Playing spoilsport – Australian Partner Visa
The partner visa debate gets heated up every now and then. And not without a reason considering partner visa costs in Australia are now the highest in the world, including all first world countries.
Now there is no denying the fact that government should be wary of who comes into the country and under what circumstances, but how is high fees a counter to stringent background checking and other security measures?
Australia is a country made up of migrants with different ethnic backgrounds and it is no surprise that they look for a partner from the same cultural background. And not just that, in these times of hyper-connectivity, people can find partners living in far off lands and would want to bring them into the country.
I would like to urge the DIBP to put as many stringent checks as it wants in terms of background checks but not force people to pay through their nose if it is a legitimate companionship. And to also process these visas like they do for many other categories. Currently people are facing a double whammy of not just high partner visa costs but also long processing times.