Partner Visa to Australia: What Canadians Need to Know
Falling for someone on the other side of the Pacific is easy. Getting a visa that lets you actually live in the same country takes a bit more work. If you're a Canadian with a partner in Australia, or an Australian with a Canadian partner, here's what the Partner visa process actually involves.
The good news: Australia has a well-established Partner visa program, with clear (if expensive) pathways depending on where you're applying from and whether you're married. This guide covers the three main visa options, what they cost, how long they take, and what actually determines eligibility.
The three main pathways
| Visa | Name | Type | Cost | Processing | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 820/801 | Partner (Onshore) | temporary-to-permanent | AUD $11,710 (most applicants) | No fixed published figure, check the Home Affairs tool | Must be in Australia to apply; now gets processing priority (Ministerial Direction 117, 25 Jul 2026) |
| 309/100 | Partner (Offshore) | temporary-to-permanent | AUD $11,710 (most applicants) | No fixed published figure, check the Home Affairs tool | Must be outside Australia to apply |
| 300 | Prospective Marriage | temporary | AUD $11,710 (AUD $1,955 for existing 300 holders converting) | No fixed published figure, check the Home Affairs tool | Stay 9-15 months, must marry within that window, applied from outside Australia |
All three sit inside the same AUD $11,710 fee bracket for most applicants (effective 1 July 2026), aside from the discounted conversion rate for someone already holding a 300. The 820/801 and 309/100 are functionally the same visa, split by whether you apply from inside or outside Australia.
Do you qualify as a de facto couple?
For 820/801 and 309/100, you generally need 12 months of cohabitation immediately before you apply. Exceptions exist for compelling or compassionate circumstances, a registered relationship, or certain humanitarian visa circumstances, so a shorter relationship doesn't automatically rule you out. The Prospective Marriage visa (300) sidesteps this entirely: it's built for couples who haven't lived together yet, but you do need to have met your sponsor in person, as adults, before applying.
Who can't sponsor, and why it matters
Sponsorship can be refused if this is the third time someone has sponsored a partner visa, if they've sponsored a different partner within the last 5 years, or if they were themselves sponsored as a partner within the last 5 years (exceptions apply to all three). Sponsors also need a police clearance. Check this before you invest time in the rest of the application, a sponsorship refusal stops everything else.
What it costs
Application fee (most applicants)
AUD $11,710
820/801, 309/100 or 300, effective 1 Jul 2026
Existing 300 holder converting
AUD $1,955
Discounted conversion rate
Sponsor requirement
Police clearance
Required regardless of visa subclass
How long it takes
Home Affairs no longer publishes a single current processing-time figure for partner visas, it's moved to an interactive tool that reflects real-time queues, so don't rely on an old number you've seen quoted online. What is public: the 2026-27 planning level sets 41,500 Partner visa places within a total Family stream of 52,460, and onshore applications (820) now get priority over offshore ones (309) under Ministerial Direction 117 (25 July 2026).
- 1
Check your de facto eligibility date
Work out whether you'll have 12 months of cohabitation by the time you apply, or whether an exception applies.
- 2
Decide onshore vs offshore
Whether you're in Australia when you apply determines 820/801 vs 309/100, and now affects queue priority too.
- 3
Sort your sponsor's police clearance early
A refused sponsorship stops the whole application, so confirm eligibility to sponsor before lodging anything.
- 4
Use Home Affairs' own processing time tool
Get a current, real-time estimate rather than a number that may already be stale.
Planning your move from Canada?
Our free relocation checklist walks you through every step, from visa prep to arrival week.
Visa paperwork is only the start of a move like this. The Ultimate Relocation Guide is a paid, step-by-step guide (from AUD $59) covering what comes next: banking, housing, healthcare and your first 90 days.
Related Reading
Moving from Canada to Australia: The Complete Guide for Canadians
Medicare in Australia for Canadians: What's Covered, Who Qualifies, and What to Do When You Arrive
Cost of Living in Australia vs Canada: What Canadians Actually Pay After Moving
Bringing Mum and Dad Down Under: How to Move Your Ageing Parents from Canada to Australia