People looking for a partner visa should get themselves acquainted with the upcoming changes in partner visas that are proposed by the Australian government. The latest changes have made a lot of people apprehensive but still, it is necessary to learn about the factors associated with the visa application.
In Australia, a Partner Visa is effectively sponsored by a Permanent Resident or an Australian citizen for accommodating a foreign person that they are in a close relationship. It is for a person who wants to reside as their partner in Australia. It is a two-stage process. Initially, you will get a provisional visa and after two years you may be eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa if your relationship is still genuine and ongoing. During your provisional visa, you will be eligible for full-time work rights and Medicare as well.
Who Can Apply for a Partner Visa in Australia?
Before understanding any other aspect like current changes made in permanent partner visas’, it is important to know who all can apply for a permanent partner visa in Australia.
In order to apply for a partner visa you must be married or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen, Permanent Resident or Eligible New Zealand citizen. In addition to this, you also need to prove that your relationship is genuine and ongoing.
Major Changes expected Partner Visa For Australia
English language requirement
You can say that this particular aspect is the most controversial of all. According to this new rule, partner visa applicants and sponsors must demonstrate functional English or they must portray their true efforts in learning English. The main aim of this particular aspect is to make sure that the applicants trying for Australia should have proficiency in speaking English to reduce certain risks such as domestic violence, rights of being abused, or rights of being overtaken.
These changes are likely to affect the people who are applying for a second-stage permanent residency. This rule will be in the implementation phase by the last of the existing year, 2021. In case if you’re not able to achieve the required level of English proficiency, you should at least show a trustworthy and genuine effort to learn English.
Sponsorship fee
Yes, this is true. Now, you will have to pay an additional ‘sponsorship fee’ of AUD 420.00 along with the already existing visa application fee of AUD 7,715.00. The reason behind this addition is that the Australian government will now require sponsors to be approved beforehand the visa application is lodged.
This might amaze you that this change was earlier prescribed in 2018 but now in the year when this change will be brought into usage.
Regional applicants to be given priority
This might sound a little unusual to you, but priority will be given to both the applicants and sponsors who are residing in regional parts of Australia.
Annual permanent partner visa allocation increased by 82 %
To clean the backlog of 100,000 pending partner visa applications and their faster processing time, the government will now increase the annual allocation of partner visas from 39 799 to 72 300.
In a Nutshell
It is important to note that the Australian government has introduced these changes to improve employment opportunities and integration for people into Australian society. These changes might fall at a backfoot for many migrants from Non-English countries as compared to western countries like Canada, the US, and the UK. But, if you are in a league to apply for a partner visa, then it’s better to go through all its associated strings as well. For more details regarding partner visa application and its concerned queries you can contact our partner visa agent in Adelaide. or call us at +61 452 000 200
