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Hi, I'm just looking for some advise on what would be the best visa to apply for. Myself (irish) and my partner of 3 years (NZ citizen) are looking to move to Australia sometime in the next year or two. We currently live in New Zealand so will be applying for the visa from here but we're just not sure which one to apply for. What are the main differences between the 461 NZ family visa and the 309/100 visa/ is there any benefit of applying for one over the other? Thanks so much for any info you can give, I really appricate it!

Hey folks In the process of applying for the 309 visa for/with my partner and v overwhelmed by the whole process and hoping to get some advice clarification on a few points... Do the documents I submit need to be certified? Confused about this one bc on a few blogs I've seen people specifying they had documents certified. However I can't find anywhere on the Home Affairs info page specifying documents need to be certified. When I applied for my son's (Aussie) citizenship by descent it was explicitly stated that the documents I submitted needed to be certified. Most of our supporting witnesses will be British (currently live in the U.K.). I'm concerned having majority non-Australians as our supporting witnesses will "hurt" our case. Any insight on this from folks who've been in a similar position? Being his sponsor what actually do I need to do to support my partner’s application? Do I need to lodge an entirely separate sponsor application? Or attach a form to his application? Quite confused. We applied for a travel exemption for my partner to enter Australia during the covid restrictions. We ofc had to show evidence that we were in a realtionship. His exemption was approved. I'm thinking of including this to strengthen our case...my logic is home affairs has previously "acknowledged" our relationship and travelling abroad in a pandemic demonstrates our commitment to each other and our families? My partner thinks it'd be irrelevant so just wondering what others' thoughts are. Form 888 which is filled in by supporting witnesses…anyone applied from the uk? V confused about what to do bc the form won’t be considered a stat dec unless it’s filled in by an Australian (or permanent resident) in Australia? Any general advice/need-to-know information from anyone whose done it for those applying without an immigration specialist? I'm terrified that our application will be rejected and we were initially going to use an agent/lawyer but unfortunately our financial situation has changed and it's something that we can no longer afford. A massive thank you to anyone who chooses to comment/offer their wisdom :-) I’m stressing so much over this application (I hate paperwork and when I moved to the uk I used immigration agents for my entire visa/residency process) so really appreciate any/all help

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?

Hello, I have been granted my Partner (Provisional) visa subclass 309 and will be traveling to Australia in April this year (2022) which is within the required timeframe to activate the visa. Do I need to do anything before traveling in regards to this visa e.g. submit the visa ref to someone, print it out to show at Australian passport control, get it printed on a t-shirt and wear it whilst traveling ? I have searched all over and there is nothing to suggest that I have to do any of this but I thought I would ask here as many of you would have gone through this process. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, stumbled across this forum some months ago when researching the possibilities of an Aus visa for my partner. I am dual Australian/British citizen in my mid 50's, partner is a British citizen in his mid 30's and we have been in our relationship and lived together for 10 years in the UK. We want to go to Aus within the next few years and make the next chapter of our life there together. I've researched the 309/100 visa application and know there is a multitude of information required to submit it but I have a few concerns as to how successful it will be. Neither of us have family in the UK and we only have a very small circle of friends - we are a quiet couple who enjoy our own company and not crowds. We have never shared bank accounts, the property we live in is one that I owned before we were together so the title and many of the bills are in my name and in this age of electronic communication we don't have many letters/postcards etc. dating back to the start of our relationship that might be helpful in proving it is legitimate. We also don't have many photos - I don't like photos together because I am conscious that he looks so much younger than me and we are also of different cultures (he is of Asian decent). We also don't have children. My concern is how we find enough of the information required in order to prove our relationship is genuine and will our it be potentially viewed as suspicious because we are so different in age and culture? We have also been engaged since April 2018 - a proposal and a ring but no official party or announcement. We were planning to get married in early 2020 but then the world got locked down and in fact marriage is not a huge concern for us. But, would it be better for us to be married before applying? A host of concerns - perhaps someone can help with some encouraging information as we are a genuine couple but more unusual than others..

