Can I apply for a visitor visa during the processing of my partner visa application? With the offshore processing time frames for both partner visa and prospective marriage visa applications taking almost two years from the date of application, many visa applicants might want to apply for a visitor visa during the processing of a partner application so that they can visit their loved ones in Australia during this time. Although any length of stay granted is at the discretion of the Department, it is not uncommon for a one-year multiple entry visa to be granted in these circumstances.
If you have applied for either an offshore partner visa or a prospective marriage visa, you can apply for a visitor visa at any time up until your visa has been granted. Your visitor visa application must still meet all of the criteria necessary for the grant of that visa. If it doesn’t, your visitor application will be refused. It is certainly not uncommon for partner visa applicant’s to be refused a visitor visa because they have provided an insufficient visitor visa application which does not meet the criteria for the grant of that visa.
Can my partner visa be granted while I am in Australia?
If you have applied for an offshore partner visa or a prospective marriage visa, it is a legal requirement that you must be outside of Australia at both times of application and time of decision. Your visa cannot be granted whilst you are in Australia. For this reason, it is very important to keep the Department update up to date with regards to your current address and contact details. If you are in Australia, the Department will generally contact you if they are ready to make a decision on your visa application. You must then leave Australia for your partner visa to be granted.
How long will my partner visa application take to be processed?
Processing time frames for all Australian visa subclasses vary and fluctuate for a number of reasons. If you have applied for an offshore partner visa or prospective marriage visa, be prepared for a lengthy wait. You can avoid any unnecessary delays in the processioning of your visa application by providing all supporting documents in a timely manner and responding to any further requests for information promptly and without any unnecessary delay.
What should I include in my visitor visa application?
Many people fall into the trap of believing that because they have applied for a partner visa, this will somehow guarantee the success of their visitor visa application. This is simply not the case. A partner visa application and a prospective marriage visa application are assessed on entirely different criteria, and having simply made on of these applications, it has yet to be assessed by the Department. It is therefore extremely important to submit a thoroughly prepared visitor visa application which evidences that your sole intention is to visit Australia as a genuine temporary visitor only. The fact that you have made a partner visa application will not guarantee the success of your visitor visa application. Please do not hesitate to contact us as Thai Visa Express if you would like any further information on applying for an Australian visitor visa during the processing period of your partner visa application.