In the 2020 -21 Federal Budget, changes to Australia’s Partner visa program were announced to commence in November 2021.
Application process
Currently, sponsors and partner visa applicants may submit their applications at the same time. Under the arrangement announced by the Department of Home Affairs, a sponsorship application must be approved first before a visa application is submitted.
These changes will be governed by the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Act 2018 (the Act). The government’s reasoning for implementing these changes is to ensure the visa applicant is made aware of adverse information about their Australian sponsor, such as a criminal history or history of domestic violence. Armed with this knowledge, the visa applicant will have an opportunity to withdraw the application before a visa is lodged or granted.
English Language Requirements
Under the new changes a visa applicant and their Australia permanent resident sponsor will be required to demonstrate a functional level of English or demonstrate that they have made reasonable efforts to learn English at the permanent partner visa stage. Reasonable efforts include completion of 500 hours of free English language classes through the Adult Migration English Program (AMEP). Passport holders from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom and United States will be exempt.
Priority allocation
Under the new Directions for the family visa stream, Partner visa applications will receive priority processing. Further, an application lodged by a sponsor who lives is a designated regional area will be prioritised.
Should you have any questions or require advices on the above matters, please do not hesitate to contact our lawyers.
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Nevett Ford Lawyers – Immigration Lawyers Melbourne & Australian Citizenship Lawyers
Telephone: +61 3 9614 7111
Email: melbourne@nevettford.com.au
Visit our website: www.nevettford.com.au