Why Are Offshore Partner Visas 309/100 Slower Than Onshore 820/801 in 2026?

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

Offshore applications wait longer because of ranking, not because of anything you did wrong. As of October 2026, the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Partner Visa Frequently Asked Questions page states that Partner visa applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 117 (Order for considering and deciding Partner visa applications), with highest priority given to onshore Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) applications and lower priority given to offshore Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) and Partner visa (subclass 309 and 100) applications. The page adds that applications with lower priority are likely to experience longer processing times. This article explains the general rules only; it is not personalised advice about your case, and your situation should be checked against current official guidance or with a qualified professional.

What does Ministerial Direction 117 actually say about priority?

It sets the order in which Partner visa applications are considered and decided. Under Ministerial Direction 117, as summarised on the Department's Partner Visa FAQ page, applications are generally assessed in the order in which they are received, but that general rule operates inside a priority hierarchy: onshore subclass 820/801 sits at the top, and offshore subclass 309/100 and subclass 300 sit below it.

So the honest answer to "why am I still waiting" is structural. If you lodged a 309/100 from outside Australia, you are in a queue that the direction tells decision-makers to reach after the onshore queue, and the Department itself flags that lower-priority applications are likely to take longer. Additional detail on how priorities are set out for family visas is published on the Department's Family visa processing priorities page.

Does lower priority mean my application is paused?

No. Lower priority describes where your application sits relative to others, not whether work on it stops. Within the offshore group, applications are still generally assessed in the order they were received, so your position relative to other offshore applicants still moves forward even while the whole group waits behind onshore cases.

What it does change is the shape of the wait. A 309/100 application can be complete, well-documented and still sit longer than an onshore case simply because of its category. This is also why two people who lodged in the same month can have very different experiences — one filed 820/801 from inside Australia, the other filed 309/100 from outside it.

Where does the two-year period before the 100 stage fit in?

The two-year clock is separate from processing priority, and mixing the two is the most common source of confusion. The Department states that if you hold a temporary Partner visa (subclass 309 or 820), two years must have passed since you applied for that visa before you are eligible for assessment of the permanent visa (subclass 100 or 801).

Assume an applicant lodged a combined 309/100 application in March 2025. Even if processing moved quickly, the earliest that applicant becomes eligible for assessment of the 100 stage is March 2027, because eligibility is tied to the application date rather than to the grant date. Meanwhile the 309 stage itself still has to be decided within its own priority position. Two different clocks therefore run at once: the queue position of each stage, and the fixed two-year eligibility gate between them. On top of that, the direction's lower ranking applies to the offshore subclass — so offshore applicants wait for both.

Can I ask for priority processing?

You can ask, but the Department is blunt about the odds. Under Ministerial Direction 117, an application may be prioritised if you can show it involves special circumstances of a compassionate nature, and there are compelling reasons to depart from the order of priority. Even then there is no guarantee of higher priority, because other applicants may have equally or more compelling compassionate circumstances, and most requests for priority processing cannot be approved.

Two conditions are worth knowing before you spend effort on a request. First, the Department will only consider a priority request if all supporting documents and information have already been submitted with your application. Second, if you are not yet eligible for the permanent visa — meaning the two-year mark has not passed — the request cannot be considered at all. Further detail is set out in the Department's factsheet on requests for priority processing for Partner visas.

What is actually worth watching while you wait?

The wait is mostly a matter of queue position, so the useful actions are the ones that protect your application from avoidable setbacks.

  • The Department points applicants to the Visa processing time guide tool for an indication of times for recently decided applications. It is explicitly a guide only and not specific to your application.
  • Progress and whether all supporting documents have been provided can be checked through ImmiAccount; the Department states that it cannot give further updates on progress if your application is still within the standard processing time.
  • Health examinations can be completed after you apply, but results are valid for 12 months from the date you complete them, and a health undertaking is valid for 6 months. If either expires before a decision is made, you may be asked to repeat them — which matters more when waits are long.

So how should I read my own waiting time?

Treat it as evidence of category, not of case quality. Nothing in Ministerial Direction 117 turns on how strong your relationship evidence is; the ranking is between onshore and offshore subclasses. A long wait does not imply your documents were insufficient, and there is no step available to most applicants that moves them out of the offshore queue.

The practical adjustment is one of planning rather than action: assume the offshore timeline is longer, keep your passport, police certificate and health-related documents from going stale, and check the processing time guide periodically for movement in recently decided applications rather than reading any single figure as a promise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the subclass 309/100 really lower priority than 820/801?

Yes. The Department's Partner Visa FAQ page states that under Ministerial Direction 117, highest priority goes to onshore Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) applications, while offshore subclass 309/100 and subclass 300 applications receive lower priority. Applications with lower priority are likely to experience longer processing times.

Does "assessed in the order received" mean nobody jumps ahead?

Generally yes, but within each priority tier rather than across all Partner visa applications. Ministerial Direction 117 ranks categories first, and applications are then generally assessed in the order received within that framework, with narrow exceptions such as approved priority-processing requests.

Can compassionate circumstances get my 309 moved up?

Possibly, but rarely. Priority processing may be granted where there are special circumstances of a compassionate nature and compelling reasons to depart from the order of priority, yet the Department warns there is no guarantee and that most such requests cannot be approved. A request will not be considered unless all supporting documents have already been submitted.

When can the 100 stage be assessed?

Two years must have passed since you applied for the temporary Partner visa (subclass 309 or 820) before you are eligible for assessment of the permanent visa. If that two-year point has not been reached, the Department cannot consider a permanent-stage request, including a request for priority processing.

Should I expect my health checks to stay valid for the whole wait?

Not necessarily. Health assessment results are valid for 12 months from when you complete your examinations, and a health undertaking is valid for 6 months. If they expire before your visa is decided, you may be asked to provide them again, which is one reason long waits need monitoring.

Where can I see how long my category is currently taking?

The Department publishes the Visa processing time guide tool, which shows times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application, so it should be read as an indication rather than a deadline.

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