If you are in a relationship with a non-Australian citizen and you want them to reside in Australia you may apply for a partner visa. You may apply for this visa once you have been in a relationship for 12 months.
Partner visas allow the defacto partner or spouse of an Australian citizen to live in Australia. The subclass 820 partner Visa is a temporary visa which eventually leads to a Subclass 801 Partner Visa (permanent). You apply for both of these visas at the same time.
Eligibility
In order to apply for a partner visa, you must be a in a genuine relationship with your partner or spouse. Any couple in a genuine relationship for 12 months generally shouldn’t have an issue meeting the eligibility criteria.
Eligibility criteria includes:
– Not having had a previous visa cancelled or an application refused
– Meeting relationship requirements
– Having a sponsor
– Being 18 years of age or older at the time of application
– Meeting health requirements
– Meeting character requirements
– Not having a debt to the Australian government
There are many categories that may be looked at in order to prove your relationship. These are:
Financial
– Major purchases you may have may such as cars, property, insurance etc
– Shared bank accounts
– Sharing of bills and expenses
Household
– Your living arrangements
– Joint responsibility and ownership of your home
– Utilities being in both your names
– Mail addressed to both of you
– How you take care of your children
Social
– Joint invitations
– Photos of the two of you at events together
– Common friends and acquaintances
– Statutory declarations made by family members
– Joint membership at clubs or organisations
– Joint travel
Commitment
– Knowing each other’s family, background and circumstances
– The terms of your wills
– Mail, email and phone records that show you keep in regular contact with each other
Process
Once you are ready to apply for your partner visa, you will need to ensure you have all the necessary documents available to lodge your application. These include:
– Identification
– Proof of relationship
– Other relationship information (previous marriages, divorces etc)
– Character documents
– Information relating to dependants
– Parental responsibility documents
Once you have all your documentation in order, you may apply for the partner visa. You will receive notification that the application has been received.
Applicants must be in Australia when a visa decision is made. You will receive notification of the decision in writing.
It is recommended that you engage the services of a registered migration agent such as Visa Solutions Australia to assist with lodging a partner visa application. There is a lot of documentation required for this visa and a migration agent can ensure it is all in order.
Sponsorship
Anyone applying for a partner visa must have a sponsor at the time of application and for the validity of the visa. The sponsor is usually the applicants partner. All sponsors must be approved by the Department of Home Affairs.
If you would like to learn more call Visa Solutions on 1800 828 008.
