Partner Visa Grant and Refusal Statistics
The partner visa grant rate was 93.9% in 2024–25: the Department of Home Affairs delivered 40,500 partner visa places within a family-stream planning level of 52,500 places, refused 6.1% of applications decided, and held 96,839 first-stage applications on hand at 30 June 2025.
Every figure below names the period it covers and the report it comes from, because a grant rate without a period is not a statistic. Figures were read on 23 September 2026 from the Department of Home Affairs 2024–25 Migration Program Report and its Migration Program planning levels page. The next update is due when the Department publishes its 2025–26 report.
How many partner visas are granted each year?
The Partner category delivered 40,500 places in 2024–25, matching its planning level.
| Measure | Value | Period | Scope | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner category outcome (places) | 40,500 | 2024–25 | First-stage grants counted to the program | 2024–25 Migration Program Report, table 3.1 | 23 September 2026 |
| Of which, applicant in Australia | 18,942 | 2024–25 | By location at time of application | 2024–25 Migration Program Report | 23 September 2026 |
| Of which, applicant outside Australia | 21,558 | 2024–25 | By location at time of application | 2024–25 Migration Program Report | 23 September 2026 |
| Partner applications lodged | 68,105 | 2024–25 | First-stage applications, primary and secondary applicants | 2024–25 Migration Program Report, table 3.1 | 23 September 2026 |
| Grant rate | 93.9% | 2024–25 | Grants as a share of grants plus refusals | 2024–25 Migration Program Report, table 3.1 | 23 September 2026 |
| Refusal rate | 6.1% | 2024–25 | Refusals as a share of grants plus refusals | 2024–25 Migration Program Report, table 3.1 | 23 September 2026 |
| Applications on hand | 96,839 | At 30 June 2025 | First-stage applications | 2024–25 Migration Program Report | 23 September 2026 |
| Partner planning level | 41,500 | 2026–27 | Indicative | Migration Program planning levels, announced 12 May 2026 | 23 September 2026 |
| Administrative Review Tribunal outcomes on partner reviews | Not restated | Not applicable | Not applicable | The Tribunal's website could not be reached on 23 September 2026 | Not applicable |
The four program years the report gives show the same pattern: outcomes held near the planning level while lodgements and the on-hand caseload rose.
| Program year | Lodgements | Program outcome | On hand at 30 June | Grant rate | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 44,408 | 46,288 | 56,168 | 95.8% | 4.2% |
| 2022–23 | 51,800 | 40,500 | 58,515 | 92.6% | 7.4% |
| 2023–24 | 65,160 | 40,720 | 75,060 | 92.1% | 7.9% |
| 2024–25 | 68,105 | 40,500 | 96,839 | 93.9% | 6.1% |
Source: Department of Home Affairs, 2024–25 Migration Program Report, table 3.1. The table includes primary and secondary applicants, covers temporary and provisional (first-stage) applications only, and leaves withdrawals out of the rates.
How often are partner visas refused?
In 2024–25 the Department refused 6.1% of the partner visa applications it decided. The denominator is applications decided (grants plus refusals), not applications lodged, and withdrawn applications are left out. Over the four years in the table, the refusal rate ranged from 4.2% to 7.9%.
Is a partner visa hard to get?
The published rate is 93.9% granted for 2024–25, for first-stage applications decided that year.
That rate describes decided cases as a group. It does not tell you how any one application will go, because each is decided on whether that applicant meets every criterion.
What is the family-stream planning level, and what does it do to partner visa places?
A planning level is the number of places the Government sets for each part of the permanent Migration Program in a program year, which runs from 1 July to 30 June. The Partner category sits inside the Australian Family Program, alongside Child, Parent and Other Family.
| Program year | Partner | Family Program total | Permanent Program total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 40,500 | 52,500 | 185,000 |
| 2025–26 | 40,500 | 52,500 | 185,000 |
| 2026–27 | 41,500 | 52,460 | 185,000 |
Source: Department of Home Affairs, Migration Program planning levels, last updated 21 September 2026. The Department says Partner and Child visas are demand driven, with indicative planning levels only, and that the Family Program is predominantly made up of Partner visas. A place is counted when the first-stage visa is granted. If a partner visa applicant does not go on to the permanent stage, the place is returned to the program. Dated changes to partner visa law and charges are recorded on the partner visa changes page.
How many partner visa applications are waiting?
At 30 June 2025 the Department held 96,839 first-stage partner applications on hand, up 29% from 75,060 a year earlier. In the same year, 68,105 applications were lodged and 40,500 places were delivered. How long a decision currently takes, by percentile, is on the partner visa processing time page.
What happens to partner visa refusals at the Administrative Review Tribunal?
The Administrative Review Tribunal, which replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on 14 October 2024, publishes its own caseload figures. This page does not restate them yet, because the Tribunal's website could not be reached to confirm them on 23 September 2026. When the Tribunal remits a decision, it goes back to the Department to be made again. A remittal is not a grant. What to do after a refusal is on the page about a partner visa refused.
How to read these partner visa numbers
- A grant rate is a share of decisions, not of applications lodged.
- Program-year figures (1 July to 30 June) and calendar-year figures are not interchangeable.
- These figures cover the first-stage visas. The permanent subclass 801 and 100 are decided separately and do not count toward the program.
- Figures for part of a year cannot be multiplied up to a full year.
- None of these figures predicts an individual outcome.
How these figures are read, dated and re-checked is explained in how every page is sourced and updated.
Where these partner visa numbers come from, and when they are updated
- Department of Home Affairs, Migration Program Report. Published once a year for the program year just ended. The 2024–25 report is the latest listed on the Department's Migration program statistics page.
- Department of Home Affairs, Migration Program planning levels. Announced each year for the coming program year. The 2026–27 levels were announced on 12 May 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs, global visa processing times guide. Updated monthly.
This page adds each new year as a row rather than overwriting the last.
Related partner visa pages
A partner visa application prepared by a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner is more likely to succeed. These rates describe decided cases as a group, and a practitioner checks your own case against every criterion before you lodge.
- The latest percentile times are on the partner visa processing time page linked above.
- To choose the right subclass, start with the Australian partner visa overview.
Next update due when the Department publishes its 2025–26 Migration Program Report.
Questions people ask
How often are partner visas refused?
In the 2024–25 program year the Department of Home Affairs refused 6.1% of the partner visa applications it decided, according to its 2024–25 Migration Program Report. The rate counts grants and refusals only, leaves out withdrawn applications, and covers the first-stage temporary and provisional visas.
Is a partner visa hard to get?
In 2024–25 the Department granted 93.9% of the first-stage partner visa applications it decided. That rate describes decided cases as a group. It does not predict the outcome of any one application, which turns on whether that applicant meets every criterion.
How many partner visas does Australia grant each year?
The Partner category delivered 40,500 places in 2024–25, matching its planning level. The planning level is 40,500 for 2025–26 and 41,500 for 2026–27. The Department describes these as indicative, because partner visas are demand driven.
How many partner visa applications are waiting?
The Department held 96,839 first-stage partner visa applications on hand at 30 June 2025, up 29% from 75,060 a year earlier, according to its 2024–25 Migration Program Report.
Sources
Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs, 2024–25 Migration Program Report www.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Migration Program planning levels immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Migration program statistics www.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Global visa processing times guide immi.homeaffairs.gov.au