Did you know that you’re not actually lodging an Australian Partner Visa if you don’t complete the correct partner visa forms? In this blog, we’ll explore the mandatory Australian Partner visa forms you need for a Partner Visa, meaning if you don’t complete them, you aren’t actually lodging a valid Partner Visa. I will also walk you through the ‘non mandatory’ forms.
The Australian Partner visa forms we will explore are relevant for Partner Visa Subclasses 820/801, 309/100 and 300.
Partner Visa Forms – What is the Form 47SP? (The main application form)
Let’s start with the big one – the Form 47SP. This is a mandatory form, you can’t miss this one if you’re getting ready to lodge a Partner Visa.
This form is completed by the visa applicant (the person who’s applying for the visa). It’s important to note that the Department moved away from paper applications years ago, which means that Partner Visas are now lodged online, via Immi Account.
The Form 47SP is a big one. You might want to grab a cup of coffee or tea before you sit down and start completing it. Here, the Department will ask for all sorts of information such as questions around your identity and address, your family members details, your relationship details, your Australian visa history, your travel history. It’s important to make sure the information you are providing is not only accurate but also consistent with any previous Australian visas you have applied for.
In this Form, the Department will also ask you about the Four Pillars of your Relationship. I would recommend that instead of detailing the Four Pillars in the form itself, you simply refer the Department to your Relationship Statements.
It’s only after you have completed and submitted this form, that your Sponsor can then start to prepare their Sponsorship Form.
On average, I find that this form can take between 2-3 hours to complete.
Partner Visa Forms – What is the Form 40SP? (Sponsor’s form)
This is the Applicant’s Partners Sponsorship Form (Sponsor). It can only be completed once the Form 47SP has been submitted. Don’t bother googling ‘Form 40SP‘ because the only way that you can complete it is via your Immi Account and only after the Form 47SP has been lodged.
Luckily this Form is a lot shorter than the Form 47SP, but it’s still very important! Best practice is to submit this form right after the application is lodged and paid for.
That way, it’s not forgotten about and you have all the information handy.
I still see so many people trying to submit the paper version of the Form 40SP, and although there are some lying around the internet and different forums/blogs, the PDF Forms are now irrelevant. Make sure you’re completing and submitting the Form 40SP via the Immi Account.
Partner Visa Forms – Do I need a Form 80? (Character assessment form)
The dreaded Form 80! This is a character assessment form, and it’s not limited to just Partner Visas, so if the Partner Visa isn’t the first Australian visa you have applied for, you may have had the pleasure of completing one already. You do still need to complete a new Form 80 for the Partner Visa.
It’s not a mandatory form when assessing a Partner Visa, which means you can lodge your Partner Visa without completing this form, however there is a good chance the Department will ask for it. In my experience, I have had cases finalised without providing a Form 80, but more often than not, the decision maker will request a Form 80.
So in my opinion, and from what I have seen over the year, I have found that completing this Form at the same time as the others will save you time. It might take you a few years to complete but you could be saving yourself months of delay if you just provide when you lodge your Partner Visa, rather than waiting to see if it’s requested or not. You can also be slowing down the processing of your application if the decision maker requests it from you.
My advice (in most cases) is to lodge a decision ready application, so making sure you provide all the relevant forms is going to play an important part as to whether or not your application is actually decision ready.
If you want to find out more about the From 80 read my blog on “The form 80 and Partner visas” where I go in to much more detail.
Partner Visa Forms – What is the Form 956?
A Form 956 is only completed and submitted if you want to authorise another person to receive correspondence on your behalf. For example, if English is not your first language, you may want to appoint your partner or someone else to receive communication and be able to communicate with the Department on your behalf.
The Form 956 is also used if you want to authorise a Migration Agent or lawyer to act on your behalf.
Partner Visa Forms – Form 888 (Witness Statements)
The very important Form 888’s! Otherwise known as witness statements.
You will definitely want to make sure that you are providing at least 4 Form 888’s with your Partner Visa Application. The Form 888’s are to be provided by your friends/family, basically anyone who knows you and your Partner and can attest to the genuineness of your relationship.
Be choosey with who you ask to provide a Form 888. Read more about Witness Statements in my Witness Statements blog.
Partner Visa Forms – What is the Form 1221? (Adding dependents)
This is called the ‘additional personal particulars form’. It’s a supplementary form required to support your visa application and is to be completed by all applicants who are 18 years of age or over.
