Partner visa review waiting-time card
Half of partner reviews finalised within: 3 years 2 months
95% of partner reviews finalised within: 3 years 11 months
Reviews of 820 refusals on hand at 31 August 2026: 2,550
Reviews finalised 1 March–31 August 2026; ART Processing times and caseload statistics, read 3 October 2026.
These are historical measures, not a promised decision date. Expedition is a way to ask for earlier consideration, not a guarantee of a particular turnaround.
How long does a partner visa review take?
3 years 2 months for half of finalised reviews, and 3 years 11 months for 95%. The ART’s Processing times page reports those partner figures for reviews finalised between 1 March and 31 August 2026. For all migration reviews over the same period, half took 1 year 5 months and 95% took 2 years 9 months.
The ART Processing times page measures the period from lodgement to finalisation, using reviews finalised in the preceding six months. It is a guide to completed cases, not an estimate tailored to your file. The median is not an average, and the 95% figure is not a maximum.
For planning purposes, allow for a long wait without assuming that every case will take the same time. A general “one to two years” estimate does not reflect this published partner-review period.
Partner reviews have not been moved into the prescribed “on the papers” category. Under Migration Act 1958 s 367C and Migration Regulations 1994 reg 4.18(1), that category is prescribed only for student-visa refusals. Partner review hearings remain part of the process.
Why the ART backlog is so long
2,550 reviews of subclass 820 refusals were on hand at 31 August 2026. The ART’s 2025–26 migration caseload statistics and 2026–27 migration caseload statistics show a substantial outstanding caseload. In July–August 2026, 305 reviews of 820 refusals were lodged and 146 were finalised; 309 refusal reviews on hand reached 930.
Subclass refused Lodged 2025–26 Finalised 2025–26 On hand 30 June 2026 On hand 31 August 2026 820 596 720 2,386 2,550 309 336 314 881 930 Calculation, not a forecast: 2,550 outstanding 820 refusal reviews ÷ 720 finalisations a year ≈ 3.5 years of work at the 2025–26 rate. That is broadly consistent with the 3-year-2-month partner median, but it does not calculate your place in the queue. It assumes a constant finalisation rate and ignores new lodgements.
The ART’s Fees page sets a standard ART review fee, subject to reductions and exemptions. Paying it does not buy priority: the ART’s Immigration and citizenship page sets out the expedition grounds below.
The numbers explain the scale of outstanding work, but do not establish every cause of delay. They should not be used to promise when an individual review will be listed.
Asking the ART to expedite a review
Yes—if you can support one of the Tribunal’s expedition grounds. The ART’s Immigration and citizenship page says it will consider expedition where:
- You can now prove the refused criterion is met: documentary evidence objectively shows that the criterion on which the visa was refused is satisfied.
- Exceptional circumstances make the review urgent: for example, reuniting a child under 18 with a parent.
Identify the ground clearly and organise the documents supporting it. For the first ground, connect each document to the actual refusal criterion rather than simply supplying more relationship material. For urgency, explain the exceptional circumstances and support them with evidence.
Check the ART’s Immigration and citizenship page for its current submission instructions before sending your request.
Expediting is a request to the Tribunal; a ministerial intervention request is a different remedy that is open only after the Tribunal has decided, as Home Affairs’ Ministerial intervention page explains. It is not an alternative way to accelerate a pending review.
Staying in Australia while the review waits
If you hold the relevant BVA and lodge a valid review in time, it can continue during the review. Under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 010.511(1)(b), that Bridging visa A ends 35 days after an ART decision affirming the refusal. Check your own visa grant notice: not every onshore applicant holds a BVA.
Home Affairs’ Bridging visa A and Bridging visa B pages explain that a BVA does not permit return travel. A BVB is needed to leave and return on a bridging visa within its authorised travel period. Home Affairs’ Bridging visa E page states that a BVE ends immediately on departure.
Do not treat an offshore 309 or 300 review as permission to remain in Australia. If you hold another Australian visa, have its conditions and expiry checked separately before making travel plans.
AAT processing times: the legacy name
“AAT processing times” is the old name for a search that now leads to ART figures. The ART replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on 14 October 2024, the transition date recorded in the Administrative Review Tribunal (Consequential and Transitional Provisions No. 1) Act 2024.
Former AAT tables describe an earlier period, not the current reporting window. Older partner figures such as “2 years 5 months” should not replace the dated ART figures above. For any ART processing time figure, check the category, reporting dates and whether it measures lodgement to finalisation.
How long does an ART appeal take?
For partner reviews, half took 3 years 2 months and 95% took 3 years 11 months, according to ART Processing times for finalisations from 1 March–31 August 2026.
What are the expected processing times for ART cases in 2026?
The ART Processing times figures are historical guides, not predictions. For the 1 March–31 August 2026 period, half of all migration reviews took 1 year 5 months; partner reviews took substantially longer.
How long does an appeal take for a spouse visa?
Use the ART Processing times partner category for spouse and de facto partner reviews: half took 3 years 2 months, and 95% took 3 years 11 months in the stated period.
Can I ask the ART to speed up my review?
Yes. The ART’s Immigration and citizenship page identifies new documentary proof of the refused criterion and urgency arising from exceptional circumstances as grounds it will consider.
Waiting for the ART with a lawyer
During an ART wait, ask an Australian migration lawyer to keep evidence and travel status current, assess any available expedition ground and prepare the hearing material when listed. The practical benefit is a checked, organised file—not a promise of a shorter wait or a favourable decision.
For the wider partner visa review process, read the visa appeal guide. To discuss your refusal, pending review and evidence with an Australian migration lawyer, request a partner visa consultation.
Legal process / ART waiting times
ART Processing Times: How Long a Partner Visa Review Takes
ART processing times for a partner visa review are long: of partner reviews finalised between 1 March and 31 August 2026, half took 3 years 2 months from lodgement and 95% took 3 years 11 months. That is more than twice the 1 year 5 months that half of all migration reviews took over the same period (38 months against 17). The wait shortens only if the Tribunal agrees to expedite your review, for example because you can now prove the criterion that was failed. These figures come from the ART’s Processing times page; the expedition grounds appear on its Immigration and citizenship page.