Hi all, New to the forum, glad I've stumbled across it. We live in the UK - I'm British, wife UK/Australia dual citizen (born in UK), and young daughter. We've previously lived in NZ, and have always had in mind to move to Australia as a long-term option - we have a number of friends and family throughout the West Coast. I'm looking to apply for a 309/100 partner visa, although the expected wait time seems to be around 18-24 months. We've previously put off putting in the application due to the cost, and were waiting on the outcome of our final (also expensive) IVF cycle. Once applied for the 309/100 visa, are there are options for applying for other shorter-term work visas in the interim? Or is it possible to apply for shorter-term work visas, and then apply for a 820/801 visa on-shore? I'm finance qualified, so should be eligible for special skills. Thanks, Sam

Dear All, Appreciate your inputs on my case that basically has 2 parts: Part 1: My PR 175 grant - May 2012 Expired - May 2017 Been in Australia for - 1 month 7 days total. Last visited Australia in - Feb 2017 (just before expiry). Why I didn't migrate yet? I went to Oz in June 2012 (immediately after getting PR) stayed there for a month and searched for jobs. Didn't get any good response. In the mean time, got a very good offer from Oman, which had opportunity to learn new skills required in Oz. So moved there. Got married the next year, 2013. Blessed with 3 kids. Last one born in 2020. 2 of the kids go to school. All these commitments held me back from relocating. Most essentially because my family does not have PR. And getting their PR is a different ball game altogether, which I have covered in Part 2 below. So anyhow, I'm planning to apply for my RRV by Nov this year. I don't satisfy 2 years requirement, but I have bought land there (paying installments since 2017. Finishing this year) and bank accounts transacting every month for the same property’s payments. Part 2: Once I get RRV (hopefully), I want to take my family along, because otherwise kids schooling would be affected and there are a few other personal reasons. So want to know what options I have so that my family can relocate with me? Can I apply for Partner Visa now (before my RRV application and being abroad)? That way if their visa is received until my RRV is granted, we can travel together. Or is it a must for me to be in Australia to sponsor my family? That is a cumbersome process of waiting for around 18 to 24 months, being away from family. What do you suggest please? Thanks and Cheers!

Hi All, Wondering if anyone has come across either of these dilemmas before: 1. JOINT OR SEPARATE APPLICATIONS FOR DAD / KIDS My wife is Australian and I am a UK citizen. We have lived together in UK since we met in 2008, we married in 2013, and have since had 2 kids (born in UK with UK passports only). - I'd hope a spouse visa shouldn't be a problem for me (been married a while, I'm healthy, no police record, professionally educated etc). Processing time showing as 18 months (75%) - I'd hope the kids shouldn't have a problem getting citizenship by birth (given their mum is Australian). Processing time is currently shown as 5 months (75%) - Does a joint app become more complicated or take longer? options I can see are: (a) Kids and I all apply together under a single 309/100 visa application with both me and the kids named as applicants. (b) I could do my own 300/100 spouse visa app, with my wife doing separate citizenship apps for the kids at the same time - presume we'd need to declare this on each app somehow. A bit worried this could get messy? (C) We could do the kids application first and wait until granted before lodging my application. This would avoid confusion, but delays me starting my application while we wait for the kids. 2. OTHER CITIZENSHIP One of the questions for my wife is whether she has citizenship of any other countries. She has applied for but not yet granted UK citizenship (by ancestry). Im hoping we can tick the no box for now but change it at a later date if necessary - unless the answer gets locked in? I wondered whether to include some commentary in the bit about future plans ie we want to get to a point where all of the family unit have both UK and Australian citizenship. Does that sound like a good approach? Any info on experiences of others would be much appreciated. Thanks Ali

