Hope you are all well and staying safe. (especially if you are over in Victoria).
Well finally the sun has returned to Perth and Spring is just around the corner.
It has been a long winter in many ways with so many couples suffering due to the restrictions to enter Australia.
Let's hope a vaccine is found as soon as possible, it looks optimistic with the vaccine developments at Oxford University in the UK.
Anyway, today I wanted to try and provide you some information to help you bring your partner to Australia.
A typical scenario is that the Aussie sponsor is located in Australia but their partner is still overseas.
Due to COVID bringing your partner here has become far more problematic than before.
However, hope is not lost as it may be possible for your partner to obtain an exemption from the travel restrictions.
So how do I get the exemption to travel to Australia Andrew you many ask, well let's break it down for you.
Firstly, if your partner currently holds a Partner visa (ie 309 or 100, 820 or 801) they can come to Australia.
They do not need to request an exemption to travel to Australia’s due to the travel restrictions.
They would meet the exemption requirements due to being an immediate family member of an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Please note though that ‘Immediate family members’ of Australian citizens and permanent residents comprise spouses, de facto partners, dependent children and legal guardians. No other family relationship is exempt. Sorry Gran!!
This is great news for those who already have the Partner visa.
However, still problems can arise in trying to get flights back that do not break the bank, whether the state you want to travel to has restrictions in place (eg a g2g pass will be required for Western Australia) and whether or not the country in which your partner is located allows them to leave easily. Please note for those wanting to enter Western Australia a g2g pass app is available to download) Click here to download now g2g pass app download)
The Australian Border Force have stated that Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa holders can’t come to Australia at the moment.
However, we have seen recent cases of the visa and exemption being granted, so watch this space.
Ok so if you do not hold the Partner Visa as yet what can you do next.
So if your Partner holds another type of temporary visa eg a visitor visa they will need to apply for an ‘Request for a travel exemption’ and provide proof of your relationship.
Please note to be able to travel your partner will require both a valid visa and approval of the exemption request.
It is super important to provide as much relationship evidence that you can with the exemption request.
For example, marriage certificate, de-facto or civil partnership registration, shared financial commitments, joint residency or relevant birth certificates for yourself, partner and children.
Almost to the same level as with a Partner Visa.
The Australian Border Force are rejecting a large number of requests at the moment so it is super important to provide as much relationship evidence as possible.
In good news though it seems Immigration may be getting through the backlog of Partner visa applications as we have had notice of a large number of visa grants, some in only 3 months.
Hope this helps you on your journey to be together with your partner in Australia.
If you require assistance with your ‘exemption application’ or Partner Visa (820/801, 309/100) please email me directly on [email protected]
Happy to help.
To Your Visa Success
Andrew
Andrew EP McAuley
(MARN: 1278335)