What Are My Sponsor Obligations for the 801 Visa in 2026?

Updated 2026-10-11 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

As the sponsor for a Partner visa (Permanent) (subclass 801), your obligations come down to two things: you must sponsor your partner and any family members included in their application, and you must assist those same people financially and with their accommodation. That is how the Australian Department of Home Affairs frames the duty on its official Partner visa (Permanent) (Subclass 801) page, as at October 2026. Becoming a sponsor carries no government fee, and the duty runs for a defined period rather than indefinitely.

What does "assist financially and with accommodation" actually cover?

The published wording sets out two heads of obligation. You must assist your partner financially. You must also assist them with accommodation. Both are expressed as assistance rather than as a fixed payment, a bond, or a guarantee of a particular lifestyle.

The Home Affairs sponsorship page states this duty in general terms. It does not publish a dollar figure, an income threshold, or a minimum housing standard that a sponsor has to meet. Read plainly, the obligation is about helping the people in the application cover everyday living costs and have somewhere to live.

Suppose an applicant included a family member in their partner visa application. In that case, the duty reaches that person too, because the obligation follows the membership of the application rather than the couple alone.

This article is general information about how the published sponsorship rules are framed, not advice tailored to your circumstances; for your own situation, rely on the official pages or guidance from a qualified professional.

Who exactly do I owe these obligations to?

To your partner, and to their family members who were included in the application. The scope of the duty is drawn from the application itself, not from who happens to be living with you.

That distinction matters in both directions. If family members were included, your assistance obligation covers them. If the application covered your partner only, the obligation does not extend to relatives who arrive later on a different visa.

Is there a cost to being a sponsor?

No. The sponsorship page lists the cost as no cost. The "no cost" entry refers to the act of sponsoring, not to the visa application itself, which is a separate matter.

You can also be inside or outside Australia when you apply for sponsorship, so your own location does not have to match your partner's at that point.

When does the obligation start, and how long does it run?

Sponsorship has to be approved, and the Department gives that approval while it processes the applicant's temporary partner visa. The obligations attach from there.

How long they last depends on where the visa applicants are when the temporary partner visa is granted:

Two years after the visa is granted, if the applicants are in Australia at the time of grant.
Two years after their next arrival in Australia, if they are outside Australia at the time of grant.

The Department states that this is the case even where the permanent partner visa is granted straight after the temporary one. The two-year period does not disappear just because the permanent partner visa follows the temporary partner visa immediately.

Do I have to be the same person who sponsored the temporary visa?

Yes. To be eligible to sponsor, you must continue to be the spouse or de facto partner who sponsored the applicant for their temporary partner visa. Sponsorship is not something that transfers to a new partner.

What if I can't keep supporting them, or the relationship ends?

You cannot withdraw as a sponsor after the visa is granted. The Home Affairs sponsorship page directs sponsors in that position to information on what to do when your relationship has ended.

You also need to tell the Department if your situation has changed. The official page points to its guidance on changes in your situation for what counts as a change and how it is handled.

If you are experiencing domestic and family violence, the Department notes that support is available under the family violence provisions. That is a separate pathway from the sponsorship obligation itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a minimum income I need to show as a sponsor?

The Home Affairs sponsorship page states the financial and accommodation duty in general terms and does not publish an income threshold or dollar amount. The eligibility criteria it lists focus on you continuing to be the spouse or de facto partner who sponsored the applicant for the temporary visa. Check the official page for the current wording before you rely on any figure you see elsewhere.

Do I have to pay the visa application charge as well?

Sponsorship itself is listed on the official page as no cost. The page does not address who pays the applicant's visa application charge, so that is a separate question from your obligations as a sponsor. Confirm any government charges on the Department's official pricing pages as at the time you apply.

Am I responsible for my partner's family members?

Only for those included in their application. The obligation covers your partner and their family members included in the application, so the scope follows the application's membership. Family members who were not included are outside this particular duty.

Does the two-year period change if the permanent partner visa is granted straight after the temporary partner visa?

No. The Department states that sponsorship still ends two years after the temporary visa is granted, or two years after the applicant's next arrival in Australia if they were outside Australia at grant. The permanent grant does not shorten or reset that period.

Can I withdraw as a sponsor if we separate?

No. The sponsorship page states you cannot withdraw as a sponsor after the visa is granted. It refers separating couples to the Department's information on when your relationship has ended, and to the family violence provisions where domestic and family violence is involved.

Where can I find answers to other partner visa questions?

Home Affairs maintains a Partner Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page covering common questions about the program. It is the natural next stop for anything this article does not cover, along with the subclass 801 page itself.