Subclass 801 Eligibility Date 2026: What to Verify Before Lodging Stage 2

Two years must have passed since you applied for the combined Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 partner visas before you can be assessed for the permanent Subclass 801, and the date that matters is the lodgement date recorded in your own ImmiAccount. That is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Partner visa (Permanent) (Subclass 801) page as of October 2026. This article is general reference built on those published criteria and is not advice on any individual case; the wording currently published on that page is what governs, and anything time-sensitive should be re-checked against the latest official version.

What is the Subclass 801 eligibility date, exactly?

The eligibility date is the two-year anniversary of the date you applied for the temporary and permanent partner visas together — not the date your Subclass 820 was granted, and not the date any later document was uploaded. The official page states that two years must have passed since you applied for the subclass 820 and 801 visas for you to be eligible to be assessed for the permanent subclass 801 visa.

The same page is explicit about why that date matters operationally: the processing time for a permanent Partner visa starts from the date of eligibility, which it defines as two years after you applied for the temporary and permanent partner visas. Uploading permanent-stage material earlier does not move that start point earlier.

Assume an applicant whose ImmiAccount shows a combined 820/801 lodgement date of 14 March 2024. The two-year point falls on 14 March 2026, and permanent-stage documents can be submitted from that date. The arithmetic is the whole exercise; there is no separate certificate or letter that sets the date.

Where does the eligibility date come from, and how do you evidence it?

The Department's step-by-step guidance points to one place: the date you submitted your application, which you check in ImmiAccount. Everything else in a Stage 2 verification is downstream of that single figure.

Before anything is uploaded, four things should be settled:

What to verify	Where the answer comes from	What breaks it
Lodgement date of the combined 820/801 application	ImmiAccount submission record	No record located; relying on a grant notice instead of the lodgement date
Whether two years have actually passed	Lodgement date plus two years	Documents attached before the two-year point
Which visa the applicant currently holds	VEVO	Applicant no longer holds a Subclass 820 or Subclass 445 visa
Whether the permanent visa was already granted	VEVO	Applicant already holds the Subclass 801 — nothing further is required

That last row is worth checking first rather than last. The official step-by-step guidance opens with the case where the permanent Subclass 801 was granted at the same time as the temporary Subclass 820: in that situation, the applicant does not have to do anything else.

Can the two-year wait be cut short?

Yes, in one situation, but it is a discretionary one rather than an entitlement. The eligibility page states that the Department might grant the permanent Subclass 801 in less than two years if the applicant was in a long-term partner relationship with their sponsor when they applied for the subclass 820 and 801 visas.

Two features of that sentence matter for anyone checking a file. The exception is tied to the relationship status at the time of the original application, not to something that develops during the two years. And it is framed as something the Department may do, not something it must do. The page itself does not set out how "long-term" is measured, so that criterion has to be read from the current published guidance rather than assumed.

What has to be ready on the day Stage 2 is lodged?

Identity documents

Provide a copy of the pages of the applicant's most recent passport showing photo, personal details, signature, and passport issue and expiry dates.

Character documents and the 12-month validity problem

A current Australian police certificate is usually needed for the permanent stage if one was not attached to the Subclass 820 application. Only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted; standard disclosure certificates and certificates issued by state or territory police are not.

For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date, and the Department may ask for a new certificate if the previous one has expired. Because Stage 2 assessment begins at the eligibility date rather than at the lodgement date, a certificate obtained long before the two-year point can lapse before it is used.

An overseas police certificate is also required from any country — including the home country — where the applicant spent a total of 12 months or more since the grant of the Subclass 820 visa.

Evidence that the relationship continues

The applicant must show they continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same person who sponsored them for the temporary partner visa. Both relationship documents and supporting evidence of the relationship can be provided. Because partner visa processing can be long, the Department advises updating documents and relationship evidence regularly through ImmiAccount.

Family members on the application

For every family member who currently holds a Subclass 820 or 445 visa, provide copies of their passport, documents showing changes to their situation, and police certificates for dependents aged 16 or older where applicable.

A dependent child cannot simply be added at this stage. To be included in the permanent application after the Subclass 820 was granted, the child must hold a Subclass 445 visa, be in Australia, meet the health requirement and, if aged 16 or older, the character requirement; once the child holds the Subclass 445 visa, Form 1002 must be completed and attached in ImmiAccount, and the Department must then be notified using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.

