You are not a witness.You are a party tothe application, withyour own tests to pass.
The Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen lodges a sponsorship application alongside the partner visa. Your status, your police certificates, your previous sponsorships and your undertakings are assessed on their own. A sponsor problem refuses a partner visa as surely as a relationship problem does.
What the sponsor's file carries
- Partner visa charge the sponsorship supportspaid by the applicant$11,710
- Sponsorship application chargeno separate government charge$0
- Lifetime partner sponsorships allowedat least 5 years apart2
- Police certificates12 months or more in the last 10 yearsevery country
As at 1 July 2026. The sponsor's undertakings run through the temporary stage and the first two years of the permanent visa.
A sponsor is an adult Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who applies to sponsor, passes character and sponsorship limitation checks, and gives support undertakings.
To sponsor a partner visa the sponsor must be 18 or over and an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, lodge a sponsorship application, provide Australian and overseas police certificates, and undertake to support the applicant. A person may usually sponsor only two partners in their lifetime, at least five years apart, and a sponsor who was themselves sponsored as a partner within the last five years needs a waiver; the partner visa charge the sponsorship supports is $11,710.
Verified as at 1 July 2026 against Division 1.4B and regulation 1.20J of the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department of Home Affairs sponsorship pages.
Can you sponsor? A 30-second check
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A guide only, not legal advice. The consultation is where the real answer comes from.
Five things the Department checks about you.
The sponsorship is a separate application decided on its own criteria. It can be refused while the relationship is accepted, and the partner visa falls with it.
What the applicant's side has to prove
- 01
Status and age
Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, 18 or over. A permanent residence application that is still pending does not qualify; the partner visa is lodged after grant, and the timing is planned around it.
- 02
Character
Australian federal police certificates and police certificates from every country you have lived in for twelve months or more since turning 16 in the last ten years. Convictions for a relevant offence, meaning violence, a sexual offence, harassment, child-related offences and similar, are disclosed to the applicant and can lead to the sponsorship being refused unless compelling reasons exist.
- 03
The sponsorship limitation
Usually two partner or fiancé sponsorships in a lifetime, at least five years apart. A sponsor who was themselves sponsored as a partner, or who entered Australia on a partner visa, within the last five years is also limited. Waivers exist for compelling circumstances and are argued on evidence.
- 04
Undertakings
Accommodation and financial support for the applicant, and any dependants, for the temporary stage and the first two years after the permanent visa. It is a written undertaking to the Department, not a formality, and a sponsor's own finances are part of the picture.
- 05
Consistency
The sponsor's relationship history, addresses and earlier visa or sponsorship applications are on the Department's file. The sponsorship form and the sponsor's statement must agree with them and with the applicant's statement.
When the two sponsorship limit applies, and when it can be waived.
Regulation 1.20J is the rule most sponsors have never heard of until it stops them.
| Your history | Effect | What can be done |
|---|---|---|
| Never sponsored a partner, never sponsored as one | No limitation | Lodge the sponsorship with the partner visa |
| Sponsored one partner, more than five years ago | Allowed, this is your second and last | Disclose the earlier sponsorship with dates and outcome |
| Sponsored one partner within the last five years | Limited | A waiver for compelling circumstances, such as the death of the earlier partner or a child of the new relationship |
| Sponsored two partners already | Limited | A waiver, argued with evidence; not routinely granted |
| You came to Australia on a partner visa within the last five years | Limited | A waiver, or wait until five years have passed since the grant |
A sponsorship that was withdrawn before the visa was granted may not count. The dates and outcomes of every earlier sponsorship are checked against the Department's records before we advise.
The sponsor's obligations, stage by stage.
The undertakings run for years, and the Department can act on them. They are explained before anyone signs.
Lodgement
Lodge the sponsorship application online, provide identity and status evidence, police certificates, and the sponsor's own statement about the relationship. There is no separate government charge for the sponsorship.
During the temporary stage
Accommodation and financial support so the applicant does not rely on public funds. Report changes of address and circumstance. If the relationship ends, tell the Department; the family violence provisions and the death of a sponsor are dealt with differently from a simple separation.
The permanent stage
The sponsor confirms the relationship is continuing two years after lodgement, with evidence dated across those two years. The undertakings continue for two years after the permanent visa is granted.
Family violence
An applicant whose relationship ends because of family violence by the sponsor can still be granted the permanent visa. Sponsors with a family violence history are asked about it and the applicant is told what the police certificate shows.
The government charges on the applicant's side.
There is no government charge for the sponsorship itself. These are the applicant's charges the sponsor is supporting.
As at 1 July 2026. Health, police certificates and translations are paid to third parties.
Four situations that need a submission, not a form.
None of these ends the application on its own. Each needs to be put to the Department properly rather than discovered by it.
- 01
A conviction on the sponsor's record
Disclose it, obtain the court record, and explain the circumstances and what has changed. The applicant is informed of a relevant offence and confirms they wish to proceed.
- 02
A previous partner sponsorship
Dates, outcome and reasons the earlier relationship ended, with documents. If the limitation applies, the waiver is argued on compelling circumstances with evidence.
- 03
Permanent residence still pending
The partner visa cannot be lodged until the sponsor holds permanent residence or citizenship. The applicant's own visa timing is planned around the expected grant, and a visitor visa without 8503 is checked.
- 04
Limited income or a dependence on family
The undertakings are about support, not wealth. Family accommodation, savings and the applicant's own work rights on a bridging visa are all part of the picture, and the file says so plainly.
Sponsoring a partner, answered plainly.
Who can sponsor a partner visa?
An Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 or over, who lodges a sponsorship application, provides police certificates, is not stopped by the sponsorship limitation, and gives support undertakings.
Is there a charge for the sponsorship?
No separate government charge. The partner visa charge of $11,710 is paid by the applicant at lodgement and covers both stages. Our professional fee covers the sponsorship and the visa as one matter.
Can a permanent resident sponsor, or only a citizen?
A permanent resident can sponsor. So can an eligible New Zealand citizen, who is a New Zealand citizen on a Special Category visa who was in Australia on 26 February 2001 or meets related residence tests. A pending permanent residence application does not qualify.
How many times can I sponsor a partner?
Usually twice in a lifetime, with at least five years between the sponsorships. A sponsor who was themselves sponsored as a partner within the last five years is also limited. Waivers exist for compelling circumstances.
Do I need a police check to sponsor?
Yes. An Australian federal police certificate and police certificates from every country you have lived in for twelve months or more since turning 16 in the last ten years. The Department tells the applicant if a relevant offence appears.
What are the sponsor's obligations?
To accommodate and financially support the applicant, and any dependants, through the temporary stage and for two years after the permanent visa, to report changes, and to confirm the relationship at the permanent stage. The undertakings are given in writing.
Can I sponsor if I am on a bridging visa waiting for permanent residence?
No. Sponsorship requires citizenship, permanent residence or eligible New Zealand citizen status on the day the partner visa is lodged. The application is timed for after the grant, and the applicant's own visa is kept lawful in the meantime.
Where this visa connects.
Sponsoring a partner?
One consultation covers your status, your history, the limitation and the undertakings, alongside the applicant's side, with one fixed fee for the whole matter.