Document Checklist For Australian Spouse Visa 2024

Document Checklist For Australian Spouse Visa 2024

Are you a spouse of an Australian citizen or a permanent resident? Or maybe you are a spouse of a New Zealand citizen who resides in Australia? Or possibly you have the plan to move to Australia and live with your partner there?

If you do, you can apply for an Australian Partner Visa!

Before applying for the partner/spouse visa, you need to make sure that you have completed all the documents needed.

In this article, we will discuss further the Australian Partner Visa applications along with the documents that you and your partner need to provide.

Let’s go to the list!

All You Need to Know about Partner Visa Application

Australian Partner Visa application can be done when you are in or outside Australia. You need to apply for a different Partner Visa subclass depending on if you are in or outside Australia.

1. If you are in Australia, you can apply for a Partner (subclass 820) Visa for a temporary stay, then apply for a Partner (subclass 801) Visa for permanent stay in Australia.
2. If you are outside Australia, you can apply for a Partner (subclass 309) Visa for a temporary stay, then apply for a Partner (subclass 100) Visa for permanent stay in Australia.

Processing Time and Fee for Partner Visa Application

It will generally take around 5-31 months to process a first-stage Partner Visa application for an offshore application and 9-39 months for a first-stage onshore application. The fee for a Partner Visa application is AUD 8,850 for the main applicant as of July 2023. The fee might increase every July as this is the Australian Financial Year. 

First Thing First – Check Your Eligibility For a Partner Visa

Before moving to the document checklist, the first thing that you must do is check your eligibility for an Australian Partner Visa.

To be eligible for an Australian Partner Visa application, you must meet these critical criteria:

• Be married or in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen;
• If you are in a de facto relationship, you and your partner must have been living together for at least 12 months or be sure that you have registered your relationship under the state law;
• Be sponsored by your partner;
• Under legal age for a marriage or de facto relationship (18 years old or older).

LET’S CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY HERE

To support your eligibility, you and your partner must provide evidence that is shown in the documentation. So, what documents do you need to prove your eligibility?

Find more information about the Australia Partner Visa here.

You will need to provide documentation to support your visa application. It will be in your best interest to provide as much information as possible to immigration with your application.

Please be sure to provide certified copies of your personal documents. Your personal documents must be certified to prove that your personal documents are genuine and do not ever submit a false or bogus document for your visa application.

It can be certified by a person or agency recognized by the laws of your home country. If you are outside Australia, the State Public Notary and the local People’s Committees are authorized to certify copies of original documents as appropriate.

If immigration requires the original documents they will ask you for them, so leave them out until needed.

Also, be sure to provide accredited English translations as well for documents that are not in English. If you apply online, you may send in your scanned certified copies, which will be attached to your application through your ImmiAccount.

Refer to the image below as an example of a certified copy of a personal document:

There are 5 main categories of partner visa checklists that you must prepare in order to minimize partner visa refusal. They are as follows:

1. Document Checklist for Applicant;
2. Document Checklist for Sponsor;
3. Document Checklist for Supporting Genuine & Continuing Relationships;
4. Document Checklist for Health and Character Documentation;
5. Document Checklist for Additional Information

1. Document Checklist for Applicant

a. Forms Applicant must fill in:

• Form 47SP – this form is called Application for Migration to Australia by a Partner. This form should be filled in by the Applicant.
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• Form 80 – this form is called Character Declaration. This form should be filled in by the Applicant.
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• Form 956 – this form is called Advice by a Migration Agent/Exempt Person. This form should be filled in if you receive assistance from a migration agent.
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b. Required Personal Documents:

• Certified copy of the biographical pages of your current passport (consisting of your photograph and personal information);
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• Recent passport-sized photographs;
• A certificate confirming single status – if you are not married to your partner;
• Certified copy of name change certificate – if you had ever changed your name;
• Certified copy of your military service record – if you have served in the armed forces of any country;
• Certified copy of the birth certificate;
• Certified copy of the family book;
• Certified copy of National ID Card;
• National police clearance certificate.

2. Document Checklist for Sponsor

Before moving to the document checklist, it is better to check the eligibility of your partner to sponsor you. Make sure your partner:

• Is an Australian citizen/permanent resident/eligible New Zealand citizen;
• Has no criminal record in relation to ‘Relevant Offence’;
• Has not ever been charged with Registrable Offence;
• Is 18 years old or older;
• Has not previously been a sponsor more than twice because your partner can only sponsor a maximum of 2 partners during their lifetime;
• Has passed the 5 years period time since their last sponsorship.

