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My wife and kids can apply for Aussie citizenship on 1st July under changes to rules for Kiwis. At the point when they’re citizens I understand I can apply for a subclass 820 visa which is temporary which then leads to a permanent 801. That’s normally a 2 year gap between the two BUT I’m reading that if you’ve been in a relationship for 2 or more years and have a child together you might not need to wait that 2 years and could get that 820 and 801 at the same time. I’ve been married over 20 and have two kids, and lived here for 15 years on 461 visas. So is that correct and if so is it applied automatically based on my circumstances or assessed case by case? Not overly stressed out, just happy there’s a pathway and if I have to wait 2 years then so be it. Won’t materially impact me. But keen to get to PR and citizenship as soon as I can now that pathway has opened up. Thanks a lot in advance.

Hello all, I was wondering if anybody could give me some advice on my current situation: 820/801 visa was granted on 22/03/2021 I applied for 801 visa on 05/04/2022 I separated from my partner and informed immigration on 19/01/23 I ask because there is the option of withdrawing the visa or informing immigration of the separation, I have not withdrawn the visa because I am hoping that it will still be approved. Does anybody know if there is still a chance of approval? I have worked full time since I got here and have no criminal record. If there is no approval would anybody have an indication of when immigration is likely to get back to me? So far they have only asked me to request access to the application again. Thanks alot in advance.

Hi All, I recently received a general advice letter regarding my partner visa 801/820. I am currently on a bridging visa A. It has been 1 year since my visa has been lodged. The letter received explained that I need to book a medical (which I already did and passed) and upload any new bits of information soon as possible. Is anyone able to tell me from when they received there general advice letter how long after it took for there visa to come through. Thanks for any advice

My husband is an Australian citizen and I am from Pakistan. We got married in Pakistan in Dec 2021. He has to go back to Australia in March 2022 and I am in my home country. We are planning to apply for partner visa. Need a bit of guidance as per our situation: Q1: Should we go for Onshore or Offshore option? As we are thinking to log a visitor visa and once we are together we apply from Australia (Onshore). Q2: For Onshore, is there a constraint that we both been living together for 12 months before applying an application? Q3: In Onshore, will we get bridging visa as soon as we lodge the temporary one? Q4: We both stayed at his parents place after marriage that's why we dont have any financial proof to show? What to do in such a case? Q5: ANY other tips and tricks for newly married couples applying for partner visa?

Hi all. Lets make a discussion around the 820 visa applicants, especially those who have applied in 2021. It would be great if anyone shares their story from date of lodgement and any RFIs and 820 grants. My story: Lodged 820 application on Sep 2021 Received s56 rfi on Nov 2021 did police checks and medical and lodged all requested docs on late Nov 2021 status: Further assessment todate.

Hello all, I just wanted to ask about providing additional documents for the 801 visa- we processed the 801 application today and we’re expecting to upload again 888 forms, police checks and everything like this- the only recommended documents we’re social aspects - financial aspects and a few about name changes or marriage does this mean we should only upload what is requested or should we still upload everything as we did last time but just into the other documents option thank you for any help and advice

Hi All, I have just received a email from home affairs saying I am now ready to apply for the 801 stage of my partner visa. However my offical two year mark isn't until 10th August 2021. I did log to to proceed with the application as advised on the email received however there was a question asking “if two years had pass since I applied for the 820 visa” when I respond no, it will not allow me to proceed. I am confused why I would be emailed saying I can apply when it appears this in not yet the case, has anyone else experienced this? Thanks

Hi All, I have been granted the 820 visa and my 2 year mark to upload further evidence for the 801 is fast approaching. Can anyone confirm if the references need to be the same as the one used for the 820? Thanks All

