PR Pathway: Prospective Marriage 300 to Partner
The Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300), often called the fiancé(e) visa, is the first step in a multi-step pathway that leads to permanent residence (PR). The 300 visa itself is a temporary visa: it lets you come to Australia to marry your sponsor, after which you lodge a partner visa and go through the 820/801 process to reach PR. This article summarises the full pathway and the figures you need to check for yourself on the official source.
Who is this pathway for?
This pathway suits someone currently outside Australia who genuinely intends to marry an eligible Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and wants to come to Australia to hold the wedding. It is the option when two people are not yet married and not yet eligible for the de facto stream, but have a clear and serious intention to marry.
If the two of you are already married or already meet the de facto requirements, you may be able to go straight to the partner stream — the onshore 820/801 partner visa if you are in Australia, or the offshore stream if you are outside Australia. The 300 visa is specifically for the “about to marry” stage.
Starting point
The starting point is a genuine intention to marry and evidence showing that the two of you have met in person, know each other well, and have concrete plans to marry. Because this is a multi-step route, you should understand the whole chain from the outset: the 300 visa is only the doorway, and PR comes after you move to the partner visa. Understanding the detailed requirements of the 300 visa in advance helps you prepare correctly from step one.
Steps to permanent residence
Step 1 — Lodge the 300 (fiancé/fiancée) visa. Prepare evidence of the relationship and the intention to marry, together with the sponsor’s sponsorship application, then lodge from outside Australia.
Step 2 — Have the 300 visa granted and travel to Australia. If approved, you receive the temporary 300 visa allowing you to enter Australia within its validity period.
Step 3 — Marry within the validity period. You must marry your sponsor while the 300 visa is still valid. This is the key condition for moving forward.
Step 4 — Lodge the partner visa (820/801). After marrying, you lodge the onshore partner visa. From here, the route follows the two-stage process of the 820/801 partner visa: temporary 820 first, then permanent 801.
Step 5 — Be granted PR (801). When the permanent stage is met, you receive the 801 visa — a permanent visa that allows you to live and work anywhere in Australia.
Fees and figures to check
The main application fee for the 300 visa (the PMV step) for the primary applicant is currently 11,710 AUD. Note that this is only the fee for the first step; when you move to the partner visa at the later step, there will be additional fees for that stream. This figure also does not include fees for accompanying dependants, health examinations, translation, or document-preparation costs — so budget for the total cost of the whole chain, not just the 300 step.
The remaining elements of this pathway change over time, so this article does not state fixed figures:
- The period within which you must marry after the 300 visa is granted — check on Home Affairs.
- The requirement to have met in person and how to prove it — check on Home Affairs.
- English-language requirements (if they apply) — check on Home Affairs.
- Processing times at each step — check the current figures on Home Affairs.
Decisive factors
The biggest decisive factor is the genuineness of the relationship and the intention to marry, combined with marrying within the period the 300 visa allows. Missing the deadline to marry can break the whole pathway. Because this is a multi-step chain, the consistency of your relationship evidence — from lodging the 300, through the wedding, to lodging the partner visa — is what makes a strong case.
Risks and common mistakes
- Missing the deadline to marry. This is the risk specific to the 300 stream; not marrying within the validity period can stop you from moving forward.
- Preparing only for the 300 step. Forgetting that PR comes only after the partner visa, leading to financial and evidentiary preparation that is not enough for the whole chain.
- Lacking evidence of having met in person. This is often a key requirement of the fiancé(e) stream.
- Relationship evidence breaking between steps. The relationship needs to be shown continuously from the 300 through to the partner visa.
When to ask a MARA agent
Consider consulting a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) registered with OMARA when: you need to plan the timing of the whole 300 → marriage → partner visa chain; the relationship has complex elements that need explaining; the case has sensitive elements involving health, character or visa history; or you are concerned about the deadline to marry and the transition milestones. An RMA assesses your actual case — this article does not.
Learn more
- The Prospective Marriage visa 300: detailed requirements
- The Partner visa 820/801: how to build relationship evidence
- The overview map of PR pathways
Official sources
- Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) — Home Affairs
The 300 → partner route is a chain that needs to be seen as a whole from the start. Plan for the entire pathway, keep your relationship evidence continuous, and check every deadline against the official source before you lodge.
Last updated: 13/06/2026. Migration rules change frequently — always check the official source.