Australia marriage and partner visa types

Famous Hollywood actor Russell Crowe said about Australia: There's an ease that I have living in Australia. The best thing about Sydney is it is free: the sunshine, and the harbour and the beach are free. What else can tourists want? Every year millions of people travel to Australia to enjoy mesmerizing nature and discover all the beauties of Australia. In 2019, almost 10 million people visited the country. This number could have increased in 2020 but was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many people who want to visit Australia and even marry there. Considering this, we decided to talk about Australia spouse visa and Australia partner visa. In this blog, you will get answers to these questions: what is a spouse visa Australia, what are the requirements for spouse visa in Australia, how long is the spouse visa Australia processing time takes, what is the Australia partner visa, and more.

Australia visa policy

If the visitors are not from a visa-free country, then they should apply for a visa. There are various kinds of visas for Australia. The type of visa depends on the purpose of the visit, duration of your stay, and passport. Tourists will be required a visa even if they are transiting through Australia. We can divide visa types into five categories. Also, those categories are divided into subcategories.

• Visitor visas
• Studying and Training Visas
• Family and Partner Visas
• Working and Skilled Visas
• Australia Medical Treatment Visa

Australia spouse visa

What is a spouse visa Australia? It is also known as a Subclass 300. The Subclass 300 is a temporary visa that allows people to travel and marry prospective spouses. How many days can people stay in Australia with a spouse visa? This visa permits tourists to stay in Australia for 9 to 15 months. The first and main requirement of this visa is to be older than 18. Also, people get a chance to travel and get this visa due to the person that lives in Australia. That person will play the role of sponsor, and he (she) should provide proof of it. The personal character of the applicant is also essential. That person should respect the law and lifestyle of Australia ( acknowledge the Australian Values Statement). Australia spouse visa rules that can be useful:

• You can add family members to your application when you apply and after applying but before your visa is approved. Family members applying for a visa must answer Australia's health and character requirements
• New-born child - you can get information via the official website
• The citizens of New Zealand. The passport holders of New Zealand must inform the border immigration officer about having a Prospective Marriage Visa. If those people stay silent, they might get a special category visa (Subclass 444). The Subclass 444 visa would terminate your Prospective Marriage Visa

What are the requirements for spouse visa in Australia?

Of course, all applicants that want to get a visa must fit with Australia spouse visa requirements. Above, we have mentioned some of the Australia spouse visa rules and now let's learn which documents you will need during the application process. You can create your spouse visa Australia checklist to not forget anything. 

So, the documents that you should add to your spouse visa Australia checklist are:

• Application form. The applicants must fully complete it in English, sign, and date
• Passport. It should have a minimum validity of six months beyond the date of your stay in Australia, at least three free visa pages, and it should not be older than ten years. Also, the bearer must sign, and pictures must securely be affixed to the passport
• Photo. Some of these requirements are related to the online application: JPG-PNG format, 10KB-1MB, equal height and width for the photo, full face ( front view, eyes open and without glasses), light-coloured or white background, no shadows on the face or on the background, no borders, clear facial features and eyes (not covered by hair or glasses frame), 45mm x 35 mm
• ID Card copy
• Residence permit/visa copy (if the applicants' country of residence and citizenship are not the same)
• Birth certificate. The name of both parents should be written on the certificate. If the applicant doesn't have any birth certificate and can't get one, then he (she) must provide one of the followings: a family book showing the names of both parents, government identification issued, a paper by the court that verifies his (her) identity
• If the applicant changed his (her) name, he (she) should prove it with documents. It can be a marriage certificate, divorce certificate, papers that show that you had other names, documents related to the name change from the Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry, or the relevant overseas administration
• Photocopies. A copy of the main page of your passport and copies of previous visas
• Proof of relationship with the spouse
• Previous relationship
• Character documents
• Some additional documents if the applicant has children (under and over 18)
• Parental consent
• Health insurance
• Evidence of dependency

You can get more detailed information about the needed documents and Australia spouse visa requirements in the visa policy section of our website.

Spouse visa Australia processing time and the fee

How long is the spouse visa Australia processing time takes? The average time for a spouse visa ( Australia Prospective Marriage Visa Subclass 300) changes between 18-28 months. It may differ depending on the applicant's country and nationality. How much is the fee for a spouse visa? The charge starts at AUD 7,715 (approximately 5996 USD) (it may vary depending on your country and nationality). Furthermore, applicants may also need to pay extra fees, courier service fee, etc., depending on the country and location of the documents' submission. The cost of a visa can change because of the date of receipt of the application. If there is a price increase between the day you submit your application and the date they get your application, you will have to pay the new application fee.

How and where to apply?

So, after mentioning details and essentials about the visa, it is time to answer where and how to apply. If you have all the needed documents and enough funds for the charge, you can realize your application offline or online. As you can guess, offline is a standard visa application. You can do it in embassies, consulates, whichever accepts visa applications in your country. Also, the Australian Government gives a chance to make the application on the website. You can realize it through the official government website.

A partner visa for Australia

Partner visa for Australia (subclass 309 100) allows a partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, an Australian resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia. Applicants will make an application for temporary and permanent partner visas at the same time. A temporary visa will be valid until the authority decides to give you a permanent partner visa. This visa gives you a chance, work, study in Australia (the applicant will not get government support), travel to and from Australia as many times as you choose, attend up to 510 hours of free English language classes given by the Adult Migrant English Program, enrolment in Australia. Also, you can add your family to the application process. You can include them when you apply for a visa, but add a minor child to your application before the Australian Government decides on your temporary visa. Details of this type are so broad, and unfortunately, we can't mention all of them here. You can get more thorough information from the visa policy section on our website.

Which documents will I need during the application process? The demanded papers and details are:

• Application form
• Passport
• Photo
• ID Card copy
• Birth certificate
• Residence permit and visa copy
• Photocopies
• Evidence of relationship. Here you will need to provide detailed information about your relationship. It is essential to prove the reality of the relationship. Here, you will mention how and where you met each other, how the relationship advanced, and so on. Also, you will provide information about finances, household, social issues, commitment, and more
• Additional evidence of a de facto relationship
• Other relationships
• Character documents
• Some additional documents if the applicant has children (under and over 18)
• Parental consent
• Proof of dependency
• Health insurance

When it comes to processing time, the fee, and the application centre, we can say that all of them are almost the same as a spouse visa.

Apply online

As we mentioned before, you can realize your Australia visa application online without leaving your home. But, which nationalities can do it? We can say that the list is so extensive, and you will probably find your country on that list. There are 196 countries on that list. Maybe, especially during the pandemic, it can be the best choice for you.