So you have met someone you deeply love and would like to embark on a lifelong journey as a couple. But what if you have been told that you and your partner are not allowed to live together in a same country due to your immigration status? At Ausdirect Migration, we understand how this can negatively impact or hinder your future plans, be it family, financial or career, as a couple. As such, in this article, we are going to deep dive into Australian partner visas from partner visa types to the visa application stages and processes.
Australian partner visa application processes generally involve two stages before the applicant can be granted a permanent visa, allowing the applicant to live in Australia permanently as a permanent resident. Visa subclasses involved in each stage depend on whether the visa applicant is onshore (in Australia) or offshore (outside Australia) and whether the 12-month relationship requirement is fulfilled. Below are 2 common scenarios which involve different visa subclasses:
Scenario 1: Relationship Existed for Less Than 12 months or Yet to Marry Prospective Spouse and in Offshore Location:
If visa applicant is outside of Australia and has yet to legally married to his/her partner or the relationship started less than 12 months ago, the first stage of visa subclasses usually involve are Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa & Subclass 820 Partner Visa (Temporary). As the name suggests, Subclass 300 visa allows the visa applicant to come to Australia to marry his/her prospective spouse who must either be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen within 9 months of the Prospective Marriage Visa grant date. Once married, the visa applicant will then need to apply for the Subclass 820 visa which allows the applicant to live temporarily in Australia before the Permanent Partner visa can be granted.
Stage 2 of the partner visa application process involves Subclass 801 Permanent Partner Visa which will usually be granted only 2 years after the lodgement of Subclass 820 visa. You may find the partner visa application cost here.
Scenario 2: Relationship has Existed for At Least 12 months or Has Married with the Sponsor and in Offshore Location:
If visa applicant is outside of Australia and has legally married to his/her partner or the relationship has lasted for at least 12 months or more, the visa subclass involve in the first stage of the partner visa application process is Subclass 309 Partner (Provisional) Visa and Subclass 100 Partner (Migrant) Visa for the second stage. Similar to Subclass 801 visa in Scenario 1, Subclass 100 is a permanent partner visa and will usually be granted 2 years after Subclass 309 visa lodgement.
To summarise, the total visa application charge for both stages of the application process for primary applicant in this particular scenario is approximately AUD7,160, which is subject to change on an annual basis.
As most of the people are aware, Australian visa will only be granted if all the eligibility requirements are being met by both the visa applicant and the sponsor as in the case of partner visa. If you are unsure whether you and your partner will meet the eligibility requirements, feel free to contact us for an appointment for a confidential discussion and consultation to assess your and your partner’s eligibility for the partner visas. Our friendly and professional MARA registered migration agent will be happily provide valuable advice according to your circumstances.
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