I was suggested by my immigration agent to prepare a statutory declaration when I asked him how would I give updates regarding my relationship. (I wanted to give an update since things have evolved since our initial declaration when we made the application a year ago, I became more aware to the extend of his many disabilities and we decided it would be better for me to be around and be in charge of most house related stuff rather than try to find work while he supports me financially either via his disp or work when he works, something that wasnt in our initial statements since we said we were both planning to find work and I was unaware how inconsistent he could be due to his firbomyalgia condition) I have 3 questions: 1) Is this advised? Can you use statutory declaration in this manner? Mainly because I assumed such declarations are used for quite simple, clear and to the point declaration, not huge paragraphs explaining our relationship, how it has evolved, me explaining the effects of some of his diagnosed disabilities such as adhd/autism/ptsd(And the main source of his issue that is in the process of being diagnosed-fibromyalgia), reminding them that because some tasks are easy for people they might require more effort from someone with disabilities, list things I am and have been assisting him, all of which I have done in at least one occasion so it is accurate and true and the fact that I pretty much only personally go out for either paperwork or shopping since we are both more computer focused people which means I am around to assist. 2) Is talking about such disabilities from the side of the sponsor a good strategy? Mainly because I have heard they even deported a family because their kid was diagnosed with Autism, there was a popular article going around, I know partner visa could be different but I do have a degree of apprehension in this area because I dont know how the department sees disabled sponsors. 3) How accurate are you meant to be in these statements? Legally speaking, can they be misinterpreted if your statement isnt written in a perfectly clear and direct manner, a few examples. -Like there was a moment of speculation when I wrote "a core part of his symptoms is his inconsistency in energy levels..........that could also be connected to stress", fibromyalgia is often connected to stress but I dont feel confident to say with absolute certainty so I used the word "could" instead to allow some room for error. -I also wrote that there was a time I had to call the ambulance at around 3am because he was suffering from extremely heavy pain on his arm (Firbomyalgia induced pain) but I cant remember the exact time, pretty certain it was around 3-4am by the time the ambulance arrived but there was no way I can be specific. -Another statement i wrote "I will more often than not be found at home since the only times I would need to go out and leave him for a few hours would be for grocery shopping or the occasional paperwork." That is true because I dont really have any friends here or go out for entertainment and wrote that to also make it clear this is a genuine relationship but there are times I had to go out to throw the trash or pick him up later at night form the nearby station because he doesnt feel comfortable walking alone at nightime, can I write that or could they imply because I have gone out for a few minutes for another purpose my statement is not truthful? Thanks

Hi, Does anyone have any experience with BVBs being granted during the pandemic and how long was it granted? For family reasons I need to return to the UK and am prepared to stay there for the remainder of the year as international travel looks to be unlikely for 2021. I am currently on BVA while awaiting a decision on my 820. I wouldnt want the BVB to expire while im abroad and cause difficulties getting back into the country so I'm wondering how likely it would be that the immigration department would grant a 1 year BVB which would hopefully give enough time for the international travel to kick in again. Thank you in advanced for any information!

Hi guys, need some advice on where to start with getting a travel exemption to fly to Australia to join my partner. My partner is Australian and is in Australia, and I'm in the UK, the plan pre-covid was to fly to him and apply for the 820 onshore partner visa, obviously, that's not happened and I'm still in the UK. We've been together for 2.5 years, travelling together for 6 months and living together for 1 year, we have sufficient evidence to apply for the travel exemption as an immediate family member, but I don't have any form of visa to enter with. The immi website states that If I don't have a visa prior to applying for an exemption, then I must provide sufficient evidence of being in a de facto relationship.. But where do I provide this and at what stage? And am I right in thinking that I must first obtain a tourist/visitor visa, and then apply for the exemption? And lastly.. I read that somebody entered Australia on a 12 month tourist visa hoping to apply for an onshore partner visa but then found they couldn't apply until their 12 month tourist visa expired, are you able to specify the length of tourist visa required when you apply? Would appreciate any and all the advice you guys have to offer!!

Here’s the situation, It has been around 14 months since I ve made the onshore partner visa(820) application BvA and since we moved together in Melbourne and due to my partner’s disabilities/needs and the whole pandemic finding work has not been our priority, especially because I wasn’t aware of the extend of his disabilities until we started living together. After many years of medical issues he finally found out that many of his issues were caused by fibromyalgia which is good news since we finally can explain many of his medical issues and find actual treatments that work, he has been improving in that area lately through exercise and a more balanced schedule and has been talking to an disability employment agency hoping to maybe finding casual work soon. Though another issue is his paranoia which does have mild schizophrenic symptoms like auditory and visual hallucinations(seeing a figure at the corner of your eye in the kitchen, hearing someone walking behind him etc) which specifically happen (some times) when he is alone which finally explains why he never liked living completely alone, this is a thing that again he only recently explained, it can be hard to get him to talk about those things sometimes. Anyway the issue is that because I wasn’t aware of either, in our initial statements for my visa application I mostly focused on saying how my presence helps him a lot mentally and in reality it helps both of us, and I also wrote how the plan would be to find jobs sooner or later after moving together in Melbourne, this sadly hasn’t happened due to finding out the extend of his disabilities and mental needs and the pandemic making things harder too. I worked as a 2nd officer in the merchant navy in the past so I had a decent amount of savings but those are long gone after paying the pretty high visa and agent fees so at the moment we live with his Disp payments, it isnt hard since neither of us care a lot about luxuries and I always cook homemade food so budgeting is pretty easy but savings are limited to 2-3k but slowly rising. My concern is about the department’s visa decision since my agent told me they mainly care about 2 things, that the relationship is genuine and that we can live financially ok, my worry is the latter part since living with just his disp probably looks bad so I would like to ask for your opinions in two areas. 1) Do you think it would be a good idea to send his diagnosis(once he gets the ) of the above to the agent to upload to immigration as proof and explanation about why my daily presence around him is important and the main reason i haven’t focused on finding a job? 2) Because I am worried that due to lack of work they might outright refuse the visa with no interviews or chances to explain our situation should I just abandon everything and just try to find some form of work in order to guarantee that the visa won’t be refused? Because for both of us a refusal of the visa would be the worst possible scenario. I do have an agent but sadly the one I was assigned to doesn’t seem as helpful so I would like your opinions, I know you cannot know for certain but would like to hear your opinions or experiences, especially if you know any similar cases with disabled partners.