My partner, Lisa, has been fortunate to have been granted her 309 Partner Visa after submitting it in August. Based on the current situation, including border controls, can anyone help with any of the following: Is Lisa able to enter Australia without obtaining an official travel exemption? (ie. will the 309 grant letter be enough to get through immigration?) Is Lisa required to remain in Australia for a specified/set period of time, or can she leave to return overseas to her home country the UK? Understanding a requirement of the 309 Partner visa remains that we “live together or not live separately or apart on a permanent basis”. However in the current COVID climate where employment and travel opportunities are limited – it would be necessary for Lisa to return to the UK for job/property responsibilities. When leaving Australia will Lisa be required to have an exemption, or is she free to leave without any form of approval? The intention is she would return later in 2021 Any assistance or advice on these matters would be greatly appreciated

So I am an Australian/UK citizen and my partner of 6 years is a UK citizen. We would like to move to Oz in spring 2022. My partner would like to apply for the 309 partner Visa. The current wait times are 18 months so it's highly unlikely that she will get the Visa in time. Would it be possible for her to apply for a working holiday visa (417) and wait until we get the result of the 309? Then leave the country for the visa to be granted?

Hi there, My wife (Korean) has applied for 309 partner visa in March 2020. I'm not sure if it's due to COVID-19, but nothing has been updated yet since she submitted her application. No CO allocation or contact. However, we need to move to Australia by this September because of my job. Is it okay her to stay in Australia with traveler visa (or any other visa available that she can get independently), and wait until 309 gets granted? Or should we stay overseas? Any info or opinion is welcome guys :)

Hi Guys, Just about to submit my British husband's 309 partner visa (i.e. I'm the Aussie). We intend to travel back to Australia mid next year (his 309 visa will be about 8 months into the process), where I will start a new job. He will be looking after our then 1.5yr old son whilst waiting for the visa to come through. Looking for advice as follows: 1. I understand that he's allowed to travel to Aus on a 600 visitor visa while the 309 is still in process. I've heard some people say their 600 visa allows them 12 months stay. How do you go about getting a 600 visa for 12 months? 2. I've started to hear people mention a 'bridging' visa which would actually result in my husband being allowed to come to Aus before the 309 is approved AND work? Seems too good to be true? Can anyone shed any light on this as an alternative? And when would you apply for it - in the UK prior to leaving for Aus (skipping the 600 visa altogether), or do you get the 600 visa, come to Aus, then apply for the bridging visa? Thanks everyone.

Hi Guys, Aussie posting here with a British husband and British 10 month old son (haven't applied for his Aussie citizenship yet). Just got to the part of the 309 partner visa application where it asks about members of the family unit. I had planned to do a separate citizenship application for my son who is 10 months old, which is only a few hundred dollars. I'm worried that if I list my son on the partner visa application, that I'll end up having to pay a bigger fee (looks like it's ~$9K instead of ~$8K). I don't know how to describe my son on the partner visa application in this case? Do I just leave him off? Does he come under the 'non migrating members of the family unit? Copied the definitions from the immi.gov website. I'm only a few pages into the application and already finding it to be a pain...!!! Thank you Migrating members of the family unit List only members of your family unit who are applying to migrate with you. Do not list your Australian citizen family members or Australian permanent resident family members. Non-migrating members of the family unit List all members of your family unit who are not applying to migrate with you. This includes your Australian citizen family members.

Hi, new member here. My apologies if some of these questions have already been answered. Im filling out, day by day, our 309 Visa to return to Australia. My husband is an Australian Citizen by birth, I am British. I have some confusion as to who can fill out 888 forms. I thought it was only Australian permanent residents or Citizens. But I have been told that my family and friends in the UK can fill them out also. Is this correct? If it is not, what are the alternatives? And, I am in a bit of debt with my bank in Australia. This is due to the speed in which I had to leave the country as to not overstay. Do you have to pay your debt off completley or can you prove you are repaying it in manageable amounts in order to have your visa approved? Thank you in advance!!!

Can an Australian chartered accountant witness and certify stat declarations and passport photocopies for overseas partner visa 309?

