Changes were introduced to the Partner Migration process on November 18th in 2016, whereby sponsors if requested must obtain police clearance certificates, and give consent to the Department of Immigration to release convictions for relevant offences to visa applicants.
Just over 6 months later and the Department of Immigration are once again changing conditions of the Partner Migration process. These changes will mean that from the 1st of July 2017, applicants must endure a similar sponsorship approval process as 457 Visa applicants, requiring ALL sponsors to provide a detailed immigration history, character record and attain police clearance certificates, before applications can be lodged. This will allow the Department to refuse sponsorships based on a criminal history or failure to comply with certain undertakings, in the future.
This will impact applicants looking at lodging Partner visa applications onshore, particularly onshore subclass 820/801 Visa cases, where a visa will soon expire and timing is critical.
The Department advises that they intend to process sponsorship applications ‘within 3 weeks’ unless there are sponsorship or character issues of concern. However, given the current extended processing delays by the Department, processing may take more time than the Department envisages.
If you are considering applying for an Australian Partner visa (subclass 820/801 or 309/100) or Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa, we highly recommend that you lodge your application prior to 1 July 2017 in order to avoid these legislative changes.
Need help with your Partner Visa application? Contact No Borders
No Borders is happy to provide an assessment on your eligibility for Partner Migration, as well as practical advice and assistance with lodgement. If you are a sponsor with a relevant offence and/or significant criminal record, we strongly recommend speaking with a Migration Agent/Lawyer before submitting a Partner Visa application.