | Only recent mail, gathered in the weeks before lodgement |
| Evidence of joint decisions | Shared planning, including for children and property | Decisions described but never documented anywhere |
Straight answers
Direct answers to the questions that come up before a partner application is lodged.
Partner visa processing is measured in months and often longer, varying significantly by subclass and caseload. We give you an evidence plan that assumes a long wait.
No. De facto relationships, including same-sex relationships, can qualify, but they usually require more evidence of a shared life over a defined period.
Evidence across all four categories: financial, household, social and commitment. The strongest files are strong in all four rather than exceptional in one.
Onshore applicants usually hold a bridging visa, and work rights depend on its conditions. We confirm the position for your specific case.
A genuine relationship needs evidence of a shared life. Very short relationships are difficult unless there are strong circumstances, and rushing usually makes it harder.
Disclose it. Previous history is visible and must be addressed openly, and in many cases it can be dealt with properly.
Usually not. Partner visas are commonly granted in two stages, with the permanent stage assessed later.
Tell us straight away. There are narrow provisions involving family violence or children, and timing and evidence are critical to them.
There is no fixed minimum for married couples, but de facto relationships generally need a demonstrated shared life over a substantial period, or registration of the relationship where that is available.
Sometimes. Interviews are used where the department wants to test the account. We prepare you for what is asked rather than scripting answers.
Partner visa applicants generally have work and study rights once the visa is granted, and onshore applicants may get them earlier through a bridging visa. We confirm the conditions on your grant.
The sponsor must be eligible, which includes any limits on previous sponsorships, and must meet character requirements. Sponsorship is a real obligation, not a formality.
Dependent children can usually be included, subject to age, dependency and the usual health and character requirements, and to the consent of other parents where it is required.
No. Offshore and onshore pathways both exist, and the right one depends on where you are at lodgement and whether you need to travel during processing.
After grant
The provisional stage is not the end. This is what continues.
Continue building the same four categories after grant, not just before it.
Address, relationship and contact changes must be kept current with the department.
The permanent stage is assessed on a defined timeline, and we track it.
Understand your conditions, including any travel facility.
Sponsors are subject to limits on how often they can sponsor a partner.
Immediate advice if circumstances change, because options narrow with time.
Children born in Australia and the residence position of the family, explained plainly.
A short list of what to keep collecting while the second stage is pending.
Current settings
Family visa settings are stable in structure but change in detail. These are the areas that move.
Confirm current rules with the department before relying on any of these.
Reference figures
Anyone can fill in a form. The value in using a registered agent is judgement about what to lodge, and when.
Registration you can verify
Our agents are registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Registration is public - check it.
A written scope, every time
Fees and deliverables are agreed in writing before work begins. No ambiguity about what is covered.
Refusal risk named early
We tell you the weakest part of your case at the start, not when the department asks about it.
One evidence pack, used everywhere
The same verified chronology supports your assessment, your EOI and your visa application.
Figures move with policy and indexation. A registered agent will confirm each one against the current Department schedule before you commit to a pathway or a payment.
Coverage
Book a free 30-minute consultation with one of our MARA-registered agents. No obligation, no jargon, just expert information tailored to you. You can send an email or find the contact number on our website.
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