820 to 801: When Does Partner PR Eligibility Start in 2026?

Your 801 eligibility date is two years from the day you lodged your 820/801 application, not from your 820 grant — here is how the timing works.

Published: 10 October 2026

You become eligible to be assessed for the Partner visa (Permanent) (subclass 801) two years after the day you lodged your combined subclass 820 and 801 applications — not two years after your 820 was granted, and not two years after you arrived. That is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Partner visa (Permanent) (subclass 801) official page, as at October 2026. The same page notes one exception: if you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied, the Department may grant the permanent visa in less than two years.

What follows explains the published rules in general terms. It is not advice on any individual case, and where your own timing matters you should rely on the Department's current page as the controlling source.

What actually starts at the two-year mark?

The two-year mark opens the assessment window. It does not grant you anything on the day. The Department's wording is that you become eligible for consideration of the permanent visa two years after you applied.

That date also does work behind the scenes. The published processing time for a permanent Partner visa runs from the date of eligibility, meaning the clock the Department measures itself against begins on your two-year anniversary, not on the day you upload your stage 2 documents. Lodging promptly once the date passes keeps the two clocks close together.

Is the eligibility date the day I become a permanent resident?

No. These are three separate dates, and keeping them apart is most of the work in reading your own timeline.

Date	What it means
Date you submitted the 820 and 801 applications	The anchor. Check it in ImmiAccount.
Two years after that date	Your eligibility date. You may now be assessed, and processing time is measured from here.
Date the 801 is granted	The day you become a permanent resident.

The Department states plainly that you become a permanent resident on the day it grants the visa. You can be in or outside Australia when the decision is made, and the decision is given in writing with your visa grant number, the date the visa starts, and any conditions.

How do I work out my own eligibility date?

Log in to ImmiAccount. Open the application you submitted for the subclass 820 and 801 visas. Note the submission date shown there. Add two years. That is your earliest eligibility date.

Before doing anything else, confirm which visa you currently hold using VEVO. If the Department granted you the subclass 801 immediately after your subclass 820, there is nothing further to do. If it did not, you need to provide further documents for the permanent stage.

Can the two-year wait be shortened?

Possibly, on one ground only. The Department may grant the subclass 801 in less than two years if you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor at the time you applied for the 820 and 801.

The test is applied to your situation on the day you applied, not to how long you have been waiting since. The published page states the exception without setting out the relationship-duration threshold, so treat it as something the Department assesses on the evidence rather than something you can self-certify.

What else must still be true on the eligibility date?

Reaching the date is necessary but not sufficient. The permanent stage is reassessed against the criteria the Department publishes for the subclass 801:

You must hold a Partner visa (subclass 820) or a Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa.
You must continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same person who sponsored you for the temporary visa.
You and any family unit members must continue to meet the health requirement. If you had health examinations for the 820, the Department will tell you whether you need to repeat them or do more.
You must meet the character requirement. You usually need a current Australian police certificate for the permanent stage if you did not attach one to your 820 application; police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date, and only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted. You also need an overseas police certificate from any country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more since your 820 was granted.
Neither you nor your family members may owe the Australian government money unless it has been repaid or repayment arranged.
The visa might not be granted if doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

Two situations do not automatically end the pathway. You might still be eligible if your relationship ends or your partner dies before the permanent visa is granted, and if you are experiencing domestic and family violence, the Department may still be able to grant the permanent visa.

How do I lodge the permanent stage?

Wait until two years have passed since you first applied. Then submit your documents.

Log in to ImmiAccount.
Select 'New application'.
Select 'Family'.
Select 'Stage 2 – Permanent Partner Visa Assessment'.
Attach your documents.

Do not send documents before the two years have passed. Practical limits are worth knowing before you assemble the bundle: attach each document only once, label documents clearly, and you can attach up to 100 documents for each person on the application — a limit that cannot be increased. Scan or photograph everything in colour, keep multi-page documents as a single file, and translate non-English documents into English. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Documents do not need to be certified.

What should I do during the two years?

Treat the waiting period as evidence maintenance rather than dead time. Partner visa applications can have long processing times, and the Department advises updating your documents and relationship evidence regularly through ImmiAccount.

Report changes as they happen: changes to your marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, changes to your contact details, address or passport, and any other change relevant to your application. If you cannot upload documents in ImmiAccount, the Department's page directs you to the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.

On cost, you paid for the permanent visa when you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas together. You might still have to pay for health or police checks. If the application is refused, the fee is not refunded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the two years start from my 820 grant date?

No. The Department's requirement is that two years have passed since you applied for the subclass 820 and 801 visas. Your 820 grant date can be much later than your application date, which is why the ImmiAccount submission date is the figure that matters.

Can I send my stage 2 documents a few weeks early?

No. The Department's instruction is explicit: submit your documents once two years have passed since you first applied, and do not send them before this time.

Do I need to pay another visa application charge for the 801?

No separate charge is described for the permanent stage. You paid for this visa when you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas. You might have to pay other costs for health or police checks.

What if my relationship ends before the 801 is decided?

You might still be eligible for the permanent visa if your relationship ends or your partner dies before the grant. You may need to complete the Notification of Relationship Cessation form in ImmiAccount, and if you are experiencing domestic and family violence there are provisions that may allow the permanent visa to be granted.

Do I need new police certificates for the permanent stage?

Usually yes, if you did not attach an Australian police certificate to your 820 application, or if the previous one has expired. Certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date and must be AFP complete disclosure National Police Certificates. You also need overseas certificates covering any country where you spent 12 months or more since your 820 grant.

When does my permanent residency begin, and how long can I travel?

You become a permanent resident on the day the 801 is granted. From that date you can travel to and from Australia for five years; after that travel facility ends you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident. Check the end date in VEVO.