What a Partner Visa Migration Agent Actually Does (820/801 and 309/100)
A partner visa refusal is usually about how the evidence was presented, not the relationship itself. This video covers what a specialist partner visa agent actually does, the mistakes that cause delays, de facto and same-sex evidence rules, processing time spreads, and what agents charge for an initial consultation. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
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Chapters
- 0:00 It's rarely the relationship.
- 0:13 Two routes in
- 0:25 What gets weighed
- 0:39 What an agent actually does
- 0:52 De facto couples: at least
- 1:04 Most delays are
- 1:17 820 processing: 8 months fastest —
- 1:32 No official schedule.
- 1:49 ART review deadline:
- 2:05 Compare partner visa
Transcript
A partner visa refusal often isn't about the relationship — it's about how the evidence was presented. That's the gap a specialist agent is built to close.
Partner visas run two ways: onshore, a subclass 820 leading to a subclass 801, or offshore, a subclass 309 leading to a subclass 100.
Case officers weigh four things: financial aspects, household nature, social context, and mutual commitment. Age gaps, short relationships and limited shared history all draw extra scrutiny.
A specialist agent works the case end to end: confirms the right subclass, builds an evidence strategy, drafts the statutory declarations, compiles the package, and lodges through ImmiAccount.
De facto and same-sex couples face the same evidence requirements as married couples, plus showing at least 12 months of cohabitation — unless there's a registered relationship or compelling circumstances.
The mistakes that delay a case are usually presentation, not substance: generic statutory declarations, uneven evidence, form errors, and documents that aren't properly certified or translated.
Processing has a wide spread. Home Affairs' own figures, to 30 June 2026, show the onshore subclass 820 taking 8 months for the fastest quarter, and up to 32 months for the slowest 10%.
There's no official schedule for what an agent charges — the fee has to be fair and reasonable, in writing, before any payment beyond a consultation. Migratio's own data, 686 quotes from 57 agents, puts the median consultation fee at $220.
A refusal isn't automatically final. The Administrative Review Tribunal, which replaced the AAT in 2024, allows a fresh review — but the deadline is strict: 28 days generally, 14 if you're in immigration detention.
Answer a few questions about your situation, and MARA-registered agents who handle partner visas can reply with their consultation fees.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Talk it through with a registered agent
Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.