820 Visa: How to Apply for a Partner Visa in Australia (Onshore)

If you're applying for a partner visa from inside Australia, the temporary 820 visa is the place to start. With the 820, you can live, work and study here while your application is assessed, and then you’ll be able to pursue permanent residency through the 801 visa.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the onshore 820-to-801 pathway in plain terms: 

• Who's eligible
• The evidence you need
• The steps to apply
• The cost and timing. 

It's a document-heavy process where small mistakes often cost months, but the Matilda team has registered migration agents and lawyers under one roof who can support you through it. 

How the 820 and 801 Visas Fit Together

You can normally only get the permanent 801 after holding the temporary 820, and you pay one combined application charge covering both stages.

However, if you were already in a long-term relationship with your partner when you lodged your 820/801 application, the department may grant both visas at the same time.

To qualify, you'll need to demonstrate that either:

• You have been a married or de facto couple for at least 2 years and you have a dependent child (other than a step-child) from this relationship
• You have been a married or de facto couple for at least 3 years.
  

Once the 801 is granted, you're a permanent resident and you can apply for Australian citizenship when you've held permanent residency for at least 12 months and lived in Australia for four years.

The 820 Visa (Temporary)

The 820 is where every onshore partner visa applicant starts. It lets you stay in Australia short-term and sets up your permanent visa. To obtain the visa, you must:

• Be in Australia when you apply
• Be 18 or older (in most cases).
• Be in a genuine marriage or de facto relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who agrees to sponsor you 
• Hold a substantive visa 
• Meet the health and character requirements and sign the Australian values statement
• Have no outstanding debts to the Australian government.

Proving that the relationship is genuine is the heart of the application, and what you need to show differs slightly by relationship type.

De facto couples usually need to have lived together (or not lived apart on a permanent basis) for at least 12 months before applying, unless the relationship is registered. For married couples, the marriage must be valid under Australian law (this can include overseas marriages as long as the marriage is legally valid).

Matilda Tip: Dependent children can usually be included in your 820 application (generally they will need to be under 18, unmarried, in your custody and financially dependent on you).

For the full eligibility details, see our complete guide to applying for a partner visa.

The 801 Visa (Permanent)

About two years after you lodge the 820, you move to the second stage, which is the permanent 801. Rather than starting a new application, you add updated evidence to your existing one, showing your relationship has continued since you applied.

The test at this stage is that your relationship is still genuine and continuing. You need to demonstrate real mutual commitment, a shared life and prove that you live together (or don't live apart on a permanent basis).

Case officers look at the same four areas as the first stage (finances, household, social and commitment) but for the period since you lodged.

Helpful evidence includes a joint bank account with transaction history, shared bills and a lease or mortgage in both names, joint travel and updated statements from people who know you as a couple. Major relationship milestones such as engagement, marriage, pregnancy or caretaking of a child are also helpful.

If your relationship has ended, you may still have a pathway to the 801 in some situations (such as if you've experienced family violence from your sponsor, you have a child together or your sponsor has died). ‍

Matilda Tip: Some couples are granted the 801 immediately, without the two-year wait or a second document submission. This usually applies if you'd already been in a de facto relationship or marriage for at least three years when you lodged the 820 (or two years with a dependent child).

How to Apply for an Onshore Partner Visa: Step by Step

Applying onshore takes preparation and gathering and organising your evidence is the time-consuming part. Here's the process in summary (our partner visa guide has the detailed version).

Part 1: Applying for the 820 Visa

Your evidence needs to cover the four pillars of a genuine relationship:

1. Finances: Show that you manage money as a couple by providing evidence of shared bank accounts, joint assets or shared living costs.

2. Household: Show you run a household in partnership and  demonstrate that you live together (provide shared bills or mail addressed to both of you ).

3. Social: Give evidence of a shared life by providing statements from friends and family, joint travel documents or photos of the two of you at events.

