Partner visas
Partner Offshore (309/100)
The partner pathway for couples outside Australia. The provisional 309 is decided first and brings you here; the permanent 100 can follow at stage two.
Requirements
What the 309/100 asks of you.
The criteria mirror the onshore pathway. What changes is where you are when you lodge, and how you wait.
An approved Australian sponsor
Your partner must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, wherever they live, with sponsorship approved. The same limits apply as onshore: past partner sponsorships, five-year gaps and police checks on the sponsor.
A genuine and continuing relationship
Married, de facto, or intending to marry before the visa is decided; a mutually exclusive commitment, living together or apart only temporarily. Distance is common in offshore cases, so we evidence why any time apart is temporary.
Twelve months together, or registration
De facto couples generally need twelve months of relationship history before lodging, or a relationship registered with an Australian state or territory.
Outside Australia when you lodge
The application is lodged offshore, though the visa can be granted whether you are in or outside Australia. No bridging visa attaches and no Australian work rights apply while you wait. The provisional 309, once granted, is what brings you here.
The pathway
How we run your 309/100.
Eligibility assessment
Your relationship history, your sponsor's position and the timing of any travel, assessed before anything is lodged.
Sponsorship
Your partner's sponsorship prepared, wherever they are based, while you remain offshore.
Evidence
Relationship evidence compiled across finances, household, social life and commitment, with time apart explained.
Lodgement
Lodged offshore, decision-ready. We plan around the fact that no bridging visa applies while you wait.
Stage two
The provisional 309 comes first. Roughly two years after lodgement, we compile the evidence for the permanent 100.
General information only, not immigration advice. Your circumstances matter. Visa requirements, fees and processing times change regularly. Facts on this page last reviewed 15 July 2026. Check current details with the Department of Home Affairs , or speak with us for advice on your situation. Website terms.
Begin with a conversation.
Speak with a MARA-registered migration agent in Melbourne about your pathway. Book a time that suits you.