Partner visa paperwork uses subclass, clause and form numbers as though everyone knows them. These are the terms used across this guide, subclass numbers first, then alphabetically.
Subclass numbers
Subclass 820 — the temporary onshore Partner visa. It lets the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live, work, study and travel while the permanent stage is decided. You must apply in Australia. See subclass 820 partner visa.
Subclass 801 — the permanent onshore Partner visa, the second stage of the same application, usually only for people who hold the 820. The Department says you are eligible for consideration two years after you first applied. See subclass 801 permanent visa.
Subclass 309 — the offshore equivalent of the 820, applied for from outside Australia. It leads to the permanent subclass 100 the same way.
Subclass 300 — the Prospective Marriage visa, for someone who intends to marry their Australian partner. Holders and former holders can go on to apply for the 820 and 801 in Australia, at a lower charge.
Subclass 445 — the Dependent Child visa. A child cannot be added after the 820 is granted: the child must first hold a subclass 445, then be included in the 801 application.
A
Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) — the independent tribunal that reviews certain visa decisions on their merits, including many partner visa refusals. Time limits for applying are short and a fee applies.
Australian Values Statement — every applicant who had turned 18 at the time of application must sign it, confirming they have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet. It is a criterion for grant.
B
Bridging visa A (BVA) — normally granted when you apply for the 820 while you still hold a substantive visa. It comes into effect when that visa ends, keeping you lawful while you wait.
Bridging visa B (BVB) — lets you leave Australia and return while the application is being decided. It must be granted before you go; a BVA alone does not let you back in.
Bridging visa C (BVC) — usually granted when you lodge the 820 without holding a substantive visa. It carries no travel rights and work rights are not automatic.
Bridging visa E (BVE) — for people who are unlawful or whose status is being resolved. Like the BVC, it carries no right to leave and return.
C
Character requirement — public interest criterion 4001, which asks whether the applicant passes the character test in section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. Police certificates are the usual evidence.
Compelling and compassionate circumstances — a phrase appearing in several partner visa provisions, each with its own test. It is one route around the 12-month de facto requirement, and a related idea sits behind the "compelling reasons" in Schedule 3.
Condition 8503 ("no further stay") — prevents a visa holder from being granted most further visas while they remain in Australia. A waiver must be approved before a partner visa application is made. See condition 8503 no further stay.
D
De facto partner — a partner not married to the applicant, defined in section 5CB of the Migration Act 1958. The relationship must generally have existed for the 12 months ending immediately before lodgement. See de facto partner requirements.
Decision-ready — an application lodged with everything the Department needs, so it can be assessed without anyone writing to you first. It is a way of preparing, not a status.
E
Eligible New Zealand citizen — a New Zealand citizen who is a protected special category visa holder within the meaning of section 7 of the Social Security Act 1991. Such a person can sponsor a partner visa; an ordinary subclass 444 holder cannot.
F
Family violence provisions — allow the permanent Partner visa to be considered even though the relationship has ended. The Department must be satisfied it was genuine before it ended and that family violence occurred. See family violence provisions.
Form 80 — a long personal-history form covering addresses, employment, travel and family over many years, sometimes requested for character checking.
Form 888 — the Department's supporting statement, on which someone who knows you as a couple describes what they have seen of your relationship. It is not a Commonwealth statutory declaration, which matters for applicants who do not hold a substantive visa. See Form 888 statutory declarations.
Form 956 — appoints your lawyer (or another authorised adviser) to act for you, so the Department deals with them as well as, or instead of, you.
Form 1022 — the notification of changes in circumstances. Section 104 of the Act requires you to tell the Department in writing, as soon as practicable, when an answer on your application stops being correct.
H
HAP ID — the health identifier issued so your medical results are matched to your application; you give it to the clinic when you attend. Results are valid for 12 months.
Health requirement — for the 820 this is public interest criterion 4007, the version that carries a waiver. It can extend to family members who are not applying.
I
ImmiAccount — the online account through which the application is lodged, documents attached, the charge paid and correspondence received. Update your relationship evidence there while you wait.
L
Long-term partner relationship — defined in regulation 1.03 as a relationship of at least three years, or two years where there is a dependent child of both partners. It can remove the two-year wait. See long-term relationship exemption.
Member of the family unit — defined in regulation 1.12: broadly a spouse or de facto partner, and children and stepchildren under 18, or under 23 and dependent. It sets who can be included.
M
Migration Act 1958 — the primary legislation, holding the concepts the system runs on: spouse (section 5F), de facto partner (section 5CB), the section 48 bar and the decision power in section 65.
Migration Regulations 1994 — made under the Act. Schedule 1 sets validity requirements and the visa application charge, Schedule 2 the criteria for each subclass, and Schedules 3, 4 and 8 the extra criteria, public interest criteria and conditions.
