Australian partner visas are designed for applicants whose spouse or partner is currently residing in Australia as an Australian citizen, permanent citizen, or eligible New Zealand citizen. An Australian partner or spouse visa allows an applicant to migrate to Australia and live with their partner or spouse temporarily or permanently. Currently, there are five key partner visas offered by the Australian Department of Home Affairs
Prospective Marriage Visa Subclass 300
The Prospective Marriage Visa Subclass 300 is granted to an applicant who wants to migrate to Australia to marry their would-be spouse. It allows the applicant to stay for nine months with their spouse and apply for the Partner Visa 820.
Provisional Partner Visa 309
The Partner Visa Subclass 309 is granted temporarily to a de facto partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, PR, or an eligible New Zealand citizen. If you want to apply for this visa, your partner has to sponsor you. Holders can stay for 15 to 24 months on this visa.
Permanent Partner Visa 100
Individuals can apply for the Partner Visa Subclass 100 2 years after being granted the Partner Visa 309. It is a permanent visa.
Temporary Partner Visa 820
The Partner Visa Subclass 820 is another temporary Australian partner visa. For this visa, too, your Australian partner must sponsor you. The only difference from the Visa 309 is that while you have to apply offshore for the 309 Visa, you can apply for the 820 Visa while being in Australia.
Permanent Partner Visa 801
Holders of the 820 Visa can apply for the Partner Visa Subclass 801 2 years after receiving their 820 Visa. This visa is also a permanent one.
Mistakes To Avoid
Refusal rates for Australian partner visas are high, especially because of falsely submitted applications. So, to increase your chance of living with your loved one in this beautiful country, it will be important to know the vital mistakes that many applicants usually make.
Inadequate Evidence
During your partner visa application assessment, the Department of Home Affairs will look for evidence that the relationship details you have submitted are genuine.
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- Evidence comes in multiple forms, and the more you submit, the better the chances of achieving success will be. Submitting only a marriage certificate will not be enough.
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- You must submit much stronger evidence to show that you are genuinely committed to each other and will stay together.
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- The most convenient way to check whether you have sufficient evidence is to hire a registered migration agent who can go through all the documents and give their opinion.
A registered migration agent knows every necessary detail about a visa and thus will provide the most reliable information.
Submitting Wrong Information
Many applicants feel that the Department of Home Affairs cannot determine if they have submitted false information or documents while applying. One must remember that the Immigration Authority of Australia can access the information and circumstances of any applicant and the case officers carry out detailed scrutiny before making their decision on the visa application.
The Department of Home Affairs may also consider interviewing applicants if they feel that the information supplied by the applicants is wrong. On occasions, case officers can also visit addresses the applicants provide to check whether the couple is staying together.
To succeed, one must fulfil Public Interest Criterion (PIC) 4020 that ensures that the evidence and information you have submitted are correct. Failing to satisfy this requirement may ban you from applying for an Australian visa for the next 3 to 10 years.
Not Matching Character and Health Requirement
Every applicant must have good character to be granted a partner visa. Character issues that may lead to visa cancellation include:
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- A substantial criminal record like 12-month imprisonment, evidence that you have committed a gruesome offence, etc.
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- Connection with any organisation or group that are suspected of carrying out criminal activities
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- Sexual offences
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- Behaviour offences like drunk driving
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- Domestic violence
In addition to character, applicants also need to meet necessary health requirements. Usually, all Australian visa applicants have to undergo health examinations carried out by doctors appointed by the Department of Home Affairs. The Medical Officers of the Commonwealth (MOC’s) will check your health and tell the Department whether you pose any threat to Australian public health.
If you cannot meet the health criteria, the Department will not grant you your partner visa unless any health waiver is attached to the visa. The good thing is that partner visas indeed have a health waiver provision. Therefore, when you apply for the Visa Subclass 300 or any other visa, you must check this information.
Blunder At The Interview
Sometimes the Immigration Department may conduct interviews with applicants if they have doubts about the submitted relationship documents. At the interview, applicants are required to answer personal questions about their relationship and family. The information they may have to clarify includes relationship milestones and dates, how they have developed, relationship goals, etc.
One thing to note here is that providing sufficient evidence will lower the chance of an interview. It is another reason why we recommend getting migration help from a registered agent or immigration lawyer who has previously helped applicants with a Visa Subclass 309 or other partner visa applications.
Forgetting To Complete The Sponsorship Section Of The Process
The sponsorship requirement is a vital part of a partner visa application, and if you forget to submit it, the Department will readily reject your application. Partner visa application fee is not only high but also not refunded. So, refusal of a partner visa application can be unfortunate.
Last Minute Lodgements
Make applicants make the vital mistake of starting the application at the last minute and lodging the application without submitting the important documents. It makes the application invalid, and eventually, the Department rejects it. That is why it is always better to seek assistance from a migration agent before starting the application.
Neglecting visa conditions
Every Australian visa has some conditions attached to it, and holders must comply with them while living in Australia. Remember that if you apply onshore, the Department will issue a bridging visa, which will become valid only after your current visa expires. So, before applying, you must check all the visa conditions.
Wrong Focus
Some couples mistake focusing only on one relationship aspect, thus ignoring others and not giving them the required effort and time. For example, many of them include details regarding their relationship like how they met, key milestones, etc. but ignore the other aspects like living together, future plans, financial and social aspects, etc.
To avoid any chance of visa refusal, you must provide as many details as you can. Including information such as common friends, family get-togethers, social media proof will also strengthen your relationship evidence.
Reach Us To Know More
We have already mentioned why it is important to hire a registered migration consultant from Perth before starting the application. An Immigration Agent Perth will know the specific details necessary to make a complete application, and therefore the perfect person to offer you help.
For references, you may contact ISA Migrations, which has provided quality services to clients over these years. An immigration consultant can also provide verbal guidance. If you wish, we can give you the contact details of an immigration consultant in Perth.
