Sponsorship Approval before visa application lodgement

Sponsors wishing to sponsor their spouse or partner for a partner visa will soon need to apply and be approved for sponsorship before the applicant can lodge their visa.

These changes will require Australian citizens, Permanent Residents and Eligible New Zealand Citizens to undergo a police check. Any adverse results will need to be released to their spouse or partner before their sponsorship is approved.

Lodging a sponsorship application is assumed to come at a cost and will possibly extend overall partner visa processing times. While processing times for the sponsorship approval are unclear, the Federal Government expects approximately six weeks. This will likely impact applicants whose current visa is set to expire and cannot lodge the partner visa application due to there being no sponsorship approved. They will either need to leave Australia to lodge an offshore application or apply for another substantive visa to remain in Australia long enough to lodge their onshore application.

English language requirements for applicants

The Federal Government has announced new changes that will require partner visa applicants to show they have a functional level of English or have made a reasonable attempt to learn English to be eligible for the permanent stage partner visa. The Federal Government claim these changes will assist new migrants to fully participate in Australian culture and assist them in communicating with important organisations such as emergency services and being confident to seek help if they are the victim of a crime, including domestic violence.

Free English language classes will be available through the Adult Migration English Program (AMEP) to study English while applicants are waiting to be eligible for the permanent stage of their visa.

If you are considering applying for a partner visa and are concerned about how these changes impact you, our registered migration agents can help.