Partner visas in 2026: $11,710 and one chance to get it right
Current as at 3 July 2026. Fees are FY2026‑27 figures; the charge in force on your lodgement date applies - confirm at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Processing practices described reflect the Department’s April 2026 partner processing update.
Two changes have landed on partner visa applicants within three months of each other. In April 2026, the Department of Home Affairs signalled that partner applications are expected to be decision-ready at lodgement, with typically a single opportunity to provide further information before a decision is made. On 1 July 2026, the application charge rose 25 per cent to $11,710.
Put together, the message is blunt: you are paying more for fewer chances. The old habit of lodging a bare application to secure a bridging visa and “topping up” the evidence later is now a strategy for refusal.
The new cost of a partner application
| Charge | To 30 June 2026 | From 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Partner 820/801 (onshore) - primary applicant | $9,365 | $11,710 |
| Partner 309/100 (offshore) - primary applicant | $9,365 | $11,710 |
| Prospective Marriage 300 - primary applicant | $9,365 | $11,710 |
| Additional applicant 18+ (e.g. dependent child over 18) | $4,685 | $5,860 (indicative) |
| Additional applicant under 18 | $2,345 | $2,935 (indicative) |
| 300 holder later applying for 820/801 (reduced charge) | $1,560 (FY25-26) | ~$1,950 (indicative) |
The single charge covers both the provisional and permanent stages - there is no second application charge at the 801/100 stage. Additional-applicant and reduced-charge figures are indicative and should be confirmed on the Home Affairs fee calculator before lodgement.
One dollar figure worth knowing: the charge is generally not refundable if the application is refused. At $11,710, refusal is not just a delay - it is an expensive restart, usually followed by a review fee if you challenge the decision at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).
What “decision-ready” means in practice
The April 2026 processing update crystallised several practices we now see consistently:
- One section 56 request, if any. Officers will typically give one request for further information or one natural-justice opportunity before deciding. Missing documents are no longer an invitation to a long correspondence - they are a step towards refusal.
- ImmiAccount is the only accepted channel. Everything lodges and updates online. (Since 22 April 2026, parent visa applications have also moved to mandatory online lodgement.)
- Stale evidence drives refusals. Expired police certificates, out-of-date health examinations and relationship evidence that stops months before lodgement are recurring refusal themes.
- Processing is measured in months, not weeks. As at February 2026, the median for a provisional partner visa sat around 17 months - which makes evidence that ages during processing a planning issue from day one.
Keeping your evidence fresh: the four pillars
Departmental scrutiny centres on the four familiar aspects of a genuine and continuing relationship. The 2026 twist is currency - each pillar needs evidence that runs up to the point of lodgement, not just from the start of the relationship:
- Financial: joint accounts actually used, shared liabilities, both names on major commitments - with recent statements, not just account-opening records.
- Household: a lease or title, utilities and correspondence at the same address, covering the months immediately before lodgement.
- Social: statutory declarations from family and friends that are recent, specific and consistent with the rest of the file.
- Commitment: evidence of shared plans - wills, superannuation nominations, communication history through any periods apart.
Police certificates and health examinations have fixed validity windows; the sequencing of when to obtain them relative to lodgement is exactly the kind of detail that decision-ready processing punishes if you get it wrong.
A Melbourne example (hypothetical)
The following is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client matter or an outcome we promise. A couple in Melbourne’s inner west plan to lodge an onshore 820 application. One partner’s national police check was issued ten months ago; their joint lease expired and they moved in with family to save money; their relationship statements were drafted a year ago. Lodged as-is, the application invites a single section 56 request the couple may not be able to answer within the deadline - the police check needs reissuing, the household evidence has gone thin, and the statements no longer match their circumstances. The same couple, spending six weeks rebuilding the file before lodgement, presents a decision-ready application. The difference in cost is a few weeks of preparation; the difference in risk is measured against a non-refundable $11,710.
Before you lodge
- Run our partner eligibility check to confirm the right subclass - 820/801 onshore, 309/100 offshore or Prospective Marriage 300.
- Budget the full picture - application charge, police checks, health examinations and translations - with the fee estimator.
- Audit your evidence against the four pillars before paying the charge, on the assumption you will get one chance to supplement it.
Lodge it once, lodge it right
Our partner and family visa team prepares applications to a decision-ready standard: evidence audit, document sequencing, statements and submissions completed before lodgement. If you are planning a partner application this year - or you have received a section 56 request and the clock is running - book a consultation and we will make your one chance count.