Australia guides

Some visas (notably Visitor and Working Holiday) can be granted with condition 8503, which prevents the holder from applying for almost any other visa onshore. Always check the grant letter; if 8503 is imposed and you intend to apply for a partner or skilled visa onshore, you may need a 8503 waiver before lodging.

Subclass 190 is a permanent skilled visa nominated by a state or territory; the 491 is a temporary 5-year skilled work regional visa, also state-nominated, which leads to permanent residence via the 191 after meeting income and residence thresholds in a designated regional area.

The 820 (temporary) and 801 (permanent) are filed together, and the 820 is decided first. Onshore 820 grants typically take around 25 months at the median, though this varies. The 801 is then assessed two years later — once you've held the 820 for that period — using a streamlined relationship-evidence test.

Visitor and student visas require Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) or Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the full duration of the visa. Some employer-sponsored visas accept Medicare access via Reciprocal Health Care Agreements; others require private cover.

Most temporary work and student visa subclasses allow a spouse or de facto partner to be added as a dependant with full work rights. Partner-of-skilled-visa working hours are unrestricted; partner-of-student working hours mirror the student's 48-hour-per-fortnight cap during teaching periods (uncapped during scheduled breaks).