The 8 evidence categories — what each one actually demonstrates.
The Department of Home Affairs reviews onshore partner-visa applications against eight evidence categories. This guide breaks each one down in plain language — what the category covers, what kind of items typically go in it, and the gaps we see most often when applicants self-lodge.
Home Affairs assesses the relationship as a whole — across multiple kinds of evidence.
A partner-visa decision is not a tick-box exercise. The Department reads the bundle as a single picture of two people living a shared life. To make that picture legible, the Department’s own guidance groups the assessment into multiple evidence areas — four that go to the relationship itself, and four that handle the procedural and identity pieces around it.
ReRooted organises requirements against those same eight categories so the structure of your checklist mirrors the structure of the Department’s review. This guide explains each one in plain language — it is framing, not legal interpretation.
Four relationship pillars in the middle. Four supporting categories around them.
Reading the categories as a 4+4 split — rather than a flat list — makes it easier to see where the bundle is uneven. Most applicants over-invest in one relationship pillar and under-invest in another.
The four relationship pillars
These four sit at the heart of the application. The Department weighs evidence across all four — strength in one does not paper over absence in another.
- Financial aspects
- Nature of the household
- Social aspects
- Nature of commitment
The four supporting categories
These wrap the relationship pillars. Each is mostly procedural, but a single error here (an expired police check, a missing sponsorship application) can block a grant just as effectively as weak relationship evidence.
- Pre-application eligibility
- Sponsor eligibility
- Identity documents
- Character requirements
Each category — what it covers, what goes in it, what trips applicants up.
For each category we describe what the Department is looking at, list the kinds of items applicants commonly include, and call out the gaps we see most often. The example items are illustrative — what counts as strong evidence depends on the specific relationship.
- Category 01
Pre-application eligibility
Threshold conditions that need to be true before relationship evidence even matters. If one of these is off, additional relationship evidence may not address the issue — worth confirming with the Department or a registered migration agent first.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- You are physically in Australia at the time of lodgement
- Current visa and visa conditions checked in VEVO
- Any No Further Stay (condition 8503) waiver lodged and approved
- Australian Values Statement read and signed (applicants 18+)
- Schedule 3 criteria considered if you do not hold a substantive visa
Common gaps we see
- Assuming an offshore-equivalent strategy works onshore
- Lodging while a No Further Stay condition is still active
- Letting a bridging visa lapse between substantive visas
- Category 02
Sponsor eligibility
What the Australian partner has to demonstrate before the Department will approve them as a sponsor — a separate application that runs alongside yours.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- Sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible NZ citizen (subclass 444)
- Lifetime sponsorship limit checked — the Department generally limits a sponsor to two partners across their lifetime
- Five-year wait observed since any prior partner sponsorship lodgement
- Police certificates from every country the sponsor has lived in for 12+ months in the past 10 years
- Sponsor character declarations against family-violence and child-related concerns
Common gaps we see
- Sponsor and applicant lodging in the wrong order — the applicant lodges first, the sponsor lodges afterwards and links via the applicant’s TRN
- Sponsor missing overseas police clearances for stints abroad
- A prior partner sponsorship that resets the five-year wait being overlooked
- Category 03
Financial aspects
Evidence that the two of you share financial responsibility and the cost of running your life together. This is the first of the four "relationship pillars".
