Partner visa Australia

Australian Partner Visas allow married or de facto (same or opposite sex) couples to enter and remain in Australia with their partner. If you are in a genuine committed relationship with a non Australian and you are an Australian Citizen, Australian permanent resident, an eligible New Zealand Citizen, there are a number of options for you and your spouse or de facto under the partner visa program.

Our registered team of Migration Lawyers and Agents based in Melbourne are experts in Australian partner (spouse) and de facto visas, and can help determine your eligibility for a partner visa in a professional and timely and cost effective manner. We have assisted many clients with the preparation of partner and de facto visa applications that meet the Department of Home Affair’s requirements.

People who intend to migrate to Australia as a partner of an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or an eligible New Zealand citizen) and are outside Australia may apply for one of the following visas:

This includes married spouses and de facto partners (including same-sex partners). A subclass 100 Partner (Migrant) visa may also be granted – this will be assessed by the case officer and no separate application is required.

You must be outside Australia when you apply for and also when granted a Partner (Provisional) or Prospective Marriage visa. You can be in or outside Australia when a Partner (Migrant) visa is granted.

Fraud in Visa Applications

All applicants for visas should be aware that if your application include false or fraudulently obtained documents, or information that is false or misleading, your application may be refused. This includes information given by you, a member of your family, or another person acting on your behalf. You and your family members may also be barred from entering Australia for three years, which would include being considered for other visa types. This applies to both temporary visas (such as Visitors and Students), and permanent visas (such as Partner, Child and Other Family visas).

The immigration and citizenship fraud reporting service receives reports relating to individuals who do not hold a valid visa to remain in Australia, are working illegally in breach of their visa conditions, or have lied or provided false documents in their visa application.

Processing Times

The Embassies aim to process Prospective Marriage and Partner visa applications in under 12 months, in line with the Australian Government’s service standards. However, when faced with a higher number of applications, this timeframe could increase. Currently the processing timeframe is around 10-14 months. You should apply as early as possible before the time you intend to move to Australia.

If you wish to visit your partner in Australia while your Prospective Marriage or Partner visa application is being processed, you can apply for a Visitor visa. We cannot guarantee that a Visitor visa will be granted, as every application is assessed on its merits.

You should not book flights, make travel commitments or commence migration (e.g. selling your home, purchasing air tickets, resigning from employment or paying costs for wedding preparations) until you obtain a visa to travel to Australia.

Important Note:

Although the new sponsored family visa and approval of family sponsor changes commenced on 17 April 2019, these changes will NOT affect Partner visas and that current arrangements will continue to operate.

At this stage, there is no time-frame for expansion of the new sponsorship framework to other family visas and therefore the current arrangements for existing visas, including partner visas, will continue to operate.

The new changes to Sponsored family visa’s will only be implemented for the new Sponsored Parent (Temporary) 870 visa.

Book a time today for a briefing with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find more about your visa options.