Hello All, Wanting some advise on the partner visa medical check. I applied for the partner 820 visa onshore around 1 year ago and have since been on the bridging visa A. I planned on doing the medical however COVID happened so never booked it in. Now you are able to book visa medical check, when would you advise to do this? As they only stay valid for 12 months? Thanks All :)

Hey I hope I posting this in the right place but I cannot find any answer online. So I applied for a subclass 820 visa for my wife and she's now on the bridging visa. I have a son who's already an Australian citizen. I was thinking about applying for a centrelink to help us since the visa took a toll on us, I was wondering if doing so might have any impact on the visa application? Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, I couldn't find any answer anywhere so I thought I will just ask the mass of visa applicants here. Since they changed the partner visa requirements, I (as a sponsor) will have to lodge an application as a sponsor first and then be approved before my partner can submit his application. My question is how long is the process from application to approval as a sponsor? I have read up that it might take a year (that was an estimate before the changes kicked in). I think that's a bit ridiculous, considering most visa has a year limitation. My partner's WHV will be ending on Aug and we are already preparing to lodge in Feb (I thought 6 months before his visa ended will allow us to have ample time) but apparently I need to apply way before his arrival. If anyone can share some light on this issue that would be great. The thought of him leaving me again is unbearable and he has sacrificed his career and his family to come here. Thanks guys.

I've had a search and couldn't spot this question asked before. My wife and I are planning to relocate to Australia. She grew up in Australia and holds Australian citizenship. Looking at the calculators for points for Skilled Independent visas, I could take that route, or I could apply for a partner visa. Based on a quick bit of research, there are obvious differences both in the cost of the application and the processing times. I understand that with the Partner visa, it is possible to first apply for a sub-class 820 Partner Visa (Temporary), which would allow me to travel to Australia and permit me to work there sooner, whilst the 801 Partner Visa processes. I assume that there is no equivalent for the Skilled Independent visa. So - if I have eligibility for both options, what are the pros and cons of taking one route versus the other. I've spoken to two different friends, one who did it one way, one the other way. Interested to know if anyone has thoughts on which is the best way to approach things. The processing time is a potential issue, which is why I was looking at the 820 temporary visa.

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I'm sorry if this question has been asked a million times before but I'm a bit confused with the information out there: My tourist visa is multiple entry and lasts for a year and allows me to stay in Australia for 90 day increments. If I apply for a 420 de Facto, will the bridging Visa kick in after 90 days or a year? Also on that note, does that 90 day period "reset" when you leave and re-enter Australia? Context: I met my boyfriend while I was on a WHV, when that expired we took a holiday together and then I came back to OZ on a multiple entry tourist visa in order to visit some friends. We're now in Vanuatu together and returning to Oz tomorrow. Initially I'd hoped to go to Japan for a little while but Boyfriend has a mortgage with his sister and after a lot of discussion, it's not feasible for him to leave (as he's a first time buyer, he has to live at the address for 12 months after purchase), and as it turns out, I don't think I can go without him. It looks as though applying for a 820 is going to be the best option for us at this time. Fortunately I was kind of aware that this might be a possibility and started creating the paper trail back in Feb so I could feasibly submit the application in a couple of weeks. I have all my police checks for the UK and Australia sorted because I worked in finance and government, the only thing I might need to get updated is the health check (and wills? I'm 29 and I've never given getting a will a second thought before!). I want to get a migration agent but we can't afford it on just one income so I want to get working rights ASAP (like everyone else I imagine). are there any other pieces of info I can include in the application in the short term? In addition to personal docs, I'm listed on the insurance. All my Australian tax, bank, medicare details are registered to his address (as he's my contact in oz) and we registered the relationship as an insurance back in feb, but we're not married or engaged yet. Are there any other "quick wins" that you could recommend?