Formatting that causes avoidable rejections at upload

Documents in languages other than English need translation. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters; translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited, but each translation must include the translator's full name, address and telephone number, and their qualifications and experience in the language — in English.

All documents should be scanned or photographed in colour and legible, with multi-page documents saved as one file. Documents do not need to be certified. There is a limit of 100 documents per person on the application, and the Department states that this limit cannot be increased.

How is Stage 2 actually lodged?

Log in to ImmiAccount.
Select "New application".
Select "Family".
Select "Stage 2 – Permanent Partner Visa Assessment".
Attach your documents.

Attach a document only once, even where it supports more than one point, and label documents clearly. If the attachment limit is reached for one applicant, further documents can be attached to other clients on the same application.

What should a paid adviser check before submitting?

Only three categories of person can lawfully give immigration assistance for this stage: a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. Appointing one is done with Form 956; appointing someone only to receive correspondence is done with Form 956A.

A pre-lodgement file check is mostly mechanical:

Confirm the ImmiAccount lodgement date and recompute the two-year point from it.
Confirm via VEVO that the applicant still holds a Subclass 820 or Subclass 445 visa.
Confirm every police certificate is a complete disclosure AFP certificate and is within 12 months of its issue date.
Confirm overseas police certificates cover every country with 12 months or more of residence accumulated since the Subclass 820 grant.
Confirm relationship evidence runs up to the present, not to the date of the 820 decision.
Confirm the applicant's own phone number and email address are on the application.

That last point is not administrative trivia. The Department states it may need to contact the applicant directly even where the sponsor's email address has been nominated for all electronic correspondence, an authorised recipient has been appointed, or someone has been appointed to give immigration assistance.

What still has to be true when the decision is made?

The permanent stage is not only about the eligibility date. At decision time, the applicant and any family unit members must continue to meet the health requirement, and the Department will say whether health examinations done for the Subclass 820 need to be repeated or extended. The applicant must continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same sponsor; the applicant and any family members — including family members who do not come to Australia — must have paid back or arranged to pay back any money owed to the Australian government; and the visa may not be granted if doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

Changes must be reported between lodgement and decision: changes to marital or de facto status, the birth of a child, and any other change relevant to the application. Where a relationship ends, or the partner dies, before the permanent visa is granted, the applicant may still be eligible, and the family violence provisions may apply where domestic and family violence is involved.

The decision can be made while the applicant is in or outside Australia, and it is delivered in writing. If the application is refused, no refund of the application fee is given — the visa was paid for when the temporary and permanent partner visas were applied for.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prove when my Subclass 801 eligibility date falls?

The eligibility date is two years from the date you applied for the combined Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 visas. The official Partner visa (Permanent) (Subclass 801) page directs you to check the date you submitted your applications in ImmiAccount, which is the practical evidence of that date.

Can I submit Stage 2 documents before the two-year point?

No. The Department's step-by-step guidance says to submit documents for the permanent stage once two years have passed since you first applied, and states plainly not to send them before this time. Processing time also runs from the date of eligibility, so lodging earlier does not start the assessment sooner.

Is the eligibility date the same as the date my 820 was granted?

No. The two-year period is counted from the date you applied for the subclass 820 and 801 visas, not from the date the temporary visa was granted. Where the two dates differ by months, the lodgement date recorded in ImmiAccount is the one that controls.

Do I need a new Australian police certificate for Stage 2?

Usually yes, if you did not attach one to your Subclass 820 application. Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date, and the Department may ask for a new one if the previous certificate has expired; only complete disclosure National Police Certificates from the Australian Federal Police are accepted.

Can my child be added to the permanent application at Stage 2?

A dependent child can be added before a decision is made, but the child must hold a Subclass 445 visa, be in Australia, meet the health requirement and, if aged 16 or older, the character requirement. Once the child holds a Subclass 445 visa, Form 1002 must be completed and attached in ImmiAccount and the Department notified using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form, and no family members can be added after the permanent visa is granted.

Who is allowed to be paid to prepare my Stage 2?

Immigration assistance can only be given by a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person, appointed using Form 956. A person appointed only to receive correspondence is appointed using Form 956A, and the Department treats correspondence from an appointed adviser as if it came from the applicant.