Partnership Visa Australia
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Partner Visa Work and Study Rights

A granted partner visa carries full work rights from the date of grant, so a holder may work any number of hours, but domestic-student status is not automatic, and an 820 or 309 holder is classed as an international student and pays international fees until the permanent 801 or 100 is granted.

Last checked 6 primary sources About Partnership Visa Australia

A work satchel, a closed laptop and textbooks topped with a graduation cap.

The right to work starts on the grant date, not on the date you lodged, and it is separate from any work right your bridging visa gave you while the application was undecided. This page was checked against the Home Affairs visa pages and the Study Assist eligibility rules on 23 September 2026.

Right Subclass 820 Subclass 309 Subclass 801 Subclass 100
Work for any employer Yes Yes Yes Yes
Work any number of hours Yes Yes Yes Yes
Run your own business Yes Yes Yes Yes
Australian Public Service job Only if the agency head agrees Only if the agency head agrees Only if the agency head agrees Only if the agency head agrees
Registered or licensed occupation Set by the registering body Set by the registering body Set by the registering body Set by the registering body
Study at a university or TAFE Yes Yes Yes Yes
Domestic or international university fees International International Domestic, in a Commonwealth supported place Domestic, in a Commonwealth supported place
HECS-HELP No No No, until citizenship No, until citizenship
FEE-HELP No No Only for a bridging course for overseas-trained professionals Only for a bridging course for overseas-trained professionals
Government support for study None None Depends on the scheme Depends on the scheme

Can you work on a partner visa?

Yes. The Department of Home Affairs states that the subclass 820, 309, 801 and 100 each give "full work rights" and protection under Australian workplace law. There is no cap on hours and no tie to one employer. Two things sit outside the visa. Licensing and registration for regulated occupations are decided by the relevant board, not by your visa. Some jobs are limited to citizens, as set out below.

When do your partner visa work rights start?

On the grant date. While an onshore application was undecided, your right to work came from your bridging visa, not from the partner visa, and that bridging visa could carry a work condition. Once the 820 is granted, those conditions no longer apply and the partner visa's full work rights take over. For a 309 holder, work rights begin once you are in Australia on the granted visa.

What work is closed to a partner visa holder?

  • The Australian Public Service. Section 22(8) of the Public Service Act 1999 (Cth) says an agency head must not engage a non-citizen "unless the Agency Head considers it appropriate to do so". Citizenship is the default, and a permanent resident can be engaged only by exception.
  • Positions needing a high-level security clearance. The Department's own citizenship page lists employment in a Commonwealth position that needs a Negative Vetting 2 or higher clearance as work for which a person may need to be a citizen.
  • Any role whose advertisement names citizenship or permanent residence as a requirement. An 820 or 309 holder cannot meet a permanent residence requirement until the 801 or 100 is granted.

Can you start a business or work as a contractor on a partner visa?

Yes. Full work rights include self-employment and contracting. You apply for a tax file number and, if you carry on a business, an Australian Business Number through the Australian Taxation Office. Whether you are an Australian resident for tax purposes is decided under tax law, not by your visa subclass.

Can you study on a partner visa?

Yes, on all four visas, without a student visa. The Department notes that an 820 or 309 holder "will not receive any government support and any study costs will be at your own expense".

Do you pay domestic or international student fees on a partner visa?

It depends on the stage. Study Assist states that temporary visa holders "are classified as international students and must pay the overseas student fees", so a subclass 820 or 309 holder pays international fees. A subclass 801 or 100 holder can study in a Commonwealth supported place at domestic rates. They generally cannot defer the student contribution through HECS-HELP until they become a citizen. Census dates and loans are covered in detail on the page on partner visa and HECS-HELP. The permanent stage that changes your fee position is the second half of the partner visa subclass 820 application.

School-age children

Enrolment and fee rules for a dependent child at a government school are set by each state and territory, and they treat children on temporary visas differently. Because no single rule applies across the country, check with the education department in your state or territory before you enrol a child who holds an 820 or 309.

Can you get a student loan, a scholarship or an apprenticeship on a partner visa?

  • HELP loans: none on the 820 or 309, and on the 801 or 100 only FEE-HELP for a bridging course for overseas-trained professionals (s 104-5 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth)).
  • Scholarships: each scholarship sets its own citizenship or residence rule, so read the conditions before you apply.
  • Apprenticeships and subsidised training: state and territory funding rules decide eligibility, and they differ between jurisdictions.

Does your overseas qualification count once your partner visa is granted?

The visa does not recognise qualifications. It only lets you work.

  1. Check whether your occupation is regulated in Australia.
  2. If it is, apply to the registration or licensing body for that occupation.
  3. If it is not, an employer may still ask for an assessment of your qualification's Australian equivalent.

Do partner visa work rights change between the first and second stage?

No. Work rights are full on both stages. What changes at the 801 or 100 is your fee position for study, access to more Centrelink payments after the waiting period, and the start of your path to citizenship.

Can your partner visa work rights be taken away?

Only with the visa itself. Work rights last while you hold the 820 or 309. If the relationship ends before the permanent stage, the visa does not end automatically, but you must tell the Department, and the permanent grant then depends on special provisions such as those for family violence. A cancelled visa takes its work rights with it. Applying these rules to your own circumstances is immigration assistance, which ss 276 and 280 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) restrict to registered migration agents and Australian legal practitioners.

Questions about working and studying on a partner visa

Do you need a tax file number?

Yes. The Australian Taxation Office issues tax file numbers, and an employer will ask for yours when you start.

Can you work for more than one employer?

Yes. Full work rights have no single-employer limit.

Can you volunteer?

Yes. A partner visa carries full work rights, so no visa condition limits unpaid or voluntary work.

Does your employer need to check your visa?

Employers usually confirm work rights online. The steps are on the page on checking your partner visa on VEVO, and you can give an employer access to your record.

Can you work before the visa is granted?

Only if your bridging visa allows it.

Your partner visa before and after the grant

Work and study rights are simple on paper. They get complicated when a visa condition, a separation or a change of stage lands in the middle of a job or a course. If yours does, advice from a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner makes a successful permanent application more likely, because they check the facts against the regulations before you act. No adviser can guarantee a grant.

Questions people ask

Can I work full time on a partner visa?

Yes. The Department of Home Affairs states that the subclass 820, 309, 801 and 100 all carry full work rights and protection under Australian workplace law. There is no cap on hours and no single employer, from the day the visa is granted.

Do partner visa holders pay international student fees?

On the temporary subclass 820 or provisional subclass 309, yes. Study Assist classes temporary visa holders as international students who pay the provider's overseas student fees. On the permanent subclass 801 or 100 you can study in a Commonwealth supported place at domestic rates, but you pay the student contribution upfront because HECS-HELP needs citizenship.

Do I need a student visa to study on a partner visa?

No. All four partner visas let you study in Australia. The difference between them is what you pay and which government support you can use, not whether you may enrol.

When do work rights start on a partner visa?

On the grant date of the partner visa. Before that, any right to work came from the bridging visa you held while the application was undecided, and that bridging visa could carry its own conditions.

Sources

Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.

  1. Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 820) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
  2. Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 801) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
  3. Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 309) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
  4. Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au
  5. Public Service Act 1999 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au
  6. Home Affairs, Check visa details and conditions (VEVO) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au

Have a registered professional check your application

Travel, citizenship and benefit rules each run on their own dates, and a wrong assumption about one of them can cost you a visa or a payment.

An application prepared or reviewed by a registered migration agent or an immigration lawyer is more likely to succeed: they read the criteria against your facts, spot the gaps before you pay, and answer the Department’s requests on time. No one can promise a grant.

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