SC 309/100 Offshore Partner Visa Australia 2026: Cost, Timeline and What to Expect

If you are outside Australia and your partner is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, the Subclass 309/100 is your route to living together permanently in Australia. You apply for both stages in one application, pay one fee, and the Department of Home Affairs grants the temporary visa first before automatically assessing you for permanent residency — no second application needed.

This guide covers what the visa actually costs, how long it takes, what evidence you need and how to apply — based on the latest 2026 data from the Department of Home Affairs.

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and does not constitute migration advice. Consult a Registered Migration Agent (MARN) for advice specific to your circumstances.

At a glance

What is the SC 309/100 visa?

The SC 309/100 is a two-stage offshore partner visa:

Subclass 309 (Provisional): a temporary visa that lets you move to Australia, work, study and access Medicare while the permanent stage is being assessed in the background.

Subclass 100 (Migrant): the permanent residency stage, typically assessed around two years after your initial application date.

You do not file these separately. You submit one combined application through ImmiAccount and pay one fee. The DHA grants the 309 first, then automatically assesses you for the 100 — you do not need to do anything additional for the permanent stage after lodgement.

The key eligibility difference from the onshore pathway is location: you must be outside Australia at the time you apply. However, a significant rule update means the 309 can be granted while you are either inside or outside Australia — so you can visit your partner on a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa while your application processes and still receive your grant.

Who is eligible?

You must be the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. Both married couples and de facto couples — including same-sex couples — can apply.

Relationship requirements

Married couples: your marriage must be legally valid under Australian law.

De facto couples: you must generally have been in a genuine de facto relationship for at least 12 months before applying. This 12-month requirement can be waived if you have registered your relationship in an Australian state or territory.

Same-sex couples: Australian migration law recognises same-sex relationships on exactly the same basis as any other de facto or spousal relationship.

Other requirements

• You must be outside Australia at the time of application
• You must meet health requirements (medical examination with a DHA-approved panel physician)
• You must meet character requirements — police clearances from every country you have lived in for 12 or more months since turning 16
• There is no mandatory English language test for the 309/100 visa in 2026
• Your sponsor (your Australian partner) must be approved by the DHA — their sponsorship application is lodged at the same time as yours

Your sponsor must also meet character requirements. If your sponsor has a relevant criminal record — particularly for violent or domestic offences — the sponsorship application may be refused regardless of how strong the relationship evidence is.

How much does the SC 309/100 cost?

As of the 2025–26 financial year, the base application fee is $9,365 AUD. This covers both the 309 temporary stage and the 100 permanent stage in a single upfront payment at lodgement.

These are government application charges set by the DHA and typically increase each July in line with the Consumer Price Index. They do not include medical examination costs, police clearance fees, or migration agent fees.

Additional costs to budget for: medical exams ($300–$500 per person depending on your country), police clearances ($50–$200 per country), and biometrics where required.

How long does it take?

Processing time is one of the most common questions and the answer depends on case complexity, how complete your application is at lodgement, and how quickly you respond to any DHA requests.

Incomplete applications and missing documents are the biggest cause of delays. The DHA now expects applications to be decision-ready at lodgement and may give applicants only one opportunity to provide additional documents after lodgement.

The double grant: if you and your partner have been together for three or more years (or two or more years with a dependent child), the DHA may grant both the 309 and the 100 at the same time. This is not guaranteed but does occur for well-established long-term relationships with strong evidence.

What evidence do you need?

The DHA assesses your relationship across four categories. You need meaningful evidence in all four — thin evidence in any single category is the most common reason applications are delayed or refused.

1. Financial

• Joint bank account statements showing regular transactions
• Joint property ownership or shared lease agreement
• Joint utility bills or household expenses
• Joint insurance policies (health, car, home contents)
• Records of financial support between partners — transfers, shared savings

2. Household

• Shared lease or mortgage documents showing both names
• Statutory declarations from people who have witnessed you living together
• Mail addressed to both of you at the same address
• Evidence of shared domestic responsibilities

3. Social

• Photos together at events, milestones, with each other’s family and friends
• Form 888 statutory declarations — written statements from people who know you as a couple, downloaded from the DHA website
• Joint travel records — flights booked together, shared accommodation, itineraries
• Social media showing the relationship publicly over time

4. Commitment

• Evidence of plans for a long-term future — property, joint memberships, shared financial goals
• Evidence of knowledge of each other’s background, family, and life history
• Joint legal documents — wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations
• Evidence of visits to each other’s countries and meeting each other’s families

Long-distance couples who have not yet lived together need to place extra weight on social, commitment and communication evidence. The DHA understands that international relationships involve periods of separation but expects a clear pattern of genuine ongoing contact and a shared plan for the future.

How to apply: step by step

1. Create an ImmiAccount at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au if you don’t already have one.
2. Lodge the combined Subclass 309 and 100 application online. Your Australian partner lodges their sponsorship application through the same system at the same time.
3. Pay the application fee — $9,365 for the primary applicant in 2025–26.
4. Complete your medical examination at a DHA-approved panel physician. Do not book this before lodging — you receive instructions after payment.
5. Obtain police clearances from every country you have lived in for 12 or more months since turning 16. Requirements vary by country — check the DHA country-specific guidance.
6. Upload all evidence documents through ImmiAccount. Make sure your relationship evidence covers all four categories above.
7. Monitor your application status at any time through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online).
8. Once the 309 is granted, you can travel to Australia. The 100 will be assessed automatically — approximately two years after your original lodgement date. You may be asked to provide updated evidence that your relationship is still genuine and ongoing.

What rights do you have on the Subclass 309?

Once the 309 is granted you can:

• Live in Australia until the Subclass 100 decision is made
• Work in Australia with no restrictions on hours or employer
• Study in Australia
• Travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want
• Access Medicare — Australia’s public healthcare system
• Enrol in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) for free English classes if eligible

What happens when the Subclass 100 is assessed?

Approximately two years after your original application date, the DHA will assess whether you still meet the requirements for the permanent visa. They will check:

• Your relationship is still genuine and ongoing
• You continue to meet health and character requirements
• Your sponsor is still an eligible Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen

You may be contacted for updated relationship evidence at this point. It is good practice to keep adding to your evidence file throughout the 309 period — joint bank statements, ongoing communication records, photos at events — so you are ready when the 100 assessment comes.

If your relationship breaks down after the 309 is granted but before the 100 is assessed, you may still be eligible for the 100 if the relationship ended due to family violence, the death of your sponsor, or if there are dependent children of the relationship.

SC 309/100 vs SC 820/801: which pathway is right for you?

The right pathway depends entirely on where you are when you apply. For a full breakdown of the onshore option, see the SC 820/801 Onshore Partner Visa Australia 2026 guide.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information only. It does not constitute migration advice. For advice specific to your circumstances, consult a Registered Migration Agent (MARN) registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority.