What Happens After Your Subclass 309 Partner Visa Is Granted? Work, Travel and the 100 Stage

A Subclass 309 Partner Visa grant is a major step, but it is usually the temporary stage of the combined 309/100 Partner Visa pathway. Once granted, the 309 allows the holder to live in Australia while the permanent Subclass 100 stage remains pending.

This article focuses on what to do after the 309 is granted. For the complete offshore application framework, see our Subclass 309/100 Partner Visa hub.

You can live, work and study in Australia

Home Affairs states that the Subclass 309 allows the holder to live, work and study in Australia while the permanent Subclass 100 application is progressed. The 309 is not tied to one employer.

You can travel in and out of Australia

The 309 allows multiple travel to and from Australia while the provisional visa remains in effect. Keep your passport details current and check VEVO before travel if your passport has changed since the visa was granted.

There is no separate Subclass 100 application fee

The 309 and 100 are generally lodged together as a combined Partner Visa application. The permanent stage does not usually require a completely new visa application charge. Instead, further evidence is provided when the applicant becomes eligible for permanent-stage assessment.

When can you submit documents for the Subclass 100 stage?

Home Affairs says that if you hold a Subclass 309 and two years have passed since you originally applied for the Partner Visa, you can submit information for the permanent Subclass 100 assessment. The two years run from the original combined application date—not from the date the 309 was granted.

Do you have to wait for Home Affairs to invite you?

No. Once you are eligible, Home Affairs’ current Partner Visa FAQ instructs applicants to log in to ImmiAccount, select a new Family application and choose “Stage 2 – Permanent Partner Visa Assessment (100, 801)” using the original Application ID.

Keep building relationship evidence

Unless an exception applies, the relationship generally needs to remain genuine and ongoing at the permanent stage. Continue keeping sensible evidence of your shared household, finances, social life, travel, important family events and mutual commitment.

What if you were already in a long-term relationship?

Some applicants may receive the permanent Subclass 100 earlier where the long-term relationship provisions apply. In some cases both the temporary and permanent stages can be granted close together. Always check the actual visa grant notice rather than assuming you only hold the 309.

Illustrative case example: 309 granted 20 months after lodgement

Composite example: A couple waited 20 months for the 309 decision. They assumed they then needed to wait another two full years before preparing the Subclass 100 stage. In fact, the permanent-stage eligibility date was linked to the original combined application date. Only a few months remained before they could submit Stage 2 evidence through ImmiAccount.

Post-309 checklist

• Save the grant notice and check VEVO.
• Update passport details if they change.
• Check Medicare and other service eligibility separately.
• Keep current relationship evidence.
• Diary two years from the original application date.
• Submit Stage 2 documents when eligible.
• Notify Home Affairs of important changes in circumstances.

See Home Affairs’ Subclass 309 page and Partner Visa FAQs. For assistance with the permanent stage, visit our 309/100 Partner Visa lawyers hub.

General information only. Permanent-stage timing depends on the original application date and the facts of the relationship.