Ministerial Direction — a written direction from the Minister about how officers exercise a power, binding on decision-makers. Family visa processing priorities are set by Ministerial Direction 117.
N
Natural justice — the obligation to put adverse information to an applicant before relying on it. It arrives as a letter under section 57 of the Act, giving particulars and inviting comment by a date.
Notification — the formal act of telling you a decision or a request, which starts a deadline running. Deadlines run from the date you are taken to have received a letter, not the date you read it.
P
Public interest criterion (PIC) — a numbered criterion in Schedule 4 that a subclass requires an applicant to satisfy. Partner applicants face several, including 4001 (character), 4007 (health) and 4019 (values statement).
PIC 4020 — the integrity criterion: there must be no evidence the applicant gave a bogus document, or information false or misleading in a material particular. It can bar a further visa for three years, or ten where identity is in question.
R
Registered relationship — a relationship registered under a prescribed state or territory law. Registration before lodgement removes the 12-month de facto requirement. See registering your relationship.
S
Schedule 3 — criteria an applicant must meet if they do not hold a substantive visa when they apply, unless the Minister is satisfied there are compelling reasons for not applying them. See Schedule 3 criteria.
Section 48 bar — stops a person in Australia without a substantive visa, who has had a visa refused or cancelled since last entering, from applying for most visas onshore. Partner visas are an exception. See the section 48 bar.
Section 56 request — an invitation under section 56 of the Act to give more information by a date set in the letter. It is routine, but the date is real.
Sponsor — the partner who sponsors the application, and whose sponsorship the Department must approve. You cannot change sponsor: whoever sponsors you when you apply must sponsor you for two years after the 820 is granted.
Sponsorship limitation — regulation 1.20J, which limits how many partners a person may sponsor and how often, subject to a discretion where there are compelling circumstances affecting the sponsor.
Spouse — a married partner, defined in section 5F of the Act: a valid marriage, mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, a genuine and continuing relationship, and not living separately and apart permanently.
Substantive visa — any visa other than a bridging, criminal justice or enforcement visa. Whether you hold one changes what you must lodge and which criteria apply.
T
Transaction Reference Number (TRN) — the reference the Department gives an application in ImmiAccount. The sponsor uses it, or the Application ID, to attach their sponsorship.
V
VEVO — the Department's free service for checking visa details and conditions online. Australian visas are digital with no passport label, so VEVO is how you confirm what you hold.
Visa application charge (VAC) — the amount paid when the application is lodged, set in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. One charge covers both the 820 and the 801, and it is not refunded if the application is refused.
An application prepared by a migration lawyer is more likely to succeed, and the vocabulary is part of the reason: these words carry precise legal tests, and people assume a "de facto" label or a good reason for overstaying means what it means in ordinary speech. Someone who works with these definitions daily sees where a situation does not fit. No one can promise an outcome.
What to do next
If a term sent you here, go back and keep reading. If you are starting out, work through 820 visa requirements, after reading how the 820 and 801 work together.
Common questions
What is the difference between the 820 and the 801?
They are two stages of one application, not two separate visas. The subclass 820 is the temporary Partner visa granted first, which lets you live, work and study in Australia while the permanent stage is decided. The subclass 801 is the permanent Partner visa, and the Department says you are eligible for consideration of it two years after you first applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas.
What does substantive visa mean?
A substantive visa is any visa other than a bridging visa, a criminal justice visa or an enforcement visa. It matters because several partner visa rules turn on whether you hold one at the time you apply. If you do not hold a substantive visa, extra requirements apply at lodgement and you must show compelling reasons for the grant of the visa.
What is a HAP ID?
A HAP ID is the health identifier the Department issues so that your immigration medical results are matched to your visa application. You give it to the panel clinic or medical practice when you attend the examinations. The Department says health assessment results are valid for 12 months.
What does VEVO do?
VEVO is the Department's free online service for checking visa details and conditions. Australian visas are digital and there is no label in your passport, so VEVO is how you and others, such as an employer or a landlord, confirm what visa you hold and what conditions attach to it. It is also where you check whether a condition such as 8503 applies to your current visa.
Sources
Keep reading
820 and 801: How the Two-Stage Partner Visa Works
The 820 and 801 are one partner visa application with one charge and two decisions. What happens at lodgement, and what the two-year point means.
Read the guide →
820 Visa Requirements and Eligibility
Every subclass 820 partner visa criterion in one place — relationship, sponsor, being onshore, Schedule 3, condition 8503, section 48, health and character.
Read the guide →
Who Can Sponsor an 820 Partner Visa
Who can sponsor a subclass 820 partner visa: citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens, and how sponsorship is lodged and approved.
Read the guide →