Australia Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) for Pakistani Applicants: Fee, Evidence and Timeline (2026)

What is the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300)?

It is a temporary visa for people who are engaged, or plan to marry, but have not yet married. The Department of Home Affairs describes it as a visa that lets you come to Australia to marry your prospective spouse and then apply for a Partner visa. It sits in the family stream of the Australian migration programme, and the rules for it are written into Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, in the part headed Subclass 300.

The idea is simple. The applicant is outside Australia. The sponsor, who is the person they intend to marry, is an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. The applicant lodges the visa, the sponsor is assessed, and if the visa is granted the applicant travels to Australia and the couple marries before the visa ends. After the wedding, the applicant applies onshore for the Partner visa (subclass 820, then 801 for permanence).

Why the visa exists

Australia treats a marriage that has already happened, and a marriage that is merely planned, as two different situations. A married couple, or a de facto couple, can use the Partner visa route. A couple who are engaged but not yet married, and who need the applicant to be physically present in Australia before the wedding, use the subclass 300. The legal test is not whether you are in love. It is whether the two of you genuinely intend to marry within the visa period and genuinely intend to live together as spouses afterwards.

What the visa lets you do

According to Home Affairs, a subclass 300 holder can live, work and study in Australia and can travel in and out as often as they like while the visa is valid. Work rights are full, and the holder is covered by Australian workplace law. Study is allowed, but you receive no government support and the costs are yours. You cannot add new family members once the visa has been granted.

Who can apply, and can a Pakistani national use this visa?

Yes. The Home Affairs page and the regulations contain no nationality restriction for the subclass 300, so a Pakistani passport holder can apply. What matters is the relationship and the sponsor, not the passport. That said, Pakistan is a country where family-arranged introductions are common, and that shapes the evidence, which we deal with below.

Under the Subclass 300 criteria in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, the applicant must, at the time of application:

• intend to marry a person who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen (clause 300.211);
• have turned 18 (clause 300.212A);
• be sponsored by that person, who must also be 18 or older (clause 300.213);
• have met the prospective spouse in person since each of them turned 18, and be known to each other personally (clause 300.214);
• show that the two of you genuinely intend to marry, and that the marriage is intended to take place within the visa period (clause 300.215); and
• satisfy the Minister that you genuinely intend to live together as spouses (clause 300.216).

At the time of decision, there must be no impediment to the marriage in Australian law, the sponsorship must have been approved and still be in force, and the applicant must meet the public interest criteria, which cover health and character.

The "met in person as adults" rule

This is the clause that stops many Pakistani applications before they start. Home Affairs states that you and your prospective spouse must have met face to face as adults since turning 18, and must be known to each other personally when you apply. A video-call courtship, however long, does not meet it. If the sponsor lives in Australia and the applicant in Lahore, at least one in-person meeting after both turned 18 has to be documented: passport stamps, boarding passes, hotel bookings, photographs with dates, and messages that reference the visit.

Where you must be when you apply

You must be outside Australia when you apply, and so must any family member who applies with you. You may be in or outside Australia when the visa is decided. The Home Affairs listing says the visa allows you to enter Australia before a first-entry date shown in your grant letter, so do not buy a ticket until the grant letter arrives.

Health, character and immigration history

Every applicant must meet the health requirement, and applicants aged 16 or over must meet the character requirement. A previous visa cancellation or refusal will be weighed. If you have ever given false or misleading information to the Australian government, read our guide to the Australian public interest criterion 4020 and the three-year ban before you lodge anything.

How much does the subclass 300 cost?

As of 7 November 2026, the Home Affairs Prospective Marriage visa page lists the visa application charge for the main applicant at AUD 11,710.

That figure matched on two other official Home Affairs sources when we checked on the same date: the current visa pricing table, and the visa pricing estimator, which returned AUD 11,710 for a Pakistan passport lodging on 7 November 2026. Visa charges are reset from time to time, and the pricing table is dated 1 July 2026, so a figure from an older blog or a friend's message may be out of date.

