Overview
Under the Partner Visa Stream an applicant can be sponsored by their Australian spouse, de facto or interdependent partner who must be either an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, aged over 18 years.
- Marriage
- Prospective marriage
- Defacto Relationship
What is Partner Visa?
Partner Visas are often also referred as de facto visas in Australia are usually provided to the partners and spouses of permanent Australian Citizens, residents or those who are eligible New Zealand Citizens living in Australia. A partner visa can be obtained both for hetero sexual and/or same sex couples without much hassle.
There are two stages of obtaining a partner visa in Australia, wherein first a person gets a provisional partner visa, which is categorized in Subclass 820 for onshore and Subclass 309 for offshore applicants. Once the applicant qualifies for the provisional partner visa they had to stay in the country for a certain period of time. Couples are assessed again for meeting the criteria of permanent partner visa, which is further classified into two categories; Subclass 801 Visa for those having subclass 820 visa and subclass 100 visa for the subclass 309 visa holders.
Validity
Once a temporary Partner Visa is granted it is valid for the whole waiting period until the Immigration Department comes to a decision over your permanent Partner Visa application. Once you are approved for the permanent Partner Visa, you can stay in Australia for good.
How it works
You have to send in an application for a temporary and permanent visa which you can do by completing an application and lodging it with the right bodies so it can be made to undergo an assessment. If after the assessment you do meet the criteria for this Australian visa, the temporary Partner Visa may just be given to you. This visa is valid until you are handed a Permanent visa that is usually given a couple of years after the application is lodged. If it happens that all requirements given are still met after two years, then that permanent Partner Visa is yours.
You can be eligible for a permanent visa minus the stipulated waiting period should you be able to show proof that you and your partner have been married or in a relationship for a total of 3 years or perhaps more than that.
The permanent visa may also be yours without having to wait in the event that you and your partner have been involved or married for 2+ years and a child (dependent) from you and your partner is present. If your partner has a permanent visa by way of the Australian humanitarian program or was given a protection visa then the 2-year waiting period is waived.
Different Types of Partner Visas
Australian Immigration policy provides various types of partner visas and spouse visa that an applicant can apply for basis their requirement and the criteria they must be fulfilling to obtain one. So, in case anyone is willing to sponsor a partner to Australia, below are the 3 types of partner visa options they can explore:
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF PARTNER VISAS AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA
- Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300)
- Partner Visa Offshore (Subclasses 309 and 100)
- Partner Visa Onshore (Subclass 820/801)
STAGES
- Stage 1 : Temporary Partner visa
- Stage 2: Permanent Partner Visa
Both temporary and permanent partner visa allows work, study and you may eligible for Medicare.