Major Partner Visa Changes On the Horizon
Major partner visa changes relating to the Partner Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) will soon result in a more onerous and lengthier process to obtain a Partner Visa, and will particularly impact those lodging their application from within Australia.
The legislative amendment will allow the Government to:
– Require the Australian citizen/permanent resident or New Zealand eligible citizen to undertake a separate Sponsorship application before a Partner Visa application can be lodged;
– Impose statutory obligations on sponsors as well as civil penalties and sanctions if sponsorship obligations are breached;
– Require sponsors to consent to their character history being disclosed to the Partner Visa applicant;
– And have the ability to refuse or cancel a Partner Sponsorship if the sponsor has a history of violence.
How the changes impact the Partner Visa process
Sponsors will come under greater scrutiny as sponsorship applications may be refused based on their behaviour. This could result in an inability to proceed with a Partner Visa application. It is also currently unclear how long processing times will take for Sponsorship applications. Delays may impact applicants in different ways, depending on whether they intend to apply ‘onshore’ within Australia or ‘offshore’ from outside Australia.
Onshore Partner Visa Applications
The need to undertake a sponsorship application before a visa application may pose challenges for applicants wishing to submit a Partner Visa application onshore before their temporary visa expires. Delays could result in the applicant needing to return to their home country to apply from overseas.
Offshore Partner Visa Applications
Longer time-frames may result in a longer wait to be reunited with your partner in Australia if applying from overseas.
How Immigracious can assist you
The purposes of the Amendment are to strengthen the integrity of the family visa program. People intending to apply for a Partner Visa from within Australia will need to be aware of how these changes could impact their application.
If you would like to apply for a Partner Visa, we recommend that you contact our Registered Migration Agents to discuss how the changes impact you and how we can assist with the new sponsorship and visa application process.
Simply contact our Registered Migration Agents on hello@immigracious.com.au or 08 6263 4406.
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