Hi all, I applied for a 309 in December 2019 - still awaiting the outcome. My G/F has Australian PR & living with me in London currently. She wants to go back soon, maybe in the next 2 months. Im pretty certain my 309 will not be processed by then, so Im looking at applying for a visitor visa and flying back with her, we have enough funds to support ourselves there whilst i wait for my visa outcome I have questions/concerns around filling in the exemption form. The form asks for my partners country of Residence, should i put UK or Australia here? She's living in the UK for past 2 years, i find the question strange, if i put UK will they reject it as she's currently not in Australia for me claim i need to enter to visit her? We were planning on flying back together but now i'm wondering if she should go first then i later? I am no doubt overthinking this whole process! If anyone else has gone through it please id like some advice! Cheers! Jack

Hi All, I am a British Citizen living with an Australia Citizen in the UK. I will soon be looking to apply for a Partner Visa and I am currently looking to get quotes from migration agents. If any could be recommended that are UK based that anyone has used previously that would be great. Many Thanks James

Hello guys! I needed a bit of advice I lodged my partner visa application on 15th Jan 2019 for my wife 309/100 and I am currently on Australian PR. We have been married for over a year now got married in Nov 2018.During this time I visited my wife in Pakistan back in March and then invited her on shore on a family sponsored visit visa in July which was valid for months. She stayed here with me from July- Oct. On 5th October we wife got a call from immigration(AHC Islamabad) while my wife was in Australia and she was interviewed the normal spouse interview that happens in which they asked her about her name,DOB,my name ,DOB, marriage date, our future plans,our daily routines etc. After her interview I the sponsor got an RFI for online form 40sp and my updated PCC's.....I fulfilled all requirements and submitted all documents on 20th October....My wife returned back to Pakistan in end of october.....I then re visited her in December 2019 and flew back in January........... then on 10th January my wife again got a follow up interview call from the AHC in which they said that there is an allegation against you and your husband that your relationship is not genuine and continuing(and that is the reason why your case is suffering delays ......like normal applications in our home country get processed in 8-12 months) .....is this claim true? My wife answered that this claim is baseless and definitely there's no truth in it giving all reasons that how she and I have constantly been in touch and visited each other throughout the year and plus we have over 400 photos us together uploaded on our immi account with friends,family of get togethers,social events,birthdays and what not both in Australia and Pakistan with proper dates and even all our wedding pictures. The interviewer assured my wife that yes I have seen all these proofs and we don't really give weightage to these allegations we just wanted to here about your stance....After a gap of 2 hours I also got a call from the AHC and was asked similar questions about our relationship in specific,routines, where my wife is living currently , how I would describe my relationship in one sentence,our future plans etc. Has anyone ever been in a situation similar to ours where someone has levied an allegation against their application and if so then how long did the case took to process? Does anyone have any idea that how long will I have to wait more either for a grant or ultimate refusal even though I believe that we have sufficient proof on our application that our relationship is genuine and continuing(We even purchased a family car,a home on rent in Melbourne, furniture and attached all utility bills of the 3 months me wife was living with me in Australia, bank statements of all the transfers I made when she's in Pakistan,shopping receipts, trips we went on,travel itineraries,and bank statement of our joint account in Australia). Any advice or help will be highly appreciated as both me and my wife are extremely devastated after these interview calls even though no decision has been made on our application but such false accusations on such a genuine relationship are heart breaking.

I am new to this forum and am trying to get some info and opinions on best options when applying for a Spouse Visa Subclass 309. Whether to apply onshore or offshore makes much of a difference. I am Australian, and my husband is Irish, both currently living in Ireland for 3 years and looking to move back to Australia. We have read you have to apply offshore from Ireland via the immi page. But have also heard you can enter Australia on a trourist visa, then get a bridging visa and apply from Onshore in Australia. Has anyone done either of these options and is there a difference in waiting times?

