The Partner Visa Second Stage: Subclass 801 and 100

When the two-year clock actually starts

The two-year mark that determines when you become eligible for the permanent stage is measured from the date you lodged your original combined partner visa application — not from the date your temporary 820 or 309 visa was granted, and not from when you started the relationship. Because processing the temporary stage itself can take well over a year, many applicants reach the two-year mark not long after their temporary visa is actually decided.

Once you pass that two-year point from lodgement, Home Affairs can begin assessing you for the permanent visa, provided you haven't already qualified through the long-term relationship exception described below. You don't need to lodge a fresh application for the permanent stage on the standard timeline — the original combined application covers both stages, and Home Affairs moves you to assessment for the second stage automatically once the timing and evidence conditions are met.

What's reassessed

At the permanent stage, Home Affairs is checking the same core question as at lodgement — is the relationship genuine and continuing — but with updated evidence covering the period since you applied. That means fresh financial records (joint accounts, shared bills, evidence of combined finances), continued cohabitation or clear evidence of the relationship's ongoing commitment, and updated social evidence showing the relationship has developed rather than stalled.

Home Affairs will typically send a request closer to the two-year mark asking for updated documents rather than expecting you to have pre-empted exactly what's needed. The same evidence categories used for the first application — financial, household, social and commitment — are relevant again, this time showing continuity rather than a fresh start. Our partner visa evidence guide covers what these categories look like in practice, whether it's your first or second submission.

Onshore (801) vs offshore (100) processing

The mechanics are the same in substance — evidence of an ongoing genuine relationship reassessed roughly two years from lodgement — but the subclass number differs depending on where you were when the original application was made. Onshore applicants who held a temporary 820 progress to the permanent 801. Offshore applicants who held a temporary 309 progress to the permanent 100.

Published processing times for both stages move around and vary meaningfully by individual case complexity, so we won't quote a specific figure here that could be stale by the time you read it. Check Home Affairs' current published global processing times before relying on any number, and see our own tracked-processing-times study for the methodology behind comparing visa categories fairly.

The long-term relationship rule that skips the wait

This is the rule most partner visa guides underexplain. If, at the time you apply, you and your partner have been in a genuine relationship for at least three years (generally meaning living together, though Home Affairs looks at the substance of the relationship overall), or at least two years and you have a dependent child together, you can be granted the permanent visa (801 or 100) at the same time as the temporary one — with no two-year wait after lodgement at all.

This matters most for couples who were together for years before either applied — engaged couples who lived together well before marrying, or long de facto relationships that only formalised the paperwork recently. If your relationship history genuinely meets the three-year (or two-year-plus-child) threshold, it's worth raising directly with a migration professional early, because it can materially shorten your path to a permanent outcome — you're not automatically assessed against it; it needs to be demonstrated with evidence covering that full period.

A MARA-registered agent can assess whether your specific relationship timeline meets this threshold and how to evidence it — Migratio matches you with one free.

If your relationship has changed since you lodged

Home Affairs expects the relationship to still be genuine and continuing at the second stage — that's the whole point of the reassessment. If the relationship has ended, you're generally required to notify Home Affairs, and what happens next depends heavily on individual circumstances, including whether family violence provisions might apply. This is a compliance-sensitive area that depends entirely on individual facts, and it's not something to navigate from a general guide — a MARA-registered agent can advise on your specific situation.

When does the partner visa second stage (801/100) get assessed?

Generally from around two years after you lodged your original combined partner visa application — not two years after the temporary visa was granted. Home Affairs reassesses whether the relationship is still genuine and continuing using updated evidence.

Can I get the permanent partner visa without waiting two years?

Yes, if you meet the long-term relationship exception: generally three or more years together at the time you apply, or two years plus a dependent child of the relationship. In that case the permanent visa (801 or 100) can be granted at the same time as the temporary one.

What's the difference between 801 and 100?

801 is the permanent stage for onshore applicants who held a temporary 820. 100 is the permanent stage for offshore applicants who held a temporary 309. The assessment approach is the same in substance.

What evidence is needed for the second stage?

The same core categories as the first application — financial, household, social and commitment evidence — but updated to show the relationship has continued genuinely since you lodged, not just at the start.

How long does the 801/100 stage take to process?

Processing times move around and vary by case, so check Home Affairs' current published global processing times rather than relying on a fixed figure. Our processing-times study covers how to compare these figures fairly across categories.