What Happens After Your Subclass 801 or 100 Partner Visa Is Granted?
A grant of a permanent Partner Visa — Subclass 801 for the onshore 820/801 pathway or Subclass 100 for the offshore 309/100 pathway — means you are now an Australian permanent resident. The temporary Partner Visa stage has ended and the permanent visa is no longer awaiting a later relationship-stage assessment.
For many applicants the permanent grant is exciting but also confusing: What happens to Medicare? Can you travel? When can you apply for citizenship? What if you later separate? This article deals with the practical consequences after a Subclass 801 or Subclass 100 permanent Partner Visa is granted.
For the underlying visa pathways, see our 820/801 Partner Visa page and 309/100 Partner Visa page.
You are now an Australian permanent resident
Both Subclass 801 and Subclass 100 are permanent Partner visas. From the permanent-visa grant date you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, subject to Australian law and the general rules applying to permanent residents.
You can access Medicare as a permanent resident
Many Partner Visa applicants already have some Medicare access during the temporary stage, but a Subclass 801 or 100 grant confirms permanent-resident status. Keep the permanent visa grant notice and update Services Australia if requested.
Your permanent visa has a five-year travel facility
A permanent Partner Visa generally carries a five-year travel facility from the date of grant. The visa itself is permanent, but the travel facility is not indefinite. If you are not an Australian citizen and want to return to Australia after the travel facility has expired, you may need a Resident Return Visa.
You may be able to apply for Australian citizenship later
Citizenship is a separate application. The general residence requirement commonly involves four years of lawful residence immediately before application, including the final 12 months as a permanent resident, together with limits on absences and other eligibility requirements.
For a detailed explanation, see our Partner Visa to Australian citizenship timeline.
Can you sponsor eligible family members?
Permanent residents can potentially sponsor eligible family members under relevant Australian migration programs. That does not mean every family sponsorship is automatic. If you later want to sponsor another partner, previous Partner Visa sponsorship limitations can be particularly important.
What happens if your relationship later ends?
Once Subclass 801 or 100 has already been granted as a permanent visa, a later separation or divorce does not operate like sponsor withdrawal while a Partner Visa application is still pending. However, permanent visas remain subject to Australia’s general visa cancellation laws, including issues involving fraud, false information and character.
Do you need to keep uploading relationship evidence?
Not for an already-finalised Subclass 801 or 100 permanent Partner Visa. Once the permanent visa has been granted, there is no further Partner Visa relationship stage. Keep important immigration records for your own files, but you do not continue uploading bank statements and photographs merely because you previously held Subclass 820 or 309.
Case example
An applicant received an 801 grant and kept preparing quarterly relationship evidence because they believed Home Affairs would conduct another Partner Visa review after two more years. There is no further Partner Visa stage after the 801. The focus shifted instead to permanent-resident travel, citizenship timing and keeping passport details current.
Your post-grant checklist
- Save the Subclass 801 or 100 grant notice.
- Check VEVO and confirm the permanent visa details.
- Record the permanent-residence grant date for future citizenship planning.
- Check the five-year travel-facility expiry date.
- Update passport details when your passport changes.
- Consider citizenship when you satisfy the residence and other requirements.
Home Affairs lists the current rights attached to the Subclass 801 Partner Visa. For the complete pathway, see our 820/801 Partner Visa hub.
Partner Visa strategy for complex matters
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Tell us whether you hold a Subclass 801 or 100 visa, the grant date, whether you are asking about travel, citizenship, separation, sponsor withdrawal or another post-grant issue.
Madhab Kharel
Madhab Kharel is Principal Lawyer and Director of Emigrate Lawyers. His Partner Visa practice includes 820/801, 309/100 and 300 matters, sponsorship limitations, complex relationship evidence, refusals and ART reviews.
Related Partner Visa Services and Guides
General information only. Permanent-resident travel and citizenship eligibility depend on your individual dates and circumstances.
Reviewed by Madhab Kharel, Principal Lawyer
Date reviewed: 4 July 2026
