A partner visa process can take about 12 to 26 months to complete, depending upon the type of visa you apply for, according to the Department of Home Affairs.
If you want to apply for an Australian visa but are wondering about the time of the visa process, then this blog will help you understand the factors that impact the visa timing process for Australian partner visas. Read on to have a comprehensive understanding and guidance to confidently apply for the process.
What is a Partner Visa?
A Partner visa enables an Individual to sponsor their foreign partner to become an Australian permanent Resident. The sponsor should be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or citizen of New Zealand. Becoming an Australian permanent resident brings you several benefits, such as living, working and travelling within and out of Australia with no restrictions. You also get access to Medicare and can become eligible for domestic fees at all Australian education institutions. Permanent residents also become eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship after two years. A professional immigration agency can help you bring your spouse from overseas to Australia.
How to Know If I’m Eligible for a Partner Visa?
If you and your sponsoring partner are ‘spouses’ or are in a ‘de facto relationship’, then you can apply for a partner visa. The meaning of spouse means married, and the meaning of de facto partners is “have cohabited for at least 12 months or are living separately permanently.
What If I’m Migrating With Children?
The applicants for a partner visa can also add their children to the partner visa application. The dependent children are generally approved for a dependent child visa while their parents are still in the process of permanent visa application. Once the visa is received, you can prepare for your next flight to Australia with migration doctors.
Understanding the Two-Part Partner Visa
The partner visa process includes two stages. The first stage is the temporary partner visa (subclass 820) or provisional partner visa (subclass 309), and the second stash includes the permanent partner visa stage.
The first stage involves a more thorough process than the second stage. In the first stage, the applicant for the partner visa needs to prove their genuine and continuous relationship with the Department of Home Affairs. The department follows four major criteria for decision-making:
- The nature of household
- The financial aspect of the relationship
- Nature of the commitment
- The social aspect of the relationship
If the Department of Home Affairs finds the evidence to be acceptable and they believe that the sponsor and the Australian visa are in a genuine relationship, then the applicant will be granted a temporary (subclass 820) or provisional (subclass 309) partner visa. You can visit migration doctors in Australia for a streamlined visa process.
This allows the temporary visa holder to live, work and travel without restrictions. After two years of holding on to the temporary visa, the applicant becomes eligible to apply for a permanent visa, which is stage two. Migration doctors will guide you through a successful migration process.
The second stage requires the sponsoring partner as well as the applicant to present to the Department of Home Affairs that your relationship is still continuing. If convinced, the department will approve the partner for a permanent partner visa.