Your Rights as an Australian Permanent Resident via Subclass 100 in 2026

What the Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) gives you as a permanent resident: Medicare, work, study, sponsorship and travel.

Published: 11 October 2026

Permanent residence through the Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) means you can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, access Australia's public health scheme Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, travel to and from Australia for five years, attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) if eligible, and apply for Australian citizenship if you meet the criteria. That list is taken from the Department of Home Affairs' official Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) page as of October 2026, and the status begins on the day the visa is granted. What follows is general information about how the visa works, not advice about your own circumstances; where a rule depends on your dates or your record, the official pages listed at the end are the authority, and anything time-sensitive should be re-checked against their latest published version.

When does permanent residence start, and what does it actually cover?

You become a permanent resident on the day the Department grants the Subclass 100 visa. There is no later activation step and no separate card or label — the visa is a permanent one from that moment, and your right to remain in Australia does not run out.

The five-year figure that appears on the official page is a travel facility, not a visa expiry. Mixing the two up is the single most common planning error, because the things that expire after five years and the things that never expire are different things:

What you hold	How long it runs
Right to live in Australia	Indefinitely — this is a permanent visa
Work and study rights	Indefinitely
Access to Medicare	From the day you become a permanent resident
Travel in and out of Australia	Five years from the grant date, then a Resident Return visa (RRV) is needed
Ability to sponsor eligible family members	While you hold permanent residence, subject to the rules of the visa they apply for
Eligibility to apply for citizenship	After a qualifying period, if you meet the criteria

One planning note from the same official page: the Department says processing time for the permanent visa starts from the date of eligibility, which is two years after you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas together. Published processing times are described as a guideline only, assessed case by case, with complex cases taking longer.

Can you work in any job, and what protections apply?

The Department describes your position plainly: with this visa you have full work rights and are protected by Australian workplace law. It points holders to the Fair Work Ombudsman's guidance on the workplace rights and entitlements of visa holders and migrant workers, which is the practical reference for pay, conditions and where to turn if an employer gets it wrong.

"Full work rights" is the visa-level position. Your own grant may still carry conditions, and the Department directs holders to check visa details and conditions in VEVO rather than assume, since employers, banks and other registered organisations use that same digital record to verify your status.

What can you study, and what will it cost?

You can study in Australia on this visa. The Department does not set out a single study rule on its page; instead it directs holders to StudyAssist to work out what study and what assistance you may be eligible for, which is the right place to check fee arrangements and support for a specific course.

This matters because permanent residence removes the visa-side barrier to enrolling, but it does not by itself determine your fee category or your access to student support. Those depend on the course, the provider and the assistance scheme, which is exactly why the official page routes the question to StudyAssist rather than answering it in one line.

Do you get Medicare, and do other payments start immediately?

Access to Medicare comes with permanent residence. The Department lists it as one of the entitlements of the visa itself, so it is not a matter of holding the visa for a certain period first.

Other government support works differently. The Department warns that you might have to wait to access certain Australian Government payments and benefits, and refers newly arrived residents' waiting periods to Services Australia. Treat Medicare and income-support payments as two separate questions: one resolves on the day of grant, the other depends on waiting periods set outside the visa rules.

Can you sponsor family members once you hold the visa?

You cannot add family members to your application after the Subclass 100 visa is granted — the official page is explicit about this. Before a decision is made on the permanent visa, a dependent child who does not hold a subclass 309 visa can be added through the Dependent Child visa (subclass 445) route; after the grant, the only option is a separate sponsorship.

As an Australian permanent resident you might be able to sponsor eligible family members to come to Australia. Which visa is available depends on who you want to bring and their circumstances, and the Department's visa options for joining family are the starting point for that search.

How long can you travel, and what happens after five years?

You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you like for five years from the date the visa was granted, as long as the travel facility on the visa is valid. To see when your travel facility ends, use VEVO.

After that initial five-year travel facility, you must apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV) visa to travel to Australia as a permanent resident. The RRV replaces the travel facility, not your permanent status — your right to remain in Australia is unaffected if you simply stay put.

If you were outside Australia when the visa was granted, your grant letter specifies a first entry arrival date, and you must enter Australia before it. The official page adds that you can travel with an expired first entry arrival date if the visa is still valid, though the visa may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border, so checking your record in VEVO first is the sensible step.

What are you still required to do?

You and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws. Beyond that, the obligations are mostly about keeping the Department's record accurate:

Tell the Department if you get a new passport, and keep your details current.
Let the Department know if you have a baby after you have applied for the visa.
Expect no visa label in your passport — the visa is digitally linked, and your visa number is in your grant letter for use in VEVO.
No further visa application charge arises at this stage; you paid for both the temporary and permanent Partner visas when you applied, although costs for health or police checks may still apply.

Your digital visa record is used by airlines before boarding, by Australian government agencies to check identity and conditions, and by employers, banks or other registered organisations to check visa conditions. That is the record that proves your status in practice.

When does the path to citizenship begin?

After a certain time you may be eligible for Australian citizenship. The Department's rule for working out when permanent residency starts, for citizenship purposes, is specific: it is the day your visa was granted if you were in Australia, or the day you first entered Australia on this visa after it was granted, if you were outside Australia at the time of grant.

New Zealand passport holders should note one trap at the border. If an immigration officer processes your clearance, tell them you hold a permanent Australian visa and that you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). If a 444 visa is granted it overrides your permanent visa, and the Department warns it might affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Subclass 100 visa expire after five years?

No. The visa itself is permanent, and you become a permanent resident on the day it is granted. The five-year period is the travel facility; once it ends you need a Resident Return visa (RRV) to travel back to Australia as a permanent resident, but your right to live in Australia is unchanged.

Can I work in any job on a Subclass 100 visa?

The Department states you have full work rights and are protected by Australian workplace law, and refers holders to the Fair Work Ombudsman's guidance for visa holders and migrant workers. Your own visa conditions are recorded in VEVO, so check your digital record rather than relying on a general description.

Do I get Medicare as soon as the visa is granted?

Access to Medicare is listed as an entitlement of the visa, tied to becoming a permanent resident on the grant day. Certain Australian Government payments and benefits are different — newly arrived residents may face waiting periods, which Services Australia sets out.

Can I add my parents or a child to my visa after the grant?

No. The Department states you cannot add any family members after the permanent Partner visa is granted; a dependent child can be added before the decision through the subclass 445 route. After the grant, you may be able to sponsor eligible family members for a visa of their own.

Can I study at university, and will I pay domestic fees?

You can study in Australia on this visa. The Department directs holders to StudyAssist to find out what study and assistance you may be eligible for, since fee categories and support depend on the course and provider rather than on the visa alone.

When can I apply for Australian citizenship?

You may be eligible after a certain period as a permanent resident. For citizenship purposes, permanent residency starts on the day the visa was granted if you were in Australia, or the day you first entered Australia on this visa after the grant if you were overseas.

Do I get a visa label in my passport?

No. Australian visas are digital: the visa is linked electronically to your passport and a digital visa record is created. Your visa number is in your grant letter, and you use VEVO to view the record and show your conditions to employers, banks or airlines.