Met your soul mate in Australia? Want to start life afresh there? Australian partner Visas can be your solution then.
A Partner Visa allows a migrant to live in Australia if the applicant is married to, or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen or a permanent resident. Independent or same-sex partners can also apply for this visa.
Many of these kinds of visas are a two-part process. Firstly, if you are eligible for a Partner Visa, you have to apply for a provisional one. For a provisional visa, your partner has to sponsor you for 2 years. You can enjoy your new home and life during this stay. If your relationship is genuine and continuing, you can apply for a permanent visa. To apply for a permanent one, you have to provide your marriage documents, share joint financials such as joint accounts, or family. Once you get a permanent visa, you gain all the rights to live and work anywhere in Australia. If your Partner Visa is lodged when you are married to, or in a de facto relationship to an Australian Citizen/PR, you can go onto a bridging visa. It will allow you to work in Australia during the visa processing time. You and your partner both must be at least 18 years old or more to apply for Partner Visas. If your partner is less than 18 years, you must have someone to sponsor you. Your sponsor can be your partner's parent or guardian. However, the sponsor must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident in Australia, or an eligible New Zealander.
Types of Australian Partner Visa
There are three types of Australian Partner Visa:
- Subclass 309: Partner Visa (Outside Australia)
- Subclass 820: Partner visa (Inside Australia)
- Subclass 300: Prospective Marriage Visa
Partner Visa (Outside Australia)
Subclass 309 is a temporary visa that allows the applicant to stay in Australia for two years and apply for a permanent one.
Eligibility
- You must be outside of Australia at the time of applying and the decision of the visa
- You and your partner must prove that you both have stayed together for at least 1 year before your application
- You must meet character and health requirements
- You are eligible to be assessed for a permanent Partner Visa (Subclass 100) if you are holding the provisional 309 visas, about 24 months after the lodgement of the application. For the permanent visa, you must prove that you are still a legitimate couple. For this assessment, you will need to provide further documents.
Partner visa (Inside Australia)
Partner Visa (Subclass 820) allows you to stay in Australia temporarily and be eligible for a permanent visa (Subclass 801).
- You must be inside Australia at the time of applying and the decision of the visa
- You must hold another type of visas such as student visa, working holiday visa, or visitor visa
- You and your partner must provide evidence of at least 12 months long relationship before the application of the visa
- Bold You can ignore the 12-month cohabitation if you register your relationship. This registration is valid only if you live in certain states of Australia.
- You can apply for a permanent visa (Subclass 801) if you hold a temporary Partner visa (Subclass 820). But, if you have been living with your partner for quite a long time, or have a child who you have been raising together for at least 2 years,you can apply for a permanent Partner Visa (Subclass 801) directly.
Prospective Marriage Visa
If you are located offshore, and planning to marry an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you can apply for a prospective marriage visa (Subclass 300) to gain permanent residency in Australia.
Eligibility
Both you and your fiancé must meet a set of relationship criteria to apply for this temporary visa:
- You, as an applicant, must live outside Australia
- You must know each other and show evidence of genuine relationship.
- You must meet each other physically since turning to 18
After getting a subclass 300 visa, you’ll have 9 months to get married and to lodge a spouse visa, i.e. subclass 820 visa.
