In Australia, the process for obtaining a spouse visa is quite complicated and needs a lot of effort and time to complete. Before filing an application for a spouse visa you have to be ready to produce evidence of all the required documentation and also meet the strict eligibility criteria. The subclass 100 (Permanent Partner) visa is available for applicants who already have a subclass 309 (temporary visa). When applying you need to have lived in Australia as a spouse for at least two years before submitting your application. 

Temporary or permanent partner visa

A visa for a spouse is also called an Australian Partner Visa. The main applicant who is the Australian spouse is required to be either an Australian citizen or permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen.

The Australian spouse visa permits a spouse which can be a wife, husband or a de facto partner, including a fiancé to legally migrate to Australia.

Eligibility for a spouse visa to enter Australia

The key requirement for spouse visa eligibility is that the relationship is both genuine and long-term. The couple will need to meet the following requirements:

• Lived together on a permanent basis. 
• The spouse relationship must have lasted for the last twelve months.
• Both spouses need to pass set character and health criteria.

The time it takes to get the spouse visa

• The 300 Provisional Visa can take from 11 to 15 months but is only temporary.
• The 100 Permanent Visa may take between 20 and 30 months.

The cost of a spouse visa

The spouse visa fees are approximately AUD7,850 but AUD 1,310 for the temporary 300 visa. If there are any children who intend to accompany the spouse and they are over 18 years the cost is $3,860 for each child and under 18 years attracts a cost of $1,935 each.

For an eligible NZ Citizen Family Relationship Application, which is called an Sc461, the fee for the main applicant is $365 and a child accompanying the spouse who is above 18 years the fee is $185 per child and $90 for each child under 18 years.

Other costs 

• A medical examination is required before an application can be approved which costs per adult about $350 and $300 for each child.
• Police checks are required and the cost depends on the country where the police check is provided.
• If any documents required are not in English a translation will be required for all documents and the applicant will have to pay the translation costs.

The next step is to apply for a spouse visa

You will need to file a spouse visa application online including the required fees. A receipt will be provided once the fee has been paid. Once you have filed the application for the partner visa it will take several months before you will receive a decision from the Department of Home Affairs. As soon as approval is received the visa will be issued and your new life in Australia will begin.

Because a partner visa normally takes at least 12 months to process it is best to begin your application at the earliest possible time so you and your spouse can get the most out of life in Australia.