A partner visa enables the spouses or partners of an Australian permanent resident or citizen and an eligible New Zealand citizen to come and live in Australia.
Two types of partner visas are available.
1. Onshore Partner Visa – Subclass 820 (Temporary or Subclass 801 (Permanent) visa
The onshore partner visa is a two-step process. Applicants are required to simultaneously apply for subclass 801 and 820 visas. Applicants need to be in Australia while applying.
2. Offshore Partner Visa – Subclass 309 (Provisional) or Subclass 100 (Migrant) visa
Interestingly, the offshore partner visa also involves a two-stage process in which applicants simultaneously apply for subclass 100 and 309 visas. Applicants are required to be out of Australia while applying.
Processing Times
Like with all other visas, waiting times start when the application is submitted and ends when it is finalized.
Here are the wait times for different partner visas for Australian immigration;
Subclass 820 Visas
– 3 Months for 25% of applications
– 6 Months for 50% of applications
– 16 Months for 75% of applications
– 34 Months for 90% of applications
Related Articles:
- Here’s How Australian Parent Visas Will Be Impacted With New Reforms
- Parent Visa Grants: Good News For Families
- Let’s Learn About 804 Visa Processing Time
- How Can You Bring Your Parents To Australia Permanently?
- Australia Tourist Visa: Visitor Visa Subclass 600
Subclass 801 Visas
– 6 Months for 25% of applications
– 13 Months for 50% of applications
– 16 Months for 75% of applications
– 26 Months for 90% of applications
Subclass 309 Visas
– 6 Months for 25% of applications
– 10 Months for 50% of applications
– 15 Months for 75% of applications
– 29 Months for 90% of applications
Subclass 100 Visas
– 12 Months for 25% of applications
– 17 Months for 50% of applications
– 20 Months for 75% of applications
– 29 Months for 90% of applications
Processing times for a permanent partner visa start from the date of eligibility, which is mostly two years after you apply for the combined permanent and temporary partner visas.
Every application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. More complex cases consume a lot of time to process. Consequently, delayed processing of complex and older applications might affect the wait times of newly lodged applications.
Let’s see why the processing of an application can take longer;
– It takes time if the application is incomplete.
– Processing is delayed if the application doesn’t have all the necessary documents or relevant information.
– Verifying the applicant’s information takes time.
Applicants are advised to provide accurate and relevant information to avoid waiting a long time for a decision. This is because the Department of Home Affairs is known to have refused many partner visas because the applicants didn’t appear to be sincere about the nature of their relationship. Plus, they weren’t honest about why they were seeking a partner visa.
The federal government promised to hire more staff in October 2022 as part of the federal budget to ultimately reduce visa processing times. The data at that time showed the approval of temporary partner visas took between 8 and 13 months. Surprisingly, the average wait time was six months a decade ago.
We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on Australian immigration.
