The prospective marriage visa allows you to come to Australia to marry your fiancé, and then apply for an onshore partner visa.
People sometimes refer to this visa as the ‘fiancé visa’ or the ‘engagement visa’. The prospective marriage visa application must be made from outside of Australia and is granted while you are still outside of Australia.
What are the requirements for the prospective marriage visa?
To be eligible to apply for a prospective marriage visa you must:
- Be the prospective spouse of (i.e. you intend to marry) an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- Be sponsored by your prospective spouse
- Show your spouse is eligible to sponsor you
- Both be over 18 years of age
- Have met your sponsor in person since turning 18 years old, and know each other personally
- Intend to marry your spouse within the visa period that is granted
- Show that you intend to live together as a married couple
Your sponsor will also need to lodge a sponsorship application to assess whether they are eligible to sponsor you. Factors influencing whether they can sponsor you for the prospective marriage visa includes:
- Their age
- If they have a criminal record
- Past sponsorship of partner/fiancé
- Their own visa history
The visa applicant must also meet health and character criteria for the visa.
Does the Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) Visa provide permanent residency?
The subclass 300 visa is a temporary visa. It facilitates your travel to Australia and allows you to apply for an Onshore Partner visa (subclass 820/801) after you are married but before your prospective marriage visa expires. See our onshore partner visa page for more information.
The prospective marriage visa will last for a period of up to 9 months from the date it is granted. This means that within the 9 months from the date of the visa being granted, you will need to enter Australia, marry your partner and apply for your Onshore Partner Visa (in that order).
How do I apply for a prospective marriage visa?
Applying for the prospective marriage visa is generally done online through ImmiAccount. Applying through paper applications and posting the documents is possible but not recommended as applications and documents can get lost, and there can be challenges with keeping track of the application.
Evidence in support of your application that shows your relationship with your fiancé and evidence of your intention to marry can also be lodged online electronically.
After you have lodged your visa application, your sponsor will then need to lodge their sponsorship application. The sponsorship application involves providing evidence that your sponsor is eligible to sponsor you. Evidence required for sponsorship and circumstances that may affect the sponsor’s eligibility includes:
- Evidence of Australian citizenship, permanent residency, or of being and eligible New Zealand citizen
- Age (over 18 years old)
- Criminal records in Australia and overseas
- Whether they have sponsored anyone else in the past for a partner visa
- If they have held any Australian visas in the past, what visas they were and when they were granted, which may limit their ability to sponsor