LET’S CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY HERE

If your sponsor meets the requirements above, let’s prepare the document to support your partner’s eligibility!

a. Forms Sponsor must fill in

• Form 40SP – this form is called Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia. This form should be filled in by the Sponsor.
• Form 956 – this form is called Advice by a Migration Agent/Exempt Person. This form should be filled in if you receive assistance from a migration agent.

b. Required Personal Documents

• Certified copy of the biographical pages of the current passport;
• Recent passport-sized photographs;
• A certificate confirming single status – if you are not married to your partner;
• Certified of the name change – if you had ever changed your name;
• Certified copy of your military service record – if you have served in the armed forces of any country;
• Evidence of Australian citizenship or permanent residency or eligible NZ citizen:
  • Birth certificate;
  • Australian passport;
  • Foreign passport with evidence of permanent residency;
  • Australian citizenship certificate;
  • Proof of length residence in Australia and continuing links with Australia (for NZ citizens).
• Evidence of financial ability:
  • Australian income and/or overseas tax assessment notice;
  • Letter confirming the employment and annual salary;
  • Pay slips;
  • Bank account statements;
  • Personal assets in Australia.
• AFP National Police Clearance Certificate

Note: If you or your partner cannot provide any of the identity documents, you and your partner must provide some proof that you are who you have claimed to be.

3. Document Checklist for Supporting Genuine & Continuing Relationship

The crucial criteria for a Partner Visa application are evidencing a genuine and continuing relationship, you and your partner must provide proof of your relationship. Supporting documents are needed to show this. It is used to prove your relationship is genuine and continuing.

The more documents you provide, the better.

a. Statement and Declaration

• Statement Letter from Applicant
  • It should cover your relationship history as an applicant with your partner as the sponsor. It also should cover your previous relationship, if you had a relationship with another person before.
  • Be sure to provide detailed information regarding your relationship history. The more detailed your statement letter, the better.
• Statement Letter from Sponsor
  • It should cover your relationship history as a sponsor with your partner as the applicant. It also should cover your previous significant relationships, if you had a significant relationship with another person before.
  • Be sure to provide detailed information regarding your relationship history. The more detailed your statement letter, the better.

Read more on some of our tips on writing a convincing statement letter here.

b. Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship

• Documents related to the previous relationship: The documents must be by the applicant or sponsor who had ever been widowed/divorced/permanently separated. The documents:
  • Certified copy of death certificate;
  • Certified copy of divorce certificate;
  • Statutory declaration separation document.
• Form 888 – provide at least two of them which should be filled in by an Australian citizen or permanent resident who witnesses your relationship.
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• Marriage certificate;
• Evidence of your genuine and continuing relationship:
  • Your photographs with your partner;
  • Communication history of you and your partner when you were apart;
  • Written statements or statutory declaration.
• Evidence of the relationship’s financial situation:
  • Proof of any joint ownership of real estate or any other major assets (cars, home, appliances, etc.);
  • Proof of shared finance;
  • Proof of joint bank account;
  • Proof of shared household bills and expenses;
  • Other proofs such as mortgages were taken together or naming each other as beneficiaries under your respective wills or insurance policies.
• Evidence of shared responsibilities:
  • Shared living arrangements;
  • A statement describing how your housework is distributed;
  • Joint rental lease or joint ownership documents of the house;
  • Utility accounts are shown in both names;
  • Proof that you and your partner are responsible for the day-to-day living expenses;
  • Both share in caring for children;
  • Correspondence addressed to both of you and your partner at the same address.
• Evidence of social activity in the relationship:
  • Documents showing that you and your partner are usually accepted as a couple socially:
    • Joint invitations;
    • Evidence of going out together;
    • Common friends and acquaintances;
    • Photos showing you and your partner out together with family;
  • Statutory Declarations from your partner’s parents, family members, relatives, and other friends relating to the assessment of their take on the nature of your relationship;
  • Documentation of traveling together;
  • Proof that you and your partner have declared your relationship to governmental bodies, public, or commercial institutions;
  • Joint membership in organizations or groups;
  • Evidence of joint participation in sporting, cultural, or social activities.
• Evidence of commitment to each other:
  • Documents, statements or by word (which you can establish in the interview), showing that you know your partner’s personal circumstances such as their background or family situation. Below is an example of a statement letter that you must provide:
    • 
  • Show your intention for your relationship to be something you and your partner see as continuing long-term for example, how much you have combined your affairs.

Note: If you apply for a partner visa offshore, you must show regular communication history between you and your partner. You can provide evidence of joint travel as well as indicate how much time you have spent with each other. Please include as much as possible of evidence such as communication history, phone call history, video call history, photos together, and statements from family and friends.

