Prospective Marriage Visa

Application process

The Prospective Marriage Visa application is the first stage in a three stage process in the permanent partner visa process for those couples wishing to marry in Australia:

Stage one (subclass 300)

A Prospective Marriage Visa is lodged and if granted, allows the applicant to enter Australia and marry their Australian sponsor within 9 months. This is a temporary visa and is stage one in the permanent partner visa process.

Stage two (subclass 820)

After the marriage takes place in Australia, the holder of the subclass 300 then applies for stage two, which is the onshore Partner Visa. This is also a temporary visa and allows the applicant to remain in Australia until the decision is made on the third stage permanent visa. 

Stage three (subclass 801)

Two years after the subclass 820 visa application is lodged, the visa holder is eligible to initiate the process for the second stage permanent visa, provided that they are still married to their sponsor. Exemptions apply for applicants who are separated from their partner due to domestic violence.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a Prospective Marriage Visa: 

• Applicants must be outside Australia when they apply for this visa

• The sponsor must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident

• Both the applicant and sponsor must be legally able to enter into a marriage with one another

• The applicant must provide proof that they are intending to marry the sponsor in Australia such as a letter from a celebrant or a notice of intention to marry

• Sponsors must not have previously sponsored a spouse, de facto partner or fiancé on two or more occasions

• If a sponsor has previously sponsored a spouse, de facto partner or fiancé, that sponsorship must not have been within the past 5 years

• Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship between the applicant and sponsor must be provided in support of the visa application

• Applicants must be outside Australia at the time a decision is made on the visa application

Key features

Some key features of the Prospective Marriage Visa include:

• A dependent child of the applicant can be included in the visa application

• A person who is granted a Prospective Marriage Visa will have full rights to live, work and study in Australia and have unlimited travel rights to enter and depart Australia during the 9 month validity period of the visa

• If the visa holder and their sponsor intend on settling in Australia after their marriage, the holder should apply for the onshore Partner Visa (subclass 820/801) before the expiry of their Prospective Marriage Visa

• Applicants who lodge a Partner Visa application while they are in Australia are entitled to bridging visa which permits them to remain in Australia until a decision on the first stage Partner Visa (subclass 820) is made

• Bridging visa holders who have applied for a Partner Visa will have access to Medicare

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