News Flash

Onshore Partner Visa: Low-risk applicants with completed applications pushed to front of queue

22-Apr-2017


A combination of staff shortage, budget cuts, a high number of applications and incidences of fraud has led the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to push low-risk applicants who submit complete applications to the front of the queue.

In a recent letter to the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA), the DIBP informed members that priority will be given to low-risk applicants and those regarded as “fully front-end loaded with documentation that immediately satisfies Partner criteria” – in other words, those whose initial applications contain all required documents. This means the DIBP will not be assessing applications in chronological order by date of submission, as is usual practice.

Due to resource constraints, average processing times for most partner visa applications are currently between 16-23 months from date of lodgement for temporary Partner visas (subclass 820), and from date of eligibility for permanent Partner visas (subclass 801) and Spouse visas (subclass 100). The most up-to-date processing times can be found on the DIBP website at this link.

The importance of submitting complete applications will only become more critical due to the fresh restrictions placed on employer-sponsored work visas. With fewer people able to attain permanent residency under the soon-to-be-introduced Temporary Skill Shortage visa program, it stands to reason that even more applicants will attempt to gain residency through partner or spouse visas, putting further pressure on processing times.

What this means for those currently applying for partner visas

To ensure the most efficient application process possible, your application should:

  • include all required documents (eg. completed health and character checks – if applicable – and other necessary documents), and
  • be filled out with complete and accurate information.
Applications that satisfy the above and meet the relevant immigration criteria will be more likely to be pushed to the front of the queue.

Police checks for sponsors of partner visa applicants

However, applicants should also be aware of a new policy that came into effect last year that could potentially extend the application process. Sponsors of partner visa applicants who lodge their application on or after 18 November 2016 will be required to:

  • Provide Australian or foreign police checks to the department when requested; and
  • Consent to the department disclosing their convictions for relevant offences to the visa applicant(s).
It is completely up to the discretion of the DIBP whether or not to request a police check. To avoid any holdup as much as possible, it is recommended that sponsors obtain at least a police check from the Australian Federal Police at time of lodgement.

If you are thinking of applying for a partner visa, contact one of our immigration specialists to discuss your options today.


Source: MIA/DIBP