Hi Guys, Just started looking into the Health Examination element of the 309 partner visa application to prepare our overall budget! According to this website, there are a very limited number of locations in the UK where you can get a recognised medical from a "panel physician". I've phoned the places we could consider going to, and the costs quoted for the medicals are around £270 for the temporary full medical, or £330 for the permanent full medical. Then I've looked on the medmigration website and they list a "medical exam only" option for £175. So my questions are: Which medical is sufficient? I don't know if this answer varies based on the content of your application, or if it's standard based on the visa... also I wasn't sure if the 309 visa, given it's a stepping stone to the 100 visa, is considered temporary and you only therefore need the temporary medical...? We should meet the criteria to get upgraded immediately from the 309 to the 100 visa (married for 7 years, baby to be born any minute now!) - did anyone have to get a 2nd medical, or just the one was sufficient? Did any of you get your medical done in Australia (or otherwise overseas)? Or do you HAVE to get it done in the UK? We're going to be in Aus over xmas, and the fees there are significantly cheaper (done by a health provider called Bupa, fees listed here) - $232 AUD for the plain medical only. Assuming we can do it in Aus, then I'm thinking about uploading this to the application and the timing. We'll have submitted our initial application by mid-end Sep, and we would be doing the medical about 4 months later. Let's say, but some stroke of luck, we get a case officer coming back asking us to get the health check done at the 2-3 month mark. When the case officer asks you to submit your health check, do you need to complete this action within a certain time period e.g. would waiting 1-2 months to submit it cause any issues (besides the obvious fact that I've self inflicted a delay in the process)? Thanks for your help.

Hey everyone! Have just applied for the partner visa for Aus from the UK for my partner, I am the sponsor in May 2019. We have forked out that large sum of £4000 or so with the extra card charge, we have now looked at the certified doctors for his medical which is £320.00 plus police check at £50.00 and renewal of my passport at £250.00 all whilst trying to save our asses of to have some kind of savings for when we arrive! Feeling really down hearted about it, it's almost as if they want us to spend all of our money so that by the time we are accepted we can't even afford to get there haha! I know 100% it will be worth it but it just feels like one thing after the other and that they have picked the most expensive doctors to get full medicals done at Wondering if anyone else is feeling the same/in the same boat?

Hi all, looking for some advice/confirmation of what we believe to be the correct process please! What to do about a pending newborn? Subclass 309/100, sponsor/parent is Australian by descent... For context: my husband is applying for the 309/100 partner visa. I am the sponsor. I am an Australian citizen by descent and, as yet, have not spent more than 2 years resident in Australia, although my parents (both Australian citizens) have been back over continuously for c.14 years. We have recently submitted the partner visa application for my husband, via London, UK; the complicating factor is that he and I are also expecting our first baby in November. We think the 309/100 visa is unlikely to be granted prior to the baby's arrival! (currently processing timescales are pretty lengthy) SO! We think the process would be to complete the 1022 form (change in circumstances) as soon as the baby arrives, and append this to my husband's 309/100 application. Our understanding is that the baby will not be eligible for citizenship by descent from me (due to lack of residency time) and would have to go on my husband's visa. As the baby would be a newborn, it seems as though this should not affect the visa cost - but this is not clear anywhere, so any confirmation/advice here would be appreciated. Is some/all of the above correct? What would happen if (miraculously) we were to be granted his visa prior to the birth? Grateful for any responses! Thanks, K. 309/100 submitted 19 July 2019 front loaded no agent

Hey, I was wondering, How to have a statuary declaration from Indian Friends/Relatives? Is it just a letter needed. to be notarized or its affidavit or on a stamp paper or I can use 888 form only. any specific format for writing an affidavit, special for 309 spouse VISA? Thanks

Hello all, I'm British, and my husband has joint British/Australian. We've been together in London for 5 years, and now are looking to move to Australia, so I'm applying for a 309 visa. What are people's thoughts on applying with an agent vs handling the application ourselves? Have many people here handled the process themselves - and been successful or unsuccessful? Any advice and experience gratefully received. Thanks, Dave

Hi everyone, We applied in April and I have uploaded all the supporting docs I feel are necessary, and my partner has done and passed his medical, which was requested as soon as we paid the application fee. I am now unsure if we need to do the police checks - my partner lived in Australia with me for 12 months in 2008/2009 - or do I wait for them to request this? And do we both need police checks for the UK where we have lived for 10 years (he is British / I am Australian) And lastly - once (or if !!) the visa is approved does my partner need to travel to Australia to activate the visa?