AUSTRALIAN PARTNER VISA

Australian Partner Visa Basic Requirements

To apply for a Partner Visa, the applicant must be either married to or in a de facto relationship with:

• an Australian citizen; or
• an Australian permanent resident; or
• an eligible New Zealand citizen.

All applicants must be sponsored by their partner, who must be at least 18 years of age.

Marriage

To apply for a Partner Visa as a married partner, the marriage must be legal under Australian law.

De facto

To apply for a Partner Visa as a de facto partner, the applicant must demonstrate at least 12 months of cohabitation with their Australian partner in the period immediately prior to lodging the visa application. The definition of a de facto partner extends to opposite and same-sex couples.

Onshore Partner Visa applicants are required to hold a valid substantive visa and be in Australia at the time the visa is granted.

Offshore Partner Visa applicants are required to be outside of Australia at the time the visa is granted.

All Australian visa applicants are required to satisfy health and character requirements.

Australian Partner Visa Entitlements

The Australian Partner Visa is a two-stage process. Initially, a temporary Partner Visa will be granted and will be valid for two years from the date of application. After this time, the applicant's relationship with their partner must be continual and if assessed to be genuine, a permanent Partner Visa will be granted.

Successful applicants of a Partner visa become permanent residents of Australia. Permanent residents are entitled to live, work and study in Australia permanently. Additional benefits include access to government-subsidised healthcare (Medicare), certain social security benefits and the ability to apply for Australian citizenship.