Schedule 3 Waiver for an Onshore Partner Visa: Deadlines, Criteria and Costs
How Schedule 3 applies to an onshore partner visa applicant without a substantive visa, what 'compelling reasons' commonly cover, and the deadlines and costs if the application is refused. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 No substantive visa?
- 0:12 Criteria 3001, 3003, 3004
- 0:27 What counts as
- 0:40 3001's deadline:
- 0:50 What a waiver
- 1:03 ART review deadline:
- 1:14 ART review fee: $3,727
- 1:25 The ART replaced
- 1:37 Compare MARA-registered agents
- 1:49 Where to read more
Transcript
If you're applying for an onshore partner visa without a substantive visa — say, only a bridging visa — 3 extra criteria kick in.
The 3 criteria are numbered 3001, 3003 and 3004 — and 3004 applies alongside 3001, so lodging within 28 days doesn't satisfy Schedule 3 on its own.
Compelling reasons commonly raised include an Australian-citizen or permanent-resident child, a serious medical condition, pregnancy, long residence in Australia, and risks in returning to the country of origin.
Criterion 3001 requires the application to be lodged within 28 days of the 'relevant day' — usually the day your last substantive visa expired.
A waiver submission commonly includes statutory declarations from the applicant, the sponsor and family members, medical evidence, educational evidence, and evidence of integration such as work history.
If refused, a review at the Administrative Review Tribunal must be lodged within 28 days of the decision — or 14 days if you're in immigration detention when notified.
The migration-review fee is $3,727 from 1 July 2026, and half of it is refunded if the review succeeds.
The Administrative Review Tribunal replaced the AAT on 14 October 2024, and it decides the case again on the evidence — including new evidence you didn't have before.
Schedule 3 waiver submissions are technical and document-heavy — Migratio matches applicants with MARA-registered agents who work on these cases, so you can compare your options before you lodge.
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.
Short versions
- The 28-day rule inside Schedule 3 (0:33)
- What counts as 'compelling reasons'? (0:30)
- The ART deadline after a Schedule 3 refusal (0:32)
Talk it through with a registered agent
Every agent on Migratio is on the official OMARA register. Compare agents and their consultation fees.