Full Work Rights on Partner Visa 100 in 2026: What Employers See in VEVO

Updated 2026-10-15 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

Yes — if you hold a Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100), you have full work rights in Australia. There is no hourly cap, no link to one employer, and no separate permission to apply for before you start a job. This is set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) official page, as of the October 2026 version of that page, which lists "live, work and study in Australia" among what the visa allows.

Do I have full work rights on the subclass 100 visa?

You do, and they start as soon as the visa is granted. The subclass 100 is a permanent visa, and the same Home Affairs page states that you become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted. The visa section headed "Working" says you will have full work rights and be protected by Australian workplace law.

Full work rights is a visa condition question, not a job-title question. It means your permission to work is not limited by your visa. What governs your pay, breaks and conditions is Australian workplace law, which applies to you as it does to other workers.

What does an employer or a bank actually see in VEVO?

They see your digital visa record. Australian visas are digital: Home Affairs does not put a visa label in your passport, it links your digital visa record to your passport instead.

The same page lists who uses that record:

airlines, to check your visa before you board your flight
Australian government agencies, to check your identity and visa conditions
employers, banks or other registered organisations, to check your visa conditions

So when a payroll team asks for your "visa details", they are usually asking for the information that lets them pull your record from VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). They are checking that your visa is in effect and what conditions attach to it.

How do I get my VEVO record ready before my first day?

Find your visa grant letter first. Your visa number is in that letter, and you use the number to access your digital visa record in VEVO.

Then work through the steps in order:

Locate your visa grant letter.
Copy the visa number from it.
Open the Home Affairs VEVO service.
Enter your details and retrieve your record.
Check that the visa class and conditions match your grant letter.
Save or print the record for your own files.
Give your employer the details they ask for.

If something on the record does not match your letter, treat it as a discrepancy to resolve before you rely on the record for onboarding, rather than something to explain away in an email.

Does the employer have to check VEVO at all?

Employers, banks and other registered organisations are named on the Home Affairs page as users of VEVO for checking visa conditions. Many employers build the check into onboarding, and some re-check later. None of that changes your entitlement: your right to work comes from the visa, not from the employer's internal process.

What workplace protections apply to me?

Home Affairs states on the subclass 100 page that you are protected by Australian workplace law, and points visa holders and migrant workers to the Fair Work Ombudsman's workplace rights and entitlements material. That covers the ordinary floor of pay and conditions that applies to workers in Australia.

One general note on reading this article: it is general information about how the visa and VEVO work, not personalised legal or migration advice for your situation. For anything that turns on your own record, rely on the official pages listed at the end and, where the stakes are high, on advice from a registered professional.

Does permanent residency change anything else about working?

It changes your footing rather than your permission. Because the subclass 100 is permanent, you are not tied to a sponsoring partner's visa status for your own stay. You can also study, and the Home Affairs page directs students to StudyAssist for what study you may be eligible for.

A few related points from the same page are worth knowing when you plan around a new job:

You can access Australia's public healthcare scheme, Medicare.
You may have to wait before certain Australian Government payments and benefits; Services Australia publishes the newly arrived residents' waiting periods.
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date the visa is granted, while that travel facility is valid. After it ends you need a Resident Return (RRV) to travel back as a permanent resident.
You cannot add family members to your application after the permanent Partner visa is granted, though as a permanent resident you may be able to sponsor eligible family members.
You must tell Home Affairs if you get a new passport.
If you are outside Australia when the visa is granted, you must enter before the first entry arrival date in your grant letter.

The travel facility matters to employers only indirectly. Your work rights belong to the visa; the 5-year travel facility is about coming back into Australia as a permanent resident.

What if I am a New Zealand passport holder?

Tell the immigration officer who processes your clearance at the border that you have a permanent Australian visa and that you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). Home Affairs warns that if you do not, you might be granted a 444, which would override your permanent visa and might affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to apply for permission to work after the subclass 100 is granted?

No. The Home Affairs page for the visa says you will have full work rights. Your permission to work is part of the visa itself, so there is no separate application to make before you start.

How do I prove my visa if there is no label in my passport?

Use VEVO. Australian visas are digital and linked to your passport, and your visa number is in your grant letter. Enter that number in VEVO to show your record and conditions.

Can a bank use VEVO as well as an employer?

Yes. Home Affairs lists employers, banks and other registered organisations together as users of VEVO for checking visa conditions. The same record that satisfies a payroll check can be used by a bank.

Do I lose my work rights if I travel overseas?

Your work rights attach to the visa, and the subclass 100 is a permanent visa. Travel is a separate question: the travel facility runs for 5 years from the grant date, and after that you need a Resident Return visa to come back as a permanent resident.

Can my partner or children be added to my subclass 100 now?

Not to this visa. Home Affairs states you cannot add family members to your application after the permanent Partner visa is granted, although as a permanent resident you may be able to sponsor eligible family members for their own visa.

When can I apply for citizenship?

After a certain time you may be eligible, according to the Home Affairs page. For citizenship purposes your permanent residency starts on the day the visa was granted if you were in Australia, or the day you first entered Australia on this visa after it was granted.