How To Make An Application For The Australian Spouse Visa

Are you looking to emigrate to Australia with your Australia spouse, partner or fiancée? Then you need to know how to apply for applying for a spouse visa.

To apply for the Australian Spouse Visa, you need to meet a number of specific visa criteria. Firstly, you need to be in a genuine, exclusive and on-going relationship with your Australian partner for at least 12 months. Secondly, you need to pass the health and character tests.

This means you must not have any significant medical conditions and/or substantial criminal records. Lastly, you need to meet other legislative criteria, for example, have a good immigration history or not be subject to any immigration bars.

To apply for the visa to emigrate to Australia, you need to prepare documents as evidence of your relationship.

Australian Spouse Visa Checklist

The documents you need to provide will depend on your individual circumstances however there are some mandatory documents each applicant must provide.

These include your identity documents, such as passport, driving licence, birth certificates. If you are not a citizen of your country of residence, evidence of immigration status might be required.

You also need to provide a number of documents evidencing various aspects of your relationship, for example, financial aspects, social aspects, nature of your household and indeed your level of commitment.

Applicants for the Australian Spouse and Australian Partner visa must have at least two people witnessing their relationship. These could be your close friends or family member.

Depending on your personal circumstances, there will be more documentation you need to provide. For example, ex-military personnel must provide certificates army of discharge or army conduct.

Australian immigration specialists will provide you with a complete Australian spouse visa checklist of documents you need to provide with your application.

The Australian Immigration Department requires documents to be provided in a specific format. Some documents might need to be certified as true copies. In the UK, documents can be certified by lawyers, notaries, Justice of the Peace, Commissionaire of Oaths and Magistrates.

Non-English must be officially translated by accredited English translators.

Evidence of sponsorship

If you are emigrating to Australia on the Australian Spouse visa, your Australian partner or spouse must act as your sponsor. As part of the application, your sponsor needs to complete a sponsorship form and provide identity documents.

By agreeing to sponsor you, your Australian partner undertakes an obligation to assist you, to the extent necessary, financially and in relation to accommodation for at least 2 years upon arrival to Australia.

There are certain circumstances where your Australian partner will not be able to sponsor you to emigrate to Australia, for example if they sponsored someone in the past 5 years or there were sponsored themselves in the past 5 years.

Contact an Australian immigration lawyer to discuss your Australian Partner visa and sponsorship application to make sure you qualify for the visa.

Health and character assessment

To emigrate to Australia, you need to be free from any significant medical conditions which are likely to be a burden on the Australian health system. Medical conditions such as kidney transplants, cancer, special needs and other conditions which might attract high treatment costs, are likely to prevent the visa being approved.

A health waiver is available in most Australian partner visa applications. If the waiver is exercised, the visa can be granted.

Applicants emigrating to Australia must provide a police clearance certificate vouching for their good character. Those with a substantial criminal record might be faced with a visa refusal.

In certain cases, Australian sponsors are required to provide police certificates. This is certainly the case if dependent children are included in the Visa application.

If you have a significant medical condition or a police record, it might be worth speaking to an Australian immigration lawyer before commencing the visa application process.

Australian Spouse Visa Application processing times

Once your application is lodged, it goes to a queue awaiting review by a case officer. This might take some time. The current Australian spouse visa processing times are between 7 to 24 months depending on where the application was lodged and which processing office is handling the application.

To make the application go smoother and avoid unnecessary delays, instruct an Australian Immigration agent to assist you.

An Australian spouse visa application can be a lengthy and complex process requiring much detailed information from you and your partner. Having an Australian migration specialist on your side means peace of mind and assurance that the application is well prepared and ready to be assessed.

Companies such as the well-known Emigrate-to-Australia at Taylor Hampton Solicitors in London, have been handling Australian Spouse visa applications for many years. Their Australian immigration agents are highly experienced, certified and equipped with the best skills to assist with your journey to emigrate to Australia. Contact us for assistance with your Australia Visa application: enquiries@emigrate-to-australia.co.uk