“Can we apply for a partner visa before we have lived together for at least 12 months?”
“Am I a permanent or temporary resident as an 820 or 309 Visa holder?”
January 27, 2017
The times they are A-changin…
February 21, 2017
Blog by Joan Cuss
Often I’m asked this question by partner visa applicants:
“CAN WE APPLY FOR A PARTNER VISA BEFORE WE HAVE LIVED TOGETHER FOR AT LEAST 12 MONTHS?”
If a visa applicant has registered their relationship in an Australian state or territory they are exempt from the 12 months, living together, requirement. They still need to show that they are living together on a genuine domestic basis, but not necessarily for 12 months before they become eligible to lodge their temporary partner visa application (820). This is an important piece of documentary evidence and it is regarded with the same reverence as a marriage certificate by the Department. Registered relationships are available in NSW, QLD, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania, here are following hyperlinks to read more about specific eligibility criteria:
- https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/marriage-weddings-and-civil-partnerships/
- http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/bdm/relationships/register
- http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/home/relationships/register+a+relationship/
- http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/marriages/relationship-register.aspx
- https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1694
Australian Migration Laws (the Act, the Regs and the PAMs) are a highly prescriptive, specialised and codified area of law. If you would like assistance in applying for a spouse visa, please book a consultation with one of our immigration advisors.