The costs on top of the application charge

• Family members. Home Affairs says there is a separate charge for each family member who applies with you, and the estimator works it out. The pricing table lists separate rates for additional applicants aged 18 and over and under 18, so check the estimator before you add anyone.
• Health examinations. Paid directly to the panel clinic, and not part of the visa charge.
• Police certificates and biometrics. Home Affairs says these are separate costs and are not in the estimator.
• Translations. Every document not in English needs a translation.
• The wedding and the flights. These are yours entirely.
• The Partner visa that follows. Home Affairs states that you will also pay a fee for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801), and that you pay less if you apply for it before the Prospective Marriage visa ends.

The size of the reduction is worth knowing. The Home Affairs pricing table lists the standard Partner visa (subclass 820/801) at the same AUD 11,710 as the subclass 300, and a lower line for an application made by a Prospective Marriage visa holder, at AUD 1,955. We found that reduced figure on the pricing table only, so treat it as a strong indication and confirm it in the estimator before you budget. A sensible planning view, then, is that the full journey from the 300 to a Partner visa costs the 300 charge plus a much smaller second charge, not two full charges. Home Affairs also warns that if you are granted any other visa in between, the new visa replaces your 300 and you may lose the lower rate.

How long does a subclass 300 take?

Longer than most couples expect. On 7 November 2026, the Home Affairs global visa processing times guide showed that 50 percent of recently decided subclass 300 applications were processed in 18 months and 90 percent in 31 months. That is a guide built from recently decided cases, not a promise about yours, and it moves.

Two other official statements explain why. The subclass 300 page itself warns that applicants may experience longer processing times than expected and that applications are processed under Ministerial Direction 117. The Partner Visa FAQ says lower priority is given to offshore applications for the Prospective Marriage visa and for the Partner visas 309 and 100, and that lower priority applications are likely to experience longer processing times.

What a long wait does to your file

Time is not neutral. Home Affairs says police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date for immigration purposes, that health assessments are valid for 12 months from the examination, and that a health undertaking is valid for six months. Evidence of the relationship also ages. The department advises that you update your documents and evidence regularly through ImmiAccount while you wait. A couple who lodge in good faith and then go silent for two years give a case officer very little to work with.

A planning rule we use

Do not book a wedding venue, resign from a job or sell property on the strength of a processing guide. Plan the personal side of life so that it survives a decision at the early end or the late end of the range. If the delay is unaffordable, compare the 300 with a route where you marry first, covered below.

What evidence proves a genuine intention to marry?

The legal test in clauses 300.215 and 300.216 is that the couple genuinely intend to marry within the visa period and to live together as spouses. Home Affairs turns that into a document list. Read it as the minimum, not the target.

The items Home Affairs names

• Statements from two witnesses who are 18 or over, who know both of you and know about the relationship. The form used is Form 888. If a witness is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, include proof, such as a passport or birth certificate.
• Evidence that you and your prospective spouse have met face to face as adults since turning 18 and know each other personally.
• Proof that the wedding will happen within 9 months of the grant, such as a letter from the person who will officiate.
• Material showing that you genuinely intend to live as spouses.
• Written statements giving the history of the relationship: how, when and where you met, how it developed, when you got engaged, what you do together, significant events and your plans as spouses.
• Details of any former relationships, including divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations.
• Identity documents: a birth certificate showing both parents' names, the passport pages, a national identity card if you have one, and proof of any change of name.

Evidence that works for Pakistani couples

Where the engagement followed a family introduction, the case officer will want to see that both people chose it. Useful material includes dated chat history over a long period, call logs, photographs from the in-person visits, receipts for travel to meet, engagement ceremony photographs with the guest list, letters from both sets of parents, and the plan for where you will live. If your relationship began through families, say so honestly and show the steps by which two adults came to know each other personally. An arranged introduction is not a refusal reason by itself. A thin account of how it became a relationship is.

Documents from Pakistan

Home Affairs requires documents not in English to be translated, and says that translators outside Australia need not be accredited, but each translation must carry the translator's full name, address, telephone number, qualifications and experience in the language. Our guide to translating Pakistani documents for Australia, the UK and Canada covers the format. If a document needs legalising before it is useful elsewhere, our guide to apostille and attestation of Pakistani documents explains the order. Home Affairs says you do not need to have documents certified for this application, so do not pay for certification the department has not asked for.

What does the Australian sponsor have to do?

The sponsor is your prospective spouse, and the visa cannot be granted without an approved sponsorship. Home Affairs says the sponsor should apply as soon as possible after you lodge. When you pay and submit your application in ImmiAccount you receive a Transaction Reference Number (TRN), and the sponsor needs it to apply.