Hello All I am on a working holiday visa at the moment and weeks away from sending my spouse visa applications off. However I am very settled in a job on my WHV and would like to continue with this job when I go from the WHV to a bridging visa when I apply for my spouse visa. I have read of applying for FORM 1445 to be allowed to work over the 6 mouths working rights. Has anyone done this? Is it possible. I am sending my application of in July and my WHV runs out in December. Thanks

Hey, it's been a year to the day that I submitted my application and I received this email: We are writing to inform you that your application for a Partner visa is in progress. Your application takes time to process as we complete a number of thorough checks. Is this purely an automated message or is it something I should be excited about?? Anyone received this and then got their 820 not long after? Thanks! Hannah

Hey guys, I really struggled to find timelines for the 820/801 on shore Visa applications as a reference to how long mine might take. I got my permanent residence email through today! So after lots of tears and celebrations I just thought I'd share my timeline for others currently still waiting on their own visas! It's so hard having absolutely no hint or indication from immi and the current wait times are exploding which can be depressing! So! I flew back to Australia in March 2018 on a tourist visa. I did not use an agent, I submitted my fully loaded (all police checks, medical done straight away, all forms and evidence completed etc) on April 27th 2018. Current Visa wait time when I applied was 17-24 months. Yuck. We had been living together for over three years when we applied so I included a letter asking to be considered for immediate processing of my 801 with my 820 Visa (Long term partnership). After hearing nothing for months we recieved an email in October 2018 asking for a UK police check for my partner as he had lived with me in the UK for a year. I had already planned ahead and applied for this already so I uploaded it straight away (I had actually forgotten to add it once it arrived!). After this we heard nothing for ages. I applied for "change of address" and for a Bridging visa B in order to visit home during this time all of which was processed smoothly. Some of my friends seemed to think these updates kept your profile more "active" keeping it at the top of the pile but I don't know how accurate this is, I doubt it to be honest! Then I received an automated message on April 27th 2019 (exactly one year after applying) giving me a generic notice that my Visa WAS in a queue and being processed. I didn't know what to make of this. If it was just automatically sent after one year or really meant a CO had picked up our case and was moving it along... (I still don't know...). Then today, May 1st 2019 I received my 820 and 801 Visa grant notifications simultaneously by email! I'd also like to mention that every three or four months I would "top up" my evidence with more info on our joint accounts, rent payments, holidays, family events etc. I wanted to show our relationship to be strong and continuing. So all in all my application only took one year!! Much shorter than the current advertised processing time of 21-28 months! Which is JUST for the temporary part technically. So don't lose hope guys! Keep updating your info. Give them EVERYTHING they could possibly need. Don't wait to be asked for police checks or medical info just in case they might "go out of date". Get it ALL in and make your case as easy to process as possible! Good luck! I'm off to drink more champagne!

Hi All Can anyone advise me what the total cost of the Spouse Visa is, including any other costs along the way. Is AUD7,160 including Health Check, and everything you need? Many Thanks

Hello all, can you please help me out. I am currently in Australia on the WHV. Fairly soon me and my partner want to apply for the spouse visa. Having done lots of research I’m still a little lost and need some help clearing things up. When I apply for the 801 temporary visa (spouse visa) after my working visa ends in December will I go onto the 801 or a bridging visa? Also after my WHV ends In December and the application has been sent for the spouse visa. What will be my working rights? Will I be able to apply for full time work under the spouse visa? And in that time while I am waiting am I able to leave Australia? If you have any information please help me out cheers :)

Hi Guys, I am currently on 417 Working Holiday Visa, I am just about to take the plunge and apply/pay for the 820/801 De Facto Visa. I am seeing some contradicting statements around the conditions of the BVA Bridging Visa. My questions are: 1. Once my Working Holiday has expired in September, and my BVA starts – will I have full unrestricted working rights such as the 820 would grant me or will the conditions of the 417 visa transfer i.e. only being able to work with one employer for 6 months at a time? 2. Once you have paid for the visa, do you receive your BVA instantly (even though it does not come into effect until my 417 expires) or is when my current visa ends that I receive this? Appreciate the thoughts or stories of anyone who has been through a similar situations Cheers :-)

Hey all, Was just looking for some recent timeline info for applications submitted this year. I submitted my 820/801 April 27th 2018. Front loaded with police checks included. Was asked for medical straight away and completed 1st May 2018. Heard nothing until 12th October 2018 when asked for Aus partner's UK police check which I had coincidentally applied for just in case they wanted that too so I uploaded straight away along with new evidence over the last six months (holidays, lease, bank account statements). I just wondered if anyone has had experience of how long after they ask for more info that you tend to be granted the 820? I've heard rumblings that they're currently processing a lot of WA visas just now, a few of my friends visas in WA have came through, but I'm trying to not get too excited! Any time line comparisons would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Hi, A dear friend of mine is about to get married to an Australian man who holds another nationality too. Is there a way to find out if that man has sponsored a Partner visa for someone else in the past? Or to find out if he was himself sponsored by someone for the same visa? I know this sounds like a silly question but the dynamic of this relationship and the cultural background of the couple involved means my friend can't ask this question to the man directly without offending him. It's a silly culture but it is what it is, so it would be awesome if there is a way for my friend to make such an inquiry behind the man's back. After all, it's her life and Australian visa prospects that are on the line here. Thanks.