For example, if you are including your children in your partner visa and they are 18 years of age or over, then they need to complete this form.
If you don’t have any dependents to be included on your Partner Visa, then you don’t need to worry about this form.
For more information on the form 1221 read my specific blog post on the form 1221
Where can I find the forms?
You can find all the Partner Visa Forms on the Department of Home Affairs website. I recommend you always go directly to the Home Affairs website and download any PDF forms. Why? Because as well as the law constantly changing, immigration forms are also always being updated so you want to make sure you’re using the latest versions of any form.
Why can’t I complete PDF Form 47SP and 40SP?
I hope if you’re reading this blog, that you haven’t already downloaded the PDF Form 47SP and Form 40SP. If you have, sorry and I wish you found us sooner!
To many peoples dismay, the Department moved away from paper applications many years ago. Although most people have caught up, I always see the odd couple here and there that somehow manage to get their hands on PDF versions of the Form 47SP and Form 40SP.
Your Form 47SP as you know by now, is your application form. You can only complete this form via your Immi Account. There’s no point completing a PDF Form 47SP because, well, you’ll have nothing to do with it next. You can’t post it to Immigration, you can’t fax it and you can’t email it. It needs to be lodged electronically. Similarly, the Form 40SP works the same way. So the point here is, don’t bother looking for these forms anywhere other than your Immi Account.
What if I don’t have all the information I need to complete the forms?
It’s in your best interests to provide as much information as possible. This means really digging out any old phones/computers/messages/anything you need to find the information you’re looking for.
Immigration doesn’t like gaps in information, and they expect that couple’s provide accurate information. And importantly, information that is not misleading in any way. You could really find yourself in muddy waters if you’re found to provide any false or misleading information.
There’s a difference here between information being difficult to acquire and just genuinely not being able to obtain some of the information you have been asked for.
A common scenario is when the Department of Home Affairs asks for your travel history over the last 10 years. You can’t skip over this question and you can’t skip over your travel. It can be time consuming to look back through your old passports, emails, photographs etc to find travel dates but in not doing so, you could be risking your application. If you genuinely cannot find dates for a certain period of time, then I recommend you provide a cover letter to explain the gap and why you can’t provide that specific piece of information.
I know that it can feel overwhelming to provide 10 years worth of information such as travel history, employment history, but my advice is to be as truthful and thorough as possible.
Top tip – if you’re still some time away from lodging your Partner Visa, take a look at an app called ‘Tripit‘. As soon as you book a flight, you can send your itinerary to Tripit and it will save your entire travel history for you. So when it comes to completing your travel history for your Partner Visa, you can have most of your travel history handy and ready to go.
What if I have made a mistake or provided incorrect information when completing the forms?
It can be stressful when you finally apply for your Partner Visa but then realise you made a mistake.
If you have made a mistake or inadvertently provided incorrect information, you can complete what’s called a ‘notification of incorrect answers form’. You will find this form in your Immi Account so you will simply need to complete and submit it.
It’s important you are double checking all the information you are providing before your application is lodged to avoid making a mistake.
Tips for completing the forms
Depending on your situation there can be a lot of forms you need to complete before you apply for your Partner Visa.
Here are my tips when completing the forms:
- Complete all forms in one sitting. This is the best way to avoid mistakes. If you are completing all the forms in one go then you will have the information with you and you’re less likely to make a mistake.
- Have continuity across your forms. What I mean by this is that you don’t have any gaps when it comes to dates or information, and that they all flow together. You’ll see a lot of this in the Form 80 where Immigration will want dates of your address history, your education history, employment history and travel history.
- Check your partner’s information including their forms and statements, and have them check yours. You want to make sure your information matches and that there are no discrepancies across the forms.
- Check previous visa applications you have lodged with the Department. If you have previously held a visitor visa or student visa for example, double check the information provided on those forms to make sure they are consistent with your Partner Visa Forms.
- Double Check EVERYTHING at the end. Often referred to as a ‘quality check’. You’ll want to be checking your passport details across your form and cross checking it against your passport, looking for any spelling errors, birth registration numbers etc.
Conclusion
Knowing what forms to complete for your Partner Visa is going to be really important, but what’s crucial is making sure all your information is consistent. If you’re not sure what forms you need to complete, or if you’re not understanding certain questions in forms, then it’s always best to get advice or have a Partner Visa Specialist review your application before it’s lodged.
MPORTANT: 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.
