coronavirus

There are two types of Partner visas – temporary (subclass 820) and permanent (subclass 801). The objective of the Partner visa is to allow the partner or spouse of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen to live in Australia. The first step to permanent residency is holding a Partner visa 820. As you know, the corona virus pandemic (COVID-19) is fast becoming an international social, economic and health problem. In Australia, this has seen to the implementation of banning international travelers who wish to enter Australia. This has had a domino effect where travel bans are being considered for individuals who are arriving from other countries where there are significant increases in corona virus cases. The Australian Government announced on 12 March 2020 that there will be travel restrictions imposed on all travelers arriving in Australia from any part of mainland China, Iran, Republic of Korea and Italy. However, the Department of Home Affairs website states that the immediate family members of Australian citizens and permanent residents will still be able to enter the country and this includes spouses, legal guardians or minor dependents. Yet, reports show that despite this exception, this has created problems for some individuals who are the spouse or partner of an Australian citizen or permanent resident as their visas have been cancelled whilst offshore and were subsequently denied entry into Australia. The visa cancellation can have severe ramifications for the visa holder, for example, to revoke the cancellation of the visa, the visa holder must submit an application within 28 days of their visa being cancelled and they must show evidence of compelling and compassionate grounds for their visa to be restored. The visa holder may have to wait weeks or even months for an answer, given this world-wide epidemic, and this can be very distressing for couples and families. Not only this, a visa cancellation on your record can affect your chances in applying for a visa anywhere else in the world. Alarmingly, this has been an issue that the Department of Home Affairs or the Australian Government has not yet commented on and is a concern that we and our migration agents are keeping a close eye on. How am I Affected in 2020? Other than the travel restrictions, not much has changed for the Partner visa since 2019. The only major development would be the rise in cost. Before July 2019, the cost of a Partner visa was $7,160. Entering 2020, this cost has risen to $7,715 making it one of the most expensive visa types in Australia and in the world. Depending on an announcement from the Department of Home Affairs, we might expect another price increase once we reach July this year. As of 18 March 2020, the processing time for the Partner visa (820) ranges between 26 to 31 months, and the processing time for the Partner visa (801) ranges from 11 to 22 months. Of course, these times may fluctuate and it will dependent on how thorough you fill or provide information that is needed for your application. If you’re thinking about applying for the Partner visa, it’s important that you seek professional migration advice from one of our Registered Migration Agents now in order to determine your eligibility to apply for the visa, and also to avoid any major delays or unprecedented changes that may be implemented any time soon. We are highly experienced in the preparation and submission of Partner visas and we are ready to help you every step of the way. At Migration Centre of Australia we understand the difficulty of navigating your way around the migration system especially given the current circumstances. Don’t leave your matter waiting and call us today to discuss on 02 4626 1002 or book an appointment for a consultation with one of our migration agents.