4. Document Checklist for Health and Character Documentation

You might be required to take a health examination or provide good character evidence. If you are required to take a health examination, you will need to arrange your exam before or after lodging your visa application.

Please include your health identifier (HAP ID) when you complete your application form.

By using My Health Declarations, you should be able to confirm whether or not you need to undergo a health examination, stating you have organised your health examination as you are considered to have met this requirement.

Some other documents that you can provide to show you have sufficient health insurance and good character, are as follows:

• A letter signed by a health insurance provider
• A receipt from enrolment or card from Medicare – if applicable
• Some form of evidence of adequate health insurance (including travel insurance) – if applicable
• Please show that everyone included in your visa application has applied for an Australian Federal Police National Police Check, providing they are at least 16 years old and have spent at least 12 months or more in Australia since they were 16 years of age.
• Visa applicants should check off Code 33 in section 8 of the form. You will not have to provide fingerprints with the police check. If you are successful in your police check application you will receive a ‘National Police Check’ certificate, which will have the heading ‘Complete Disclosure.’
• Please include overseas police certificates for anyone in your application, if they have spent 12 months or more since turning 16 years old, in the last 10 years for each country they were in. These need to be the original certificates, but keep a copy for you as well. If anyone in the application has served in the armed forces, please provide a certified copy of their military service record or discharge papers.

5. Document Checklist for Additional Information

Apart from the documents mentioned above, do you need to provide other documents? Below are some documents that you need to provide if you are going to include a dependent in your application and if the department asks you to provide health and character documentation.

You must provide these documents as a part of Department of Home Affair regulation.

a. Documents for your Dependent

If you are going to include a dependent in your application, you must provide these documents:

• Dependent under 18 years old
  • If your dependent is under 18 years old, you must provide identity documents of your dependent, for example, bio page of passport, National ID card, or other identity card.
• Dependent 18 years old or older
  • If your dependent is 18 years old or older, you must provide identity documents of your dependent and a Police Clearance Certificate as evidence of good character.

What We Do To Simplify Partner Visa Application Process?

Just as you can see from the requirements above, an Australian spouse visa requires such detailed documentation which means it will cost you a lot of time and effort to compile.

Using our document checklist for an Australian spouse visa is a good starting point to prepare your partner visa application. However, it doesn’t mean you won’t experience things like missing documents, unconvincing statements, or other document related problems.

We highly recommend Australian spouse visa applicants to seek help from an Australian migration agency. A registered migration agent such as  ONE derland Consulting understands how stressful the document preparation process is. You could spend lots of hours and effort yet still run into trouble because of one simple mistake.

At ONE derland Consulting, we are the experts in handling general and complex Partner Visa applications. We have helped couples around the world, providing high quality document work for their Partner Visa application.

We will assist you from the beginning to the end and make the process as easy as it should be.

If you employ ONE derland Consulting to prepare your Partner Visa application, we we will perform the following:

1. Assess your eligibility for a partner visa and the right subclass. If you are not eligible for a partner visa, we will provide you with alternative options;
2. If you are eligible, we will provide you with written agreements and quotes to process your application. This will cover our obligations and duty of care to you;
3. Our agreement is transparent with no hidden fees. All the aspect of works from temporary to permanent visa is covered in the agreement;
4. Our scope of work includes bridging visa applications if it’s required by the applicant;
5. We will provide you with a dedicated Case Manager as your one point of contact. The Case Manager will assist you with your visa application and keep you informed with the progress of your case;
6. A tailored document checklist will be provided. This checklist will be personalised based on your individual circumstances;
7. We will prepare all the supporting documents, such as Statutory Declarations, Affidavits, personal statements, etc;
8. Your application will be prepared by our Registered Migration Agent who will go through your documents in more detail, anything missing will be identified and rectified;
9. All of our partner visa applications are “Decision Ready”, what that means to you is faster processing time and very little risk of getting rejected or refused;
10. All of our team are dedicated to serve our clients, we should be able to get back to you within 24 hours or less for any enquiries you may have.

We understand that applying for a visa to Australia is certainly very complex. But, our visa specialists at ONEderland Consulting will help you assess your visa options. We have a 98% success rate and one of the most highly recommended migration agents in Australia. Read our 4.9* score customer reviews.

We are complex visa specialists. As a registered Australian migration agent with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), we are regulated in our professional practice and bound by the profession’s Code of Conduct issued by the Migration Agents Registration Authority.

Take the first step and contact us. Our team members are professional and honest and speak various languages, such as Mandarin/Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, Japanese, and Thai.

Contact us through email at [email protected] or via phone on 1300 827 159. Alternatively, you may book your consultation online and it is 100% refundable if you become our client.