Overview

Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) allows an Australia citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen to sponsor an overseas person they have already met and intend to get married to that person in Australia. This is a temporary visa lodged offshore and valid for 9 months from the date of grant allowing the applicant to enter Australia with the intention of getting married to the sponsor. After getting married, the applicant is allowed to apply for an onshore Partner Visa (Subclass 820 and 801) to get permanently settled in Australia with their spouse. The applicant is granted a bridging visa to remain in Australia while their application for grant of subclass 820 visa is processed.

Eligibility Criteria – Applicant

Applicants for this visa subclass must meet the following criteria in order to lodge a valid visa application offshore:

• Be sponsored by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen
• Have met their sponsor and have genuine intent to marry the sponsor in Australia
• Be outside Australia when applying for this visa
• Meet the health and character* criteria
• Not have any debt to the Australian government
• Accept Australian Values Statement
• Not had a visa cancelled or a visa application refused* in the past

*It is important to let us know if you have had a visa cancelled or refused in the past or have a criminal record

Eligibility Criteria – Sponsor

Sponsoring partner must fulfill the following criteria:

• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
• Be 18 years or above
• Have met the applicant and have genuine intention to marry that person in Australia
• Meet the character criteria – if applicable, must provide information on any past offences/criminal history

Key Visa Entitlements

• Stay in Australia for 9 months from date of visa grant
• Work full-time for any employer in Australia
• Study in Australia at your own expense
• Travel multiple times to and from Australia during the validity of their visa
• Marry the sponsor before the visa expires and apply for Partner (Migrant) (subclass 820 and 801) Visa
• If required, attend free English language classes conducted by the Australian government

Visa Application Charges

First VAC

• Primary Applicant: $7,865 | Secondary Applicant – over 18 years: $3,930 | Additional applicant – under 18 years: $1,965

* The Department of Home Affairs generally revises the visa application charges on 01st July of each year

Processing Timelines

Processing times for applications in this visa subclass can vary significantly depending on the risk assessment level of the applicants’ country of origin and how promptly the applicants can submit the requested documents, including translations, if required. The general processing times for the visa applications in this visa subclass are given below.

• 75% of the applications are processed within 9 months
• 90% of the applications are processed within 34 months