Partner Migration
Spouses
Fiancés
Interdependent Partners
Spouses
This is a visa for husbands, wives or de facto partners of Australian
sponsors. People applying in or
outside Australia for permanent residence as a spouse go through
a two-stage process, although
only one application is necessary. Both the application for a temporary
visa and that for a permanent visa are made together on the same
form.
At both stages of the process, the Department of Immigration and
Multicultural and Indigenous
Affairs (DIMA) must be satisfied that the parties are in a genuine
spouse relationship.
De facto spouses must have been in the relationship for at least
12
months immediately before
lodging their application.
Usually the permanent visa cannot be granted less than two years
from the date of application.
However, in certain limited circumstances, it is possible for a
permanent visa to be granted in less
than two years, for example, where the relationship is long-term
at the time of application.
Long-term is defined as five years, or two years if there are children
(excluding step-children) of the relationship.
For Spouse visa applications lodged after 1 April 2006, partners
will not become eligible for the permanent visa until two years
after their temporary visa has been granted, and the couple must
have lived together for at least a year since the temporary visa
was granted.
For more information see DIMA
Fact Sheet 30: Family stream Migration - Partner.
A booklet which includes application forms for all Partner visas
can be downloaded
for free
or purchased from a DIMA office.
You will need the Adobe Reader, version 4 or later, on your computer.
For help with using PDF
click here.
Fiancés
If you are engaged to be married to an Australian citizen, permanent
resident or eligible New Zealand citizen and wish to marry that
person in Australia, you will need to obtain a
Prospective Marriage visa
It is a requirement of a Prospective Marriage visa that the parties
have met each other in person.
Fiancé(e)s who apply successfully for a Prospective Marriage
visa receive a temporary visa which is
valid for nine months from the date of the visa grant. They must
travel to Australia and marry their
sponsor within that period and, if they wish to, then apply for
a Spouse visa.
If all legal requirements are met, applicants will be granted a
temporary Spouse visa, followed by a permanent Spouse visa if the
relationship is still continuing at the end of two years after lodging
the Spouse visa application.
For Spouse visa applications lodged after 1 April 2006, the permanent
visa can only be granted two years after the temporary visa has
been granted, and the couple must have lived together for at least
a year since the temporary visa was granted.
People already in Australia on temporary visas are unable to extend
their stay in Australia by
applying for a visa as a fiancé(e). There is no visa category
available to cover this situation.
For more information see DIMA
Fact Sheet 30: Family stream Migration - Partner.
A booklet which includes application forms for all Partner visas
can be downloaded
for free
or purchased from a DIMA office.
You will need the Adobe Reader, version 4 or later, on your computer.
For help with using PDF
click here.
Interdependent Partners
Interdependency visas are for people who have an interdependent
relationship (usually same sex)
with an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible
New Zealand citizen.
The relationship must be genuine and continuing and involve a mutual
commitment to a shared life together. The people must also be living
together and must not have a spouse or other
interdependent partner.
People applying in or outside Australia for permanent residence
on interdependency grounds go
through a similar two-stage process as spouses (see above) and are
also covered by one application.
Interdependency applicants must have been in the relationship for
at least 12 months immediately
before lodging their application. In certain limited circumstances,
provisions exist for the permanent
visa to be granted in less than two years. One example is where
the relationship is long-term at the
time of application. This is defined as five years.
For more information see DIMA
Fact Sheet 30: Family stream Migration - Partner. A booklet
which includes application forms for all Partner visas can be downloaded
for free or purchased
from a DIMA office.
You will need the Adobe Reader, version 4 or later, on your computer.
For help with using PDF
click here.
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