Do you know the Australian partner visa requirements? If you are looking to apply for an Australian partner visa (subclass 820 and 801), you may still be unsure of what you need when it comes to your documentation and evidence.
As professionals in Australian visas, Keystone Visa and Migration Services is here to help make the process easier for you. Below, we list the several documents you need to gather to submit your partner visa application.
Proof of identity, health, and character
An essential step in obtaining your visa is to provide factual and legal documents that state your identity and character.
It is important to note that ALL documents in your application need to be accurate and authentic.
Passport and birth certificate
To have proof of your identity, it is crucial that you provide a clear scan or photograph of the personal details page in your current or most recent passport.
You will also need to prepare documentation of any name changes and, if you hold one, a national identity card.
A copy of your birth certificate with both parents’ names is also required. If you don’t hold a birth certificate, either an identification page from a family book, court-issued document, family census register or government-issued identification document will suffice.
Character support and health check
Further providing support to your identity, you will also need to submit character documents.
An Australian police certificate is needed if you have spent 12 or more months in Australia within the last 10 years since turning 16.
It is important to know that a disclosed National Police Certificate issued by the Australian Federal Police is the only document accepted and cannot be provided by state or territory police.
If you have spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16 in another country, including your home country, then you must also provide an overseas police certificate for each country this is valid for.
If you have participated in armed forces in any nation, then military service and discharge papers will also be needed.
You must also complete and provide a filled-in Form 80 which includes a character assessment.
Furthermore, you must have a health check and have a certificate/results that prove your health is up to standard and approved by the Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC).
Relationship documentation and requirements
When it comes to your relationship itself, there are several documents needed to prove your relationship is current and genuine and that it is exclusive with mutual commitment.
What you need to write
For an Australian partner visa, you must describe your relationship in writing to further define the relationship you hold with your partner.
This includes describing how you first met (when, how and where), how your relationship developed, when you moved in, got engaged or got married, what you do together as a couple, the time you spend apart, significant milestones or events in the relationship and your plans together in the future.
Financial proof
As a supporting factor in your relationship, you must provide proof that you handle your finances as a couple. This could be household bills in both names or joint lease/mortgage documents, joint loan documents for major assets or a joint bank account statement.
Household proof
Providing proof that you work as a unit in your household is adamant. This can be shown in a statement about how you share housework, in household bills or emails addressed to both members or through documents that prove living arrangements or joint responsibility of children.
Social proof
To prove you are in a genuine relationship, you need to have proof of social matters. This can be confirmed by providing joint invitations or any evidence of both members of the relationship going out together.
Travelling together and having mutual friends can also be counted as proof. Aside from this, doing any social activities with each other or having a public, government or commercial body being aware of your relationship can serve as evidence, too.
Commitment proof
A couple must prove they are committed long-term to one another. This can be proved through terms for your wills, proving you stay in touch when apart, showing your combined personal matters and by showing you know each other’s personal details in an interview such as background, family situation, etc.
Other important Australian partner visa requirements
There are other documents you should provide when valid. This includes the following:
Proof you have been together for 12 months
You must prove you have been in your de facto relationship for a minimum of 12 months before applying for your partner visa.
If you want to be granted for the visa but have not been together for this time period, you can alternatively give a compelling explanation of your circumstances or provide registered evidence of your relationship through Australian births, death and marriages agency for approval.
Previous relationships
If you have been previously married, widowed or divorced/permanently separated from another relationship, you must have separate documentation or statutory declarations to prove you are no longer committed to the previous relationship.
Children documents
If you have dependent children under the age of 18, you must have proof of sole custody if applicable as well as certain documents listed below.
If you have a dependent child over the age of 18 but hasn’t turned 23 yet or is over the age with physical or cognitive limitations, you must provide their identity and documents for their other relationships if applicable.
For both cases, you must present proof of your relationship through a birth or marriage certificate, adoption papers and character documents for children over the age of 16.
Helping many partners reunite and establish their joint lives in Australia, Keystone Visa and Migration Services strive to support couples looking to reside in Australia.
For further assistance please contact us at [email protected] or through the contact us page on this website.
