Is the Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) a Pathway to Australian PR in 2026?

Explains whether the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) leads to Australian PR in 2026, and how the Partner visa 820/801 stage works.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

No — not on its own. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) page, as at July 2026, subclass 300 is a temporary visa that lets you live, work and study in Australia for 9 to 15 months from the date of grant. Permanent residence only enters the picture after you marry and move onto the Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801), which the same page names as the visa to apply for "if you and your spouse want to settle in Australia". So subclass 300 is better understood as the front door of a staged pathway, not as a PR visa with extra conditions attached.

This article is general information about how the visa categories are structured; it is not personalised advice, and the only reliable test of your own position is the official page current at the time you apply, read alongside a registered practitioner if your circumstances are complicated.

What does subclass 300 actually give you, and what does it withhold?

The visa is short by design. Its purpose is to let a person enter Australia, marry their prospective spouse, and then move to the onshore Partner visa while they are still lawfully here.

On the rights side, the official page sets out that you can:

live, work and study in Australia for 9 to 15 months from the visa grant date;
travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid;
work with full work rights, protected by Australian workplace law;
study, although you will not receive any government support and study costs are at your own expense.

On the limits side, the same page is explicit that this is a temporary visa whose duration is the period specified on your grant letter, and it recommends holding adequate health insurance because you will otherwise be personally liable for healthcare costs while you are in Australia. Nothing on the page describes subclass 300 as conferring permanent residence, and no amount of time spent on the 300 converts it into one.

How does the 300 connect to the Partner visa (820 and 801)?

The connection is procedural, not automatic. The Department's page states that if you and your spouse want to settle in Australia, you should apply for a Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) after you are married and before your Prospective Marriage visa ends.

Stage	Visa	Status in the pathway	What it is for
Entry	Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300)	Temporary, 9–15 months from grant	Enter Australia and marry
Onshore transition	Partner visa (subclass 820)	Temporary stage	Live in Australia while the relationship is assessed
Settlement	Partner visa (subclass 801)	Permanent stage	The permanent residence outcome

Two features of this structure matter for anyone treating the 300 as step one of a migration plan. First, the pathway is conditional on a marriage that actually happens inside the visa window; the eligibility criteria for the 300 include being 18 or over, having a sponsor who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, having met your prospective spouse face to face as adults since turning 18 and knowing each other personally at the time of application, and intending to marry before the visa period ends. Second, you must be outside Australia when you apply for the 300, though you can be in or outside Australia when the temporary visa is decided.

When should the Partner visa application be lodged?

Before the 300 expires, and for a concrete financial reason rather than a merely tidy one. The Department states that you pay less for the Partner visa if you marry your prospective spouse and apply for it before your Prospective Marriage visa ends; the same page also explains that, as a subclass 300 visa holder, you are eligible to pay a lower visa application charge for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) application.

The saving is the whole point of sequencing the two applications correctly. The timing rule is also paired with an entry rule: if you are outside Australia when the visa is granted, you must enter Australia on the Prospective Marriage visa before the first entry arrival date specified in your grant letter, and you must have married before the visa expires.

What breaks the chain?

Several ordinary-sounding decisions can cost you the reduced Partner visa charge or disrupt the sequence.

Being granted another visa. The Department warns that if you are granted any other visa, the new visa replaces your subclass 300, which may mean paying a higher visa application charge when you apply for the Partner visa.
Arriving on the wrong visa as a New Zealand passport holder. If an immigration officer processes your clearance at the border, the Department recommends telling them you hold a Prospective Marriage visa and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444); if you do not, you might be granted a 444 visa, and grant of a 444 overrides the subclass 300.
Assuming travel flexibility cures an expired first entry date. You can travel to Australia with an expired first entry arrival date if the visa is still valid, but the visa may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border.
Marrying somewhere whose marriage Australia does not recognise. You can marry in any country, but the marriage must be valid under Australian law.
Expecting to add family later. You cannot add family members to your application after the subclass 300 is granted; members of the family unit must be included when you lodge, and a dependent child can be added after lodgement but before the temporary visa is decided.

What if the relationship ends before you reach the Partner stage?

The pathway does not simply close. The Department's guidance states you may still be eligible for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) if your relationship ends or your partner dies, that you must be in Australia to apply, and that information you provide is confidential. Where domestic and family violence is involved, the Department states it may be able to help and that you may still be eligible for the grant of your temporary and permanent visa under the family violence provisions. Depending on your situation you may also need to complete the Notification of Relationship Cessation form in ImmiAccount.

For anyone comparing the 300 to skilled or employer-sponsored routes, this is the structural difference: subclass 300's value is entirely downstream of the relationship and the subsequent Partner visa decision, whereas points-tested and employer routes assess the applicant directly.

What does the pathway cost?

The Department of Home Affairs' subclass 300 page does not publish a single figure; it states there is a fee for the main applicant, that concessions apply in limited circumstances, and that there is also a fee for each family member who applies with you, with additional possible costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. The Department directs applicants to the Visa pricing estimator, which does not account for those extra costs.

One dated change is recorded: from 1 July 2026, a lower Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid Partner visa application, recognised through a valid passport from a specified country, with family members also eligible based on the primary applicant's passport. The listed countries are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Because government charges are indexed and re-set over time, treat any figure as subject to the official pricing published at the time you lodge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Prospective Marriage visa a permanent visa?

No. The Department of Home Affairs describes subclass 300 as a temporary visa, with a stay of 9 to 15 months from the visa grant date. Permanent residence is pursued separately through the Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801), applied for after the marriage and before the 300 ends.

Can I apply for the Partner visa after my subclass 300 has expired?

The Department's guidance is to apply after marrying and before the Prospective Marriage visa ends, because you pay less for the Partner visa if you do. The official page does not set out the consequences of applying after expiry, so the current Partner visa requirements should be checked against the official page before you rely on any other outcome.

Do I have to get married in Australia?

No. The Department states you can marry in any country, provided the marriage is valid under Australian law. You must, however, enter Australia on the subclass 300 before the first entry arrival date in your grant letter if you are outside Australia when the visa is granted, and you must have married before the visa expires.

Can I work and study while on subclass 300?

You have full work rights and are protected by Australian workplace law. Study is permitted, but you will not receive any government support and all study costs are at your own expense.

What happens if I am granted a different visa while holding subclass 300?

The new visa replaces your subclass 300, and the Department warns this may mean you need to pay a higher visa application charge when you later apply for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801). This is also why New Zealand passport holders are advised to tell border officers they do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444).

Can I still get PR if the relationship breaks down before the wedding?

Possibly. The Department states you may still be eligible for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) if your relationship ends or your partner dies, that you must be in Australia to apply, and that information you provide is confidential. Where family violence is involved, the family violence provisions may allow the temporary and permanent visa to be granted.