How Do I Withdraw My Partner Visa Application in 2026?
As of the October 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Partner Visa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page, you withdraw a Partner visa application online through ImmiAccount, and two conditions sit on top of that: every applicant aged 18 or over covered by the withdrawal must give their consent in a signed statement, and if your application is for a Partner visa (subclass 309 and 100) or (subclass 820 and 801), you must withdraw both subclasses together.
What follows is general information about how the Department describes this step, not personalised advice about your own case; your circumstances, your visa status and the official page as currently published are what should guide your decision.
Where do you withdraw a Partner visa application?
The Department states that withdrawal is done online in ImmiAccount. In practice the sequence is short:
- Sign in to ImmiAccount.
- Open the Partner visa application you want to withdraw.
- Use the withdrawal option for that application.
- Upload the signed statements described below.
- Submit, then keep the confirmation and any correspondence you receive.
If your application does not appear in your account, the Department's FAQ page says you can request assistance with transferring a Partner visa application using the ImmiAccount Technical Support Form, selecting the option for being unable to import an application. Your Application ID appears in the Department's correspondence to you, including the acknowledgement of application received letter, a notification of visa grant letter, or the email subject line.
Who has to consent before the withdrawal counts?
Consent is not limited to the main applicant. The Department states that applicants aged 18 years or over who are included in the withdrawal must provide their consent, and that you must attach a signed statement for each applicant aged 18 or over.
A useful way to test this: imagine an application where the partner is the main applicant and an adult dependent child is also listed as an applicant. The withdrawal covers both of them, so the page's requirement points to two signed statements, not one. Where an applicant is under 18, the published requirement is framed around applicants aged 18 and over, so the adult-consent rule is the one the page actually sets out.
Do you have to withdraw both subclasses at once?
Yes, for the two combined Partner visa streams. The Department states that you must withdraw both visa subclasses if your application is for a Partner visa (subclass 309 and 100) or (subclass 820 and 801). These applications are lodged and assessed as a temporary-plus-permanent pair, so the temporary subclass and the permanent subclass stand or fall together in a withdrawal.
Subclass 300, the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300), is a single-subclass application rather than one of those pairs. The withdrawal rule the Department publishes is specific to the 309/100 and 820/801 combinations.
What happens to the sponsorship and to the fees?
Sponsorship is a separate action from withdrawal. The Department states that a sponsor can withdraw their sponsorship at any time before it decides the permanent Partner visa application. A withdrawal by the applicant and a withdrawal by the sponsor are therefore two different things, and the timing rules attached to them are not the same.
On money, the FAQ page says a Visa Application Charge refund is available only in certain circumstances, that there is no standard timeframe for processing refund requests, and that each request is assessed under the relevant legal authority or administrative rules. Withdrawing an application does not, on the published information, carry an automatic refund.
Is withdrawal the same as telling the Department the relationship has ended?
No. Withdrawal ends the application; notifying a relationship change keeps the application alive but updates the Department's record. The FAQ page describes the relationship-cessation route separately: you may need to complete the Notification of Relationship Cessation form in the 'Update Details' tab in ImmiAccount, or, if you do not have access to ImmiAccount, use the Partner processing enquiry form and attach a signed and completed Form 1022 – Notification of changes in circumstances, which the page links to section 104 of the Migration Act 1958.
Which of the two fits your situation depends on what you want to happen to the application. If you want it to stop, withdrawal is the route the Department describes. If the relationship has ended but you believe you may still qualify, the pages on family violence provisions are the ones that address that.
What if domestic or family violence is involved?
The Department states that it may be able to help if you are experiencing domestic and family violence, and that you may still be eligible for grant of the permanent visa under the family violence provisions. Withdrawing is irreversible in a way that ending a relationship notification is not, so the family violence information on the Department's site is worth reading before you withdraw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I withdraw only subclass 820 and keep subclass 801?
No. The Department states that you must withdraw both visa subclasses if your application is for a Partner visa (subclass 309 and 100) or (subclass 820 and 801). A withdrawal that left one half of the pair in place is not the outcome the published rule describes.
Does my partner have to sign anything?
Every applicant aged 18 or over included in the withdrawal must provide consent, and you must attach a signed statement for each of them, according to the Department's FAQ page. The requirement attaches to each adult applicant, not only to the person who lodged the application.
Can I withdraw outside ImmiAccount?
The Department's published instruction is that you can withdraw your application(s) online using ImmiAccount. The page does not describe an email or paper route for withdrawal, and it points users to the withdrawal-an-application information for further detail.
Can my sponsor withdraw the sponsorship instead?
A sponsor can withdraw their sponsorship at any time before the Department decides the permanent Partner visa application, as stated on the FAQ page. That is a separate step from the applicant withdrawing the visa application, and the two can have different consequences for what remains on foot.
Will I get the visa application charge back after withdrawing?
Refunds are available only in certain circumstances, and the Department states there is no standard timeframe for processing refund requests. Each request is assessed under the relevant legal authority or administrative rules, so a withdrawal does not automatically produce a refund.
Does withdrawing affect my current visa or my right to review a decision?
The Department's Partner Visa Frequently Asked Questions page addresses withdrawal itself, not your visa status or review rights. What is published separately is that the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) has jurisdiction to review certain visa decisions made under the Migration Act 1958, and that you can check visa details and conditions through VEVO. For anything turning on your own status, rely on the official pages or professional advice.