“UPDATE: Missed the 2024 window? It is time to look ahead. Read our 2026 Australian Partner Visa Preparation Guide to start planning your application now.”
Are we nearly in 2024 already!? Eek and are you still waiting to apply for your Partner Visa? We all know the saying that goes ‘there is no better time than the present’. Well, that’s quite true when it comes to Partner Visas and just getting it done.
If you’ve been prolonging your future in Australia, here are the reasons why you need to make 2024 the year to apply for your Partner Visa!
Apply for your Partner Visa and avoid changes to Partner Visa Legislation
Immigration laws are constantly changing and we’ve seen so much of it over the last few years.
Specific to Partner Visas, we have seen various reforms be announced such as introducing an English language requirement for Partner Visas. Another reform included a new Sponsorship framework that would require Australian sponsors to become ‘approved’ before an applicant can actually lodge their application.
Although these reforms were never passed, they are just an example of changes that could be announced by the Department of Home Affairs at any time. With high levels of migration into Australia over the last year and the impacts of inflation and our rental crisis (just to name a few), my opinion is that we might see Australia’s borders tightening again or at least, Australia further capping various visa programs.
We can’t predict the future but history gives us a good indication of what may come. So what have we learnt from all the changes? If you’re eligible for an Australian Partner Visa, the best time to apply is NOW.
Avoid Potential Fee Increases
Honestly, can Australian Partner Visas get any more expensive? The answer is probably yes.
When I first started practising law and became a Registered Migration Agent (in 2014) the fee to apply for a Partner Visa was only $1,845. Now as we know, the fee for a Partner Visa is $11,710. You can’t put a price on love, but you can sure dampen the mood.
The Department generally puts up their visa application fees on 1 July, and the Partner Visa has not been exempt from fee increases.
Starting your Partner Visa Application now puts you in a great position to lodge your application before the next potential fee increase.
Applying for your Partner Visa means you are in the queue
‘You can’t win it, if you’re not in it’. Again, true for Partner Visas! We have also seen so much change with Australian Partner Visa processing time. Onshore Partner Visas were taking on average 12-24 months to process only a year or two ago. But now? We are finding them processing relatively fast.
However as we know, processing times are always changing and dependent on so many different factors. Applying for your Partner Visa now means your application is in the queue for processing.
So why is now the best time to apply for your Partner Visa?
If history has taught us anything when it comes to Australian Partner Visas, it’s that immigration laws are constantly changing, and what was relevant even 6 months ago might not be relevant today.
If you’re eligible to apply for your Partner Visa, avoid potential disappointment and make it your New Year’s goal.
Make this the last Christmas that you spend apart from your partner.
From all of us at the Partner Visa Academy, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
IMPORTANT: Please note, this does not constitute Immigration advice. Always seek advice from a Registered Migration Agent before applying for an Australian Visa. Migration Law is constantly changing. This information is accurate only at the time of publication.
