Is Subclass 100 the Final PR Step After a 309 Partner Visa in 2026?
How the Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) turns a 309 into permanent residency, when PR starts, and what must be true first.
Yes. If you hold a Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309), the Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) is the stage at which you become an Australian permanent resident. The Australian Department of Home Affairs states this plainly on its Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) page: "You become a permanent resident on the day we grant the visa." That page, as at October 2026, is the basis for everything below — the grant of the 100 is the moment PR begins, not the grant of the 309 and not the day you first arrived in Australia.
Is subclass 100 the step that actually makes you a permanent resident?
The 309 is the temporary stage. The 100 is the permanent stage, and the Home Affairs description of the subclass 100 is simply "Permanently." To be assessed for it you must already hold a subclass 309 visa, or a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445), and in most cases you must continue to be in a genuine and ongoing relationship with your sponsor.
What the 100 adds is permanence rather than a new permission to live in Australia. On the Home Affairs page the subclass 100 rights are described as an addition to what the 309 already allows: living, working and studying in Australia indefinitely, sponsoring eligible family members, and applying for Australian citizenship if eligible.
When does permanent residency start: on the 309, on arrival, or on the 100?
It starts on the day the 100 is granted. This matters more than it first appears, because almost every downstream PR right — Medicare access, sponsorship, the 5-year travel facility, the path to citizenship — is dated from that grant, not from your arrival or from your 309.
| Point in time | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| You apply for the subclass 309 and 100 visas | Sets the date your two-year eligibility clock runs from, and the stage at which the visa cost is paid |
| Two years after that application date | You become eligible to be assessed for the permanent subclass 100; the published processing time for the 100 also starts from this date |
| The day the subclass 100 is granted | You become a permanent resident; the 5-year travel facility begins; indefinite work, study and Medicare access apply |
The practical consequence is that a person can live in Australia for years on a 309 without holding permanent residency. PR is a status that begins on a specific date, and for this pathway that date is the 100 grant date.
What has to be true before the 100 stage is assessed?
You must meet all of the criteria on the Home Affairs eligibility page:
- You hold a subclass 309 or subclass 445 visa.
- Two years have passed since you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 visas. You can check the date you submitted your application in ImmiAccount.
- You continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same person who sponsored your 309.
- You and any members of the family unit, including dependent children applying with you, continue to meet the health requirement. Family members who do not come to Australia with you may also need to meet it. If you had health examinations for the 309, Home Affairs will tell you if you need to repeat them or if more checks are needed.
- You and any family members have no debts to the Australian Government, or have repaid or arranged to repay them.
- Home Affairs may refuse the visa if granting it would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Can the 100 be granted in less than two years?
Yes, in two situations set out on the official page. The first is where you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied for the 309 and 100 visas. The second is where your sponsor is, or was, the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa and was in a married or de facto relationship with you before that permanent visa was granted — and you had informed Home Affairs about the relationship before that permanent visa was granted.
For everyone else, the two-year mark is the eligibility gate. It is a waiting period measured from your application date, not a second decision you have to trigger.
What if the relationship ends before the 100 is granted?
You may still be eligible. Home Affairs states that you might still be eligible for the permanent visa if your relationship ends or your partner dies before the permanent visa is granted, and points applicants to its guidance on changed relationship circumstances.
There is also a family violence pathway: if you are experiencing domestic and family violence, Home Affairs says it may be able to help and you may still be eligible for the grant of the permanent visa. Both of these are assessed on the facts, and both depend on evidence that is outside the scope of a general explainer.
What changes from the day the 100 is granted?
From grant day you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, access Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, travel to and from Australia for five years, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program if eligible, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
You will not get a visa label in your passport. Home Affairs digitally links your visa to your passport and creates a digital visa record instead.
How long do you keep the right to travel, and what comes after?
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for five years from the date the 100 is granted, as long as the travel facility remains valid. To see when your travel facility ends, Home Affairs directs visa holders to VEVO.
After that initial five-year travel facility, you need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to travel to Australia as a permanent resident. This is the point many new permanent residents miss: the visa itself does not expire, but the right to travel on it does.
If you are outside Australia when the 100 is granted, you must enter Australia before the first entry arrival date shown in your grant letter.
Can you add family members at the 100 stage?
Not after the grant. Home Affairs states you cannot add any family members after it grants the permanent Partner visa (subclass 100). Members of the family unit are included when you apply for the temporary subclass 309, and they must also be outside Australia at that point.
Two narrow routes exist before the decision. A dependent child who does not hold a 309 can be added to your subclass 100 application before a decision is made, if the child holds a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445) and can be in or outside Australia; you complete Form 1002, attach it to ImmiAccount, and notify Home Affairs through the Partner Processing Enquiry Form. Otherwise, to include a dependent child in the subclass 100 stage after your 309 is granted, the child must first apply for and hold a subclass 445 visa. If you have a baby after applying, Home Affairs asks you to let it know.
How long does the 100 stage take, and is there another fee?
There is no separate visa application charge at this stage. Home Affairs states you paid for this visa when you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas. You might still have to pay other costs, such as for health or police checks.
On timing, the processing time for the permanent Partner visa starts from the date of eligibility, which is two years after you applied for the 309 and 100 visas. Home Affairs updates processing times regularly, assesses every application case by case, and warns that complex cases can take longer and that published times are a guideline only. Applications also take longer if they are filled in incorrectly, documents are missing, further information is needed, or verification takes time.
How does 309→100 sit among other temporary-to-permanent PR routes?
The part worth carrying into a wider PR plan is the rule about the start date. On this pathway, permanent residence begins on the grant of the permanent visa, and the two-year eligibility clock runs from the date of the original combined application — so time spent on the 309 counts towards eligibility but does not itself create PR. Other temporary-to-permanent pathways set their own eligibility dates and their own conditions, and those are worth checking on the official page for the specific visa rather than assumed from the partner stream.
This article is general information about how the published rules are framed and is not advice on any individual case; your own circumstances should be checked against the Department's current guidance or with a qualified professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to lodge a new application for the subclass 100?
No new visa application charge applies at this stage, because Home Affairs states you paid for the visa when you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas. The permanent stage is assessed on that original application, and the eligibility clock runs from the date you applied for the 309 and 100, which you can confirm in ImmiAccount.
Is the 309 visa itself a permanent visa?
No. The subclass 309 is the provisional stage, and the subclass 100 is the permanent stage described by Home Affairs as "Permanently." Permanent residency begins on the day the 100 is granted, not on the day the 309 was granted.
Do I have to be in Australia when the 100 is granted?
Not necessarily — the grant can occur while you are outside Australia. If it does, you must enter Australia before the first entry arrival date specified in your grant letter.
Can the 100 be granted before two years have passed?
Only in the two situations set out by Home Affairs: you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied for the 309 and 100, or your sponsor holds or held a permanent humanitarian visa and you had told Home Affairs about the relationship before that permanent visa was granted. Otherwise, two years must have passed since you applied.
What happens to my travel rights five years after the 100 is granted?
The initial travel facility runs for five years from the date the visa is granted, and you can travel as often as you like during that period. After it ends you must apply for and be granted a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to travel to Australia as a permanent resident.
Can I add my partner's child after I receive the 100?
No. Home Affairs states you cannot add any family members after granting the permanent Partner visa (subclass 100). A dependent child would need to hold a subclass 445 visa and be added before the decision on your permanent visa.