The sponsor accepts real responsibilities. According to the sponsor section of the Home Affairs page, the sponsor takes responsibility for any debts the applicant or their family members owe the Australian government, for the applicant's compliance with employment legislation and awards while in Australia, and for making sure the applicant and family members comply with visa conditions and obey Australian law. The regulations also limit the Minister's discretion to approve some sponsors, including those with relevant convictions, and the Partner Visa FAQ says sponsors may need to provide police certificates to show they meet additional sponsor requirements.

What a sponsor should prepare

• Proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residence, and proof of identity.
• Police certificates where requested, supplied when the sponsorship form is lodged or as soon as possible afterwards.
• Their own statement of the relationship, consistent with the applicant's.
• Evidence of the in-person meetings, such as travel records and photographs.
• Details of any previous sponsorship of a partner, which the department will ask about. Limits apply on repeat sponsorship, so a sponsor who has sponsored before should check the current rules on the sponsor section of the Home Affairs page before the couple pay any charge.

Sponsors are people with jobs and families, and they are often the weak link in the file: slow to respond, vague on dates, or surprised by the police certificate request. Agree who does what before you lodge.

How do you lodge the application, step by step?

Home Affairs says you must apply online, from outside Australia. The steps below follow its published process.

1. Decide who is helping you. You can appoint an authorised recipient using Form 956A, and a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person using Form 956. A person who gives immigration assistance must be one of those.
2. Gather and prepare documents. Scan or photograph each document in colour, keep a multi-page document as one file, and translate everything not in English. You can attach up to 100 documents for each person on the application, and the limit cannot be raised.
3. Create or log in to an ImmiAccount. Select New application, then Family, then Stage 1, Partner or Prospective Marriage Visa.
4. Attach documents and pay. Home Affairs will not process the application until you pay the application charge. Note the TRN.
5. Give the TRN to your sponsor so they can lodge the sponsorship.
6. Complete health examinations, character documents and Form 80 when asked, and keep the validity periods in mind.
7. Keep your file current by adding updated evidence through ImmiAccount and using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form if you cannot upload.
8. Wait for a decision in writing. Do not arrange travel until you hold the grant letter.

Adding a child or reporting a change

You can add a dependent child before the visa is decided, using Form 1436 and the Partner Processing Enquiry Form. After the grant you cannot add family members. If you have a baby, if your contact details change, or if the relationship ends, tell the department through ImmiAccount. If the relationship ends, you must complete the Notification of Relationship Cessation form.

What about health checks and police certificates?

Every applicant, and any family member applying with you, must meet the health requirement. Home Affairs may also ask for health information about family members who are not travelling. Health results are valid for 12 months from the examination date. Our guide to the immigration medical exam for Canada and Australia from Pakistan explains the panel clinic process, and the same logic applies to partner applicants.

For character, applicants aged 16 and over must meet the requirement. You must provide a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16. If you spent 12 months or more in Australia in that period, you need an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate with complete disclosure. Military service records or discharge papers are required if you served in any country's armed forces. You must also complete Form 80, the personal particulars form. Our guide to the police character certificate from Pakistan covers how Pakistani applicants obtain one and why timing matters.

Timing the certificates

Because police certificates expire after 12 months for immigration purposes and processing guides run to 18 months or more, you may be asked to provide fresh ones. Home Affairs tells applicants to check the processing times before they order certificates and examinations. Order them when the case officer requests them unless you have a reason to get ahead.

Australian values

Applicants aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained, the Life in Australia booklet, and must sign the Australian Values Statement. It is a formal step, but missing it delays the file.

What happens after the visa is granted?

You receive a grant letter stating your visa grant number, start date, conditions and first-entry date. The visa is digital. There is no label in the passport, and you can prove it with VEVO, the online entitlement checking system.

