Losing Your PR Pathway: What a Subclass 100 Refusal Means for Your 309 Status in 2026

If your Subclass 100 permanent Partner visa is refused, the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) official page — as at the October 2026 official page — does not set out a rule that the refusal automatically cancels your Subclass 309 temporary Partner visa. The 309 and the 100 are separate visas inside one combined application: the 309 is the temporary visa granted first, and the 100 is the permanent stage decided later. What the refusal ends is the permanent outcome — no grant, and no refund of the application fee — while the written decision tells you the reasons and whether you have a right to a review. Because the page treats the two as distinct grants, your 309 status is something you confirm through VEVO rather than assume. This is general information about how the official page frames the process and is not personalised advice on your own case; for your circumstances, rely on the official page or a qualified professional.

Are the Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 separate visas?

Yes. The page describes the offshore Partner process as a single application for both the temporary and the permanent Partner visa. The temporary Partner visa (subclass 309) is granted first. You become eligible for consideration of the permanent Partner visa (subclass 100) two years after you apply for the temporary and permanent Partner visas together, and you submit documents for the permanent stage once two years have passed since you first applied.

The page also notes that if the Department granted you the permanent visa immediately after granting the temporary visa, you do not need to provide the further permanent-stage documents. If it did not, you need to provide them. Either way, the 309 grant and the 100 decision are separate steps, and the page points to VEVO as the way to check which visa you currently hold.

Does a Subclass 100 refusal cancel your 309 visa?

The page does not state that refusing the 100 automatically cancels or ends the 309. It treats the refusal as a decision on the permanent Partner visa: "If we refuse your visa, we will tell you why we refused the visa and whether you have a right to a review of the decision." The 309 is described as the temporary Partner visa granted at the earlier stage, and the 100 as the permanent Partner visa decided at the later stage.

That distinction is the answer to the common question "if the 100 is refused, do I lose the 309." Based on the page, a 100 refusal is a refusal of the permanent visa, not a stated automatic cancellation of the temporary visa you already hold. But the page does not spell out what happens to the 309's remaining validity either — so do not treat the 309 as continuing indefinitely, and do not assume it has ended. The page's own check is VEVO.

How do you confirm which visa you currently hold?

The Subclass 100 page identifies VEVO as the check for which visa you currently hold, and the VEVO overview covers visa details and conditions. The page also refers applicants to ImmiAccount to track and manage the application itself.

For a reader arranging whether to stay or leave, this is the operative point: your visa status is what VEVO records for you, including any conditions on the temporary visa. The permanent visa decision, by contrast, is communicated in writing.

What does the written refusal decision tell you?

The Department lets you know the decision in writing. If it refuses the visa, the written decision tells you:

• why it refused the visa, and
• whether you have a right to a review of the decision.

The page also states that the application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. The written decision is therefore the document that sets out the reason and the review position for your case.

Can the 100 be decided while you are outside Australia?

Yes. The page states you can be in or outside Australia when the Department decides on your permanent Partner visa. Being outside Australia does not prevent the refusal decision from being made, and being in Australia does not change the fact that the decision is on the permanent visa.

This matters if you are arranging travel or an onward stay: the permanent-stage decision is not dependent on your location. What does depend on your location — travel on a temporary visa — turns on the conditions attached to the visa you hold, which VEVO records.

What does the refusal mean for your permanent residency pathway?

It breaks the pathway at the permanent stage. The 100 is the permanent Partner visa, and the route to PR in this application runs through it. If that application is refused:

• no permanent Partner visa is granted from it;
• the application fee is not refunded;
• any further step depends on whether the decision says you have a right to a review.

The 309 is the temporary Partner visa. Holding it, if VEVO shows it is current, means you hold temporary status — not permanent residency. The refusal does not convert the 309 into a permanent visa, and the page does not describe any automatic replacement. If your goal was PR through this Partner application, that route has been decided against you, and the review right stated in the decision is the next thing the page points to.

Does the refusal stop you from being considered again?

The page does not set out a re-application rule for a refused 100. It states that eligibility for consideration of the permanent visa arises two years after the combined temporary and permanent application, and that documents are submitted for the permanent stage after that point. Whether a new application is possible, and on what terms, is not covered by this page — treat that as a question to verify against the official page or a qualified professional, since the Subclass 100 page does not address it.

Frequently Asked Questions

If my Subclass 100 is refused, do I automatically lose my Subclass 309 visa?

The official page does not state that a 100 refusal automatically cancels the 309. It treats the 309 as the temporary Partner visa granted first and the 100 as the permanent Partner visa decided later, so the refusal is a decision on the permanent visa. Confirm your current visa through VEVO rather than assuming either way.

Will I get my application fee back if the 100 is refused?

No. The page states the Department will not refund the application fee if it refuses the application. The page does not set out any refund exception for a refused permanent Partner visa.

How will I know why my 100 was refused?

The Department lets you know the decision in writing. If it refuses the visa, the written decision tells you why it refused the visa, so the reasons are set out in that document.

Will the refusal letter say whether I can seek a review?

Yes. The page states that if the visa is refused, the Department tells you whether you have a right to a review of the decision. That review right, if any, is stated in the written decision for your case.

How can I check which visa I hold after a 100 refusal?

The page identifies VEVO as the check for which visa you currently hold, and the VEVO overview covers visa details and conditions. ImmiAccount is referred to for tracking and managing the application itself.

Can the 100 be refused while I am outside Australia?

Yes. The page states you can be in or outside Australia when the Department decides on your permanent Partner visa. Your location does not prevent the permanent-stage decision from being made.

Are the 309 and 100 applied for at the same time?

Yes. The page describes the offshore Partner process as a single application for the temporary and permanent Partner visas together. The temporary 309 is granted first, and you are eligible for consideration of the permanent 100 two years after that combined application.

References

Australian Department of Home Affairs — Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100)