4. Commitment: Demonstrate the length and seriousness of your commitment by providing letters, relationship statements or wills.
Not every document is relevant to every couple, which is where a registered migration agent can help narrow the evidence down to what your application actually needs. 

Part 2: Progressing to the 801 Visa

If you're granted the 801 straight away, you already have permanent residency. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait two years from your 820 application date, then submit the second-stage documents.

Once the 801 is granted, you're a permanent resident with full work rights and a pathway to Australian citizenship.

What Happens After You Lodge

When you lodge a valid 820 application onshore, you're usually granted a Bridging Visa A. It keeps you in Australia lawfully while you wait and comes into effect when your current visa expires, with full work rights.

If you need to travel overseas before a decision is made, apply for a Bridging Visa B first, as a Bridging Visa A doesn't let you re-enter Australia. Home Affairs may also ask for more documents during processing. Be sure to respond by the date they give to avoid delays.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

The combined 820/801 application charge is from AUD $11,710 for the main applicant, with extra charges for any family members included in the application. That's the government fee (agent fees are separate).

Note that for applicants from the list of countries below, a fee concession applies and the application charge can start at $9,600.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application.

Home Affairs will charge eligible applicants the lower visa application cost during the application process in ImmiAccount. They will recognise eligible applicants when they apply with a valid passport from one of the specified countries.

Family members are also eligible for the lower visa cost. Home Affairs bases this on the passport of the primary applicant (or visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria).

The primary applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu.
  

Processing times vary widely by case and change regularly, so rather than relying on a single number, check the current figures in our partner visa processing times guide.

What Commonly Delays a Partner Visa

Most avoidable delays come down to the evidence, not the form. These are the ones we see most often:

Thin Relationship Evidence

Covering only one or two of the four areas (such as finances but nothing social) is the most common trigger for a request for more information, which adds months.

Lodging Before You’re Ready

Your eligibility is assessed as at the day you lodge, so a rushed application with gaps is harder to fix afterwards.

Missing a deadline

If Home Affairs asks for more documents, there's a date to respond by. If you miss it, the application can be refused.

Late or Incomplete Sponsor Application

Your sponsor lodges a separate application and if that's late or incomplete, it holds up the whole file.

For the full document detail, see our complete partner visa guide.

Onshore vs Other Partner Visas

Applying from outside Australia, or engaged rather than married? Those are different visas:

• Offshore partner visa (subclass 309 and 100) — for partners applying from outside Australia.
• Prospective marriage visa (subclass 300) — for engaged couples planning to marry.

For the complete picture, see our ultimate guide to applying for a partner visa.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you stay on an 820 visa?

Your 820 stays valid until a decision is made on your 801. You'll usually wait about two years before submitting the second-stage documents.

Once the 801 is approved you can stay permanently. If the 801 is refused, you'd need another visa before your 820 ends.

Can you work full-time on an 820 visa?

Yes. The 820 gives you full work rights, and you're protected by Australian workplace law.

Can you access Medicare on an onshore partner visa?

Yes. You can enrol in Medicare, Australia's public health system, on both the 820 and 801.

Can you travel overseas while on an onshore partner visa?

Yes. You can leave and re-enter Australia as often as you like while you hold the 820 or 801.

Can you add documents after you apply?

Yes. You can keep adding evidence after lodging, but upload the key documents at the time you apply, because your eligibility is assessed against your circumstances on the day you lodge.

What happens if you break up while you’re on an 820 visa?

Being in a committed relationship is a core condition of the 820. If the relationship ends, you may still qualify for the 801 in some situations (for example, if you've experienced family violence from your sponsor, you have a child together or your sponsor has died). These are complex, so it's best to speak to a registered migration agent or lawyer about your options.

How Matilda Can Help

Matilda's lawyer-credentialled team pairs registered migration agents with lawyers under one roof. If a legal issue arises, like a prior refusal, a relationship breakdown or a character concern, the right expertise is already on your file.

Check your eligibility in a couple of minutes with our free assessment, then book a consultation with the team.

This is general information, not personal migration advice.