1. Enter Australia before the first-entry date. If you hold a New Zealand passport, tell the officer you hold a Prospective Marriage visa and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444), which would override it. This applies to New Zealand passport holders only, but the principle holds for everyone: do not accept a different visa on arrival.
2. Marry before the visa ends. Home Affairs says the marriage must be valid under Australian law, and that you can get married in any country. You must have married before the 300 expires.
3. Apply for the Partner visa (820 and 801) after the wedding and before the 300 expires. You must be in Australia when you apply for the 820 and 801. You pay less if you apply before the 300 ends.
4. Keep the 300 conditions. Conditions 8515 and 8519 apply to the primary applicant under clause 300.612, and condition 8502 may be imposed. Check VEVO for the conditions on your own grant.

The marriage in Pakistan, in Australia, or elsewhere

Because the visa lets you marry in any country so long as the marriage is valid under Australian law, many couples choose to marry in Australia after arrival, where the certificate is issued in a form the department is used to. A couple who marry in Pakistan, and return to Australia, need a registered marriage certificate from the relevant legal authority to prove the marriage. Whatever you choose, take advice on the document you will need before the ceremony, not after it.

If the relationship ends

The Home Affairs page notes that you may still be eligible for the Partner visa if your relationship ends or your partner dies, and that people experiencing domestic and family violence can get help and may still be eligible for the temporary and permanent visa. Those are specialist situations, and anyone in one should get individual advice quickly and in confidence.

Subclass 300 or a Partner visa: which route fits?

The choice often comes down to one question: are you married yet? If not, the 300 is the route written for you. If you can marry in Pakistan first and then apply offshore for the Partner (Provisional) visa subclass 309, the 309 and 100 pair becomes available. Home Affairs lists the 300, the 309 and the 100 together as offshore applications that receive lower priority, so do not assume that marrying first speeds anything up. Compare the live processing guide for each visa on the day you decide.

Read the table as a map, not a decision. The right route depends on your facts, including whether a ceremony has already taken place, and a wrong choice costs the application charge.

Why do subclass 300 files fail?

We do not have refusal statistics for the 300 and we will not invent any. These are the weaknesses we see most often in files that arrive for review, and each one links back to a rule you can read on the Home Affairs page.

• No documented in-person meeting after both turned 18. This is a legal criterion, not a preference. Without it the application fails at clause 300.214.
• A thin relationship history. One paragraph saying "we are engaged" does not meet a test that asks for how, when and where you met, how the relationship developed and what you do together.
• Witness statements that read alike. Two statements copied from one template look like one statement.
• No evidence of the intended wedding. Home Affairs asks for evidence that you will marry within 9 months of the grant, for example a letter from the officiant. A date with no paperwork behind it carries little weight.
• Inconsistent dates between applicant and sponsor. Compare both statements, line by line, before lodging.
• Expired police certificates or health results. Both lapse after 12 months, and a long wait makes this likely.
• Incorrect or misleading information. It can lead to refusal and to a bar on future applications, as set out in our public interest criterion 4020 guide.
• Marrying before the visa is decided without telling the department, which makes the applicant ineligible and, if the 300 is not withdrawn, leads to refusal.
• Arranging travel before the grant letter, which the department tells applicants not to do.

If a refusal does arrive, read the decision letter for the review rights and the reason. The application charge is not refunded, so a refusal is both a legal setback and a financial loss.

What does a realistic timeline look like?

This is an illustration, not a prediction, built on the processing guide as of 7 November 2026. Suppose a couple, Hira in Lahore and Daniyal in Melbourne, meet in person in Dubai in March 2026, get engaged in June 2026 and decide to use the subclass 300.

1. December 2026. Hira gathers identity documents, two witness statements, travel records and a relationship history. Daniyal collects proof of citizenship and his own statement.
2. 4 January 2027. Hira lodges in ImmiAccount, pays the charge shown on the Home Affairs page on that day, and passes the TRN to Daniyal, who lodges the sponsorship within days.
3. Through 2027 and into 2028. They add updated chat logs, photographs of a second visit and the officiant's letter. They check the processing guide each quarter.
4. Around July 2028. If the case follows the 18 month figure for half of decided cases, a decision arrives. If it follows the 31 month figure for nine in ten, a decision is closer to August 2029. The department does not promise either date.
5. On grant. Hira's visa runs 9 to 15 months. She enters Australia before the first-entry date, the couple marry, and she lodges the Partner visa before the 300 ends.

Notice what the example shows. The wait is longer than the validity of the visa itself, and life at the start of the process looks very different from life at the end. That is the honest cost of this route.

Frequently asked questions