Example items applicants commonly collect
- Joint bank account statements covering an extended period (not just the month before lodgement)
- Joint loan, mortgage, or lease documents
- Utility accounts and household bills in both names
- Insurance policies held jointly or naming each other
- Records showing how day-to-day expenses are shared (transfers, split bills, joint subscriptions)
Common gaps we see
- A joint account opened a few weeks before lodgement with little activity
- No coverage of how the household is funded when one partner earns far more
- Bills only in one name when both partners live at the address
- Category 04
Nature of the household
Proof of your shared living arrangements and domestic life — that you actually live together, not just sleep at the same address.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- Lease, rental agreement, or property title showing both names
- Mail and household bills addressed to either of you at the same address
- A statement describing how household tasks are divided
- Photos of your shared living space
- Council, electoral roll, or driver-licence records updated to the joint address
Common gaps we see
- A lease in one name with no supporting evidence that the other partner lives there
- Address updates that lag the move-in date by months
- No description of who actually does what around the house
- Category 05
Social aspects
Evidence that your relationship is recognised by friends, family, and the wider community — that you live as a couple in the world, not only behind closed doors.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- Photos and statements about events you attend together as a couple
- Joint memberships of clubs, gyms, or community groups
- Public acknowledgement of the relationship (social profiles, announcements)
- Itineraries and photos from shared travel
- Form 888 statutory declarations from supporters (aged 18+) who know you both — they do not need to be Australian citizens or permanent residents
Common gaps we see
- Form 888 declarations that are vague, identical to one another, or written by people who barely know the couple
- Photos clustered around one event (e.g., the wedding) with no day-to-day coverage
- No evidence the relationship is publicly acknowledged to either family
- Category 06
Nature of commitment
Evidence that you and your partner are committed to a shared future, that you know each other deeply, and that you stay in touch during separations.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- A written statement from each partner covering how the relationship developed
- Marriage certificate, engagement evidence, or commitment-ceremony records
- Wills or life-insurance policies naming each other as beneficiary
- Power-of-attorney documents naming your partner
- Communication records during periods apart (messages, calls, video chats) with dates visible
Common gaps we see
- Relationship statements from each partner that contradict each other on dates or context
- No evidence of contact during any extended separation (work travel, family visits abroad)
- Future plans framed in vague language rather than specific decisions made together
- Category 07
Identity documents
Proof of who you both are. Boring, but one of the easiest categories to trip on for sloppy reasons — wrong certifications, expired passports, mismatched names.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- Certified copy of the applicant’s current passport bio page
- Sponsor’s evidence of Australian citizenship or permanent residency
- Birth certificate (and any change-of-name documents) for each party
- Form 47SP — the primary partner-visa application form
- NAATI-certified translations for any non-English document
Common gaps we see
- Photocopies submitted instead of certified copies
- Translations done by a non-NAATI translator inside Australia
- Name on one document not matching the name on another, with no change-of-name record explaining the gap
- Category 08
Character requirements
Police clearances and personal-history forms — the Department needs to see that both the applicant and the sponsor pass the character test.
Example items applicants commonly collect
- AFP National Police Check covering time spent in Australia
- Police clearances from every country lived in for 12+ months in the past 10 years
- Form 80 — personal particulars for character assessment
- Form 1221 — additional personal particulars (where requested)
- Military service records, where applicable
Common gaps we see
- Overseas clearances ordered too early so they expire mid-processing
- Form 80 left incomplete in the "addresses" or "travel" sections
- Disclosable items omitted instead of disclosed with context — non-disclosure is treated as more serious than the underlying issue
See your full evidence checklist in ReRooted.
The eight categories above are wired into a tracker — every requirement broken into specific items, with prompts to help you describe what you already have and surface what you do not.
Start your checklistEvidence categories — common questions.
- What are the evidence categories for the Australian partner visa?
- The Department of Home Affairs reviews an Australian partner visa against eight evidence areas: pre-application eligibility, sponsor eligibility, the four relationship pillars — financial aspects, nature of the household, social aspects, and nature of commitment — plus identity documents and character requirements. ReRooted organises partner-visa checklists against these same eight categories so your bundle mirrors the structure of the Department’s review.
- How many documents do I need in each evidence category?
- The Department does not publish a required number of documents per category. Case officers read the bundle as a whole, and balance across the four relationship pillars generally matters more than volume in any single one. Whether a particular bundle is enough in your circumstances is a question for the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent — this guide describes how the categories are organised, not what is legally sufficient.
- What is the difference between the four relationship pillars and the other categories?
- The four relationship pillars — financial aspects, nature of the household, social aspects, and nature of commitment — go to the relationship itself and sit at the centre of the assessment. The other four categories (pre-application eligibility, sponsor eligibility, identity documents, and character requirements) are mostly procedural, but a single error there — an expired police check, a missing sponsorship application — can hold an application up just as effectively as thin relationship evidence.
- Do the eight evidence categories apply to the offshore 309/100 partner visa?
- The same evidence framework carries across both partner pathways — the relationship pillars and supporting categories apply whether you lodge onshore (subclass 820/801) or offshore (subclass 309/100). The offshore pathway has its own location-specific requirements, such as being outside Australia at lodgement, so confirm the pathway-specific details with the Department of Home Affairs.
Turn the eight categories into one organised checklist.
Every category above is wired into a tracker built for the partner visa — with prompts, examples, and progress per category. Free to start.