Moving to Australia with your partner — three ways compared

As of 2026-07-11 · Fidelity Editorial

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This information has since changed. From 2 October 2026, new student visa dependant applications are generally not permitted. Limited exceptions apply, including those who already hold a student dependant visa in Australia, and the families of doctoral students and fully funded foreign government scholarship holders; most passports are not on the specified country list. As a result, Options 1 (combined) and 2 (subsequent entrant) as described here for student visas, the student-dependant rows of the guide (Master's, Bachelor's or VET primary applicant plus partner), and the Option 3 comparison with dependant work rights may no longer apply to applications made from 2 October 2026. Families of doctoral students remain an exception. Temporary Graduate (485) dependants are not covered by that amendment.

A comparison of the three ways to bring your partner on an Australian visa (a combined application, a subsequent entrant application, or separate visas), covering costs, health cover, work limits and risks as at July 2026.

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

If you are planning to move to Australia with your partner, whether for migration or study, there are three main ways to do it. You can apply together from the start, the primary applicant can go first and bring their partner later, or your partner can apply for their own visa.

The three options differ in visa application charges, health cover, financial requirements, work rights, and what happens to one person's visa if something goes wrong with the other's. This post is general information current as at July 2026. Visa application charges change on 1 July each year, and health cover premiums change periodically.

Whichever option you choose: proving the relationship

Whichever path you take, proving your relationship is what matters most.

• Married: a marriage certificate, plus the common documents below.

• De facto: generally, proof of 12 or more months living together, or relationship registration, plus the common documents below.

• Common documents: joint bank accounts, lease agreements, utility bills, photos, message history and similar records.

This kind of evidence is hard to put together all at once just before you apply. It is worth building it steadily while you are together.

Option 1: Apply together from the start (Combined Application)

Pros

• One application, one set of documents: the visa process runs as a single application, so migration agent fees are generally lower than applying separately.

• Lowest total visa charges: adding your partner to the primary applicant's visa costs only 50–61% of the primary charge. For the subclass 482 employer-sponsored visa, however, the partner pays the same charge as the primary applicant.

Cons

• A dependent visa is tied to the primary applicant: at application, if your partner does not meet the health or character requirements, the primary applicant's visa is refused too. After grant, if the primary applicant's visa is cancelled, the partner's visa is cancelled with it.

• Couples health cover is very expensive: for OSHC (student visa health cover), couples cover runs at roughly six times the single premium and must be paid upfront in full. For example, 12 months of single cover is about $700, while couples cover is about $4,600.

• The student visa financial capacity requirement rises: the minimum living cost you must show increases when you bring a partner.

The living cost figure is the Department of Home Affairs figure applicable from 10 May 2024. Add one year of tuition and return airfares to get the minimum you must demonstrate.

Option 2: Add them later (Subsequent Entrant)

Pros

• Lower upfront cost: only the primary applicant's charge is payable at first, so your partner's application charge is not due yet. Health cover is also paid at the single rate for now.

• Refusal risk is separated: because the primary applicant is granted a visa first, a health or character issue with your partner will not put the primary applicant's visa at risk.

Cons

• Your partner pays the full primary applicant charge: so the total is far higher than a combined application.

• Couples health cover is still expensive: you can delay it, but you cannot avoid it. When your partner joins, you must pay the difference upfront and switch to couples cover (for example, about $700 single versus about $4,600 couple for 12 months).

• The longer you wait, the more you lose: a subsequent entrant visa is granted only up to the primary applicant's expiry date. The later you bring your partner, the less time you get for the same money. And because you will not know the outcome until it is decided, your plans can be disrupted.

• Still tied to the primary applicant after grant: if the primary applicant's visa is cancelled, your partner's visa is cancelled with it.

• Declare your partner on the original application: if you did not declare your partner on the primary applicant's original application, adding them later becomes very difficult.

Option 3: Your partner gets their own visa (Separate Applications)

Pros

• Two shots at permanent residence: both of you become primary applicants, so each of you can pursue permanent residency independently.

• The chain is broken: if one person's visa is cancelled or expires, the other person's visa is unaffected.

• Health cover is actually cheaper: each of you can take out single cover, which is far cheaper than couples cover.

Cons

• Heavy tuition burden if you both enter on student visas: tuition adds tens of thousands of dollars.

• Higher total visa charges than a combined application: both people pay the full primary applicant charge.

• Both are subject to work limits: if both hold student visas, both are capped at 48 hours per fortnight. As a dependant, a partner can work unlimited hours when the primary applicant is studying a Master's or Doctorate, so you give that benefit up.

Important: even when applying for separate visas, you must answer "yes" when asked whether you have a partner. Concealing a partner is a false-information issue under PIC 4020 and can lead to refusal plus a three-year bar on re-applying. A partner you never declared is also, in practice, blocked from being added later.

Which one is right for you?

The guide on the final card suggests the following.

Working Holiday visas are available to applicants aged 30 or under (35 or under for certain countries). If you have already held one, you cannot apply again unless you meet the extension requirements.

Summary

Option 1 (combined) has the lowest total visa charges, but the two visas are tied together and couples health cover and the financial capacity threshold are higher. Option 2 (subsequent entrant) eases the upfront cost and separates refusal risk, but costs more in total, and the later your partner arrives, the shorter their visa. Option 3 (separate applications) lets each of you pursue permanent residence independently, at the cost of higher visa charges and, if you both hold student visas, tuition for both and work limits for both.

Whichever option you choose, declaring your partner and keeping relationship evidence are the foundation. Charges and premiums change, so check the current figures on immi.gov.au and consider your own circumstances before you apply.

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