Partner Visa Changes as of 1 July 2025
The 1st of July marks the start of the new financial year and often brings in a number of immigration changes. This year we have seen yet another increase in the Partner Visa application fees, however, there are no additional changes that will affect the Partner Visa process at this time. Further, there have been no announcements of Partner Visa changes still to come.
As for the increase in the Partner Visa application fees, for the Onshore Partner Visa (subclass 820/801), the Offshore Partner Visa (subclass 309/100), and the Prospective Marriage Visa (subclass 300), the fee for the main applicant is now $9,365. If you plan include dependent children in your application, those fees have increased to $4,685 for each additional applicant over the age of 18 and $2,345 for each additional applicant under the age of 18.
For Prospective Marriage Visa holders who are applying for the Onshore subclass 820/801 partner visa after they have arrived in Australia and married their sponsor, the application fee for the main applicant is now $1,560. For these applications, the fee for additional applicants over the age of 18 has increased to $785 while the fee for dependent applicants under the age of 18 has increased to $390.
Partner Visa Changes from previous years
In 2024 we saw changes to the following
- New legislation with expanded pathways and eligibility for permanent residence for applicants where the relationship has broken down and they have experienced family violence or there is a child of the relationship or in cases where their sponsoring partner has died
- An increase made to the cost threshold when assessing health conditions that are a significant cost from $51,000 to $86,000
- Changes made to student visa and graduate visa legislation to restrict onshore applications depending on your visa status and immigration history in an effort to curb ‘visa hopping‘
Changes to the Sponsorship Application
There have been rumours swirling of a change coming that will require the sponsorship application to be approved before the Partner Visa application is lodged. The legislative changes to permit this process were actually made years ago, however under current regulations and policy there has been no changes to the actual administrative process of submitting your Partner Visa application such as a requirement to submit the sponsorship application first. For now, it remains business as usual.
Concerned about Partner Visa changes?
If you’re concerned about any of these Partner Visa changes, we recommend sitting down with us for a Partner Visa Consultation. During this session, we can speak in length about an optimal strategy for your Partner Visa and your next steps as well as address any questions you may have.
IMPORTANT: Please note, this does not constitute Immigration advice. Always seek advice from a Registered Migration Agent before applying for an Australian Visa. Migration Law is constantly changing. This information is accurate only at the time of publication.
