What are the costs associated with a Partner Visa Application?
The Australian Government fee for Partner Visa Applications is $1,705.00 AUD, if the applicant is outside Australia at the time of application. Fees may vary, if the application is lodged while the applicant is in Australia.
The Australian Government routinely makes upwards adjustments of all application fees. Your Attorney/Registered Migration Agent will provide you with the exact fee at the time of lodging your application. There will be other costs associated with your application, such as your medical examination, police clearance(s), the certification of your documents, and certain postage / courier costs.
There is no additional DIAC application fee to be paid, when being assessed for the permanent Partner Visa.
There are professional fees associated with the representation of you in your visa application process and your Attorney/Registered Migration Agent will provide you with a flat fee quote, based on your visa subclass and the specific circumstances of your particular application. There are other expenses associated with your application such as: medical examinations, police clearances, fees charged by various registrars and/or clerks for obtaining your personal documents like birth or marriage certificates, and postage / courier costs for mailing your documents. The certification of your documents can also be a significant expense and if you are represented by Australian Visas Now, your Attorney/Registered Migration Agent will certify your documents for you (no additional fees) as part of our client service, when appropriate.
Current Australian Skilled Visa Application Processing Time
On September 23, 2009, the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, established new priority processing arrangements for certain visa applications. These arrangements are designed to better address the needs of industry by targeting skills in critical need across a number of sectors.
Priority processing arrangements determine the order in which the Australian Government will process your visa application and this has direct bearing on how long an application will take. Priority processing arrangements apply to the following categories of visa applications, from 23 September 2009, as listed below:
Under the Ministerial Direction, the following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply:
- applications from people who are employer sponsored
- applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government and whose nominated occupation is listed on the Critical Skills List (CSL)
- applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
- applications from people who are neither nominated nor sponsored but whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL
- applications from people who are nominated by a State/Territory government whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL
- applications from people whose occupations are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) and
- applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL.
For the Subclass 485 (Skilled – Graduate) visa the following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply:
- applications from people who have completed an Australian Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) at an Australian educational institution in Australia
- applications from people who have nominated an occupation on the CSL
- applications from people who have completed an Australian Bachelor degree and Australian Masters degree at an Australian educational institution in Australia
- applications from people who have completed an Australian Bachelor degree and Australian Honors degree (at least upper second class level) at an Australian educational institution in Australia
- applications from people who have completed an Australian Bachelor degree or Australian Masters degree at an Australian educational institution in Australia
The following visa subclasses are exempt from priority processing:
- Skilled – Recognized Graduate Subclass 476
- Skilled – Designated Area – Sponsored (Residence) Subclass 883
- Skilled – Regional Subclass 887
Applications for these visa subclasses will be processed in the order in which they are received.