How to Apply for Partner / Fiance Visa in Australia

A fiance visa, or a prospective marriage visa as called by the Australian Government, allows people outside of Australia to marry an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident. The visa allows foreigners to enter Australia and grants them 9 months of stay, during which they must finish the marriage procedure. With a fiance visa, visitors can work in Australia, study, and travel in and out of the country, and once married, they can apply for a full spouse visa.

Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for the fiance visa, applicants must intend to marry and live with their prospective spouse as husband and wife. Applicants must provide proof for this. They must have met in person, and be the opposite sex of their spouse. Same-sex couples can apply for partner visas instead, based on their relationship. Other requirements are listed in the age, health and character section. Another requirement for the candidate is to be sponsored for the visa by the respective spouse.

Who Can Sponsor the Visa?
Certain requirements apply for sponsors as well. The sponsor must be 18 years old of age, and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident/citizen of New Zealand. Some of the limitations for sponsors include:

• Those who were sponsored within the past five years cannot sponsor now
• If a person has previously sponsored two people, he can no longer be a sponsor for other
• The sponsor has already sponsored a person for migration within the past five years

Requirements

• Be engaged to an Australian citizen or eligible New Zealand citizen
• The fiance and the sponsor must be 18 or older. The only exception is if one of them is about to turn 18 by the time their marriage becomes official
• Applicants must meet the health requirements. They must provide valid information and examination results that they are perfectly healthy
• Character requirements
• Police certificate from the country they have lived in the past 12 months stating. If there is more than one country, he/she should provide certificate for each of them
• Applicants, including the sponsor must provide a proof they have no debts to the Australian government. If there are, they must arrange to repay them before the visa is granted.

Cost
The base cost for application for people living outside Australia, is $2774. Besides those, applicants may need to pay other costs for police certificates, health assessments and other tests. For applicants in Australia, the cost is $1029.

Where to Apply
Individuals can apply for the fiance visa online. They must provide all the documents, including two forms in their applications. The first form is regarding information of the fiance, and the second one is about the spouse. The fiance fills the information in the Form47SP (Application for migration to Australia by a partner) while the spouse fills the information for the Form40SP.

What to Do After the Visa is Approved
Once the visa is granted, the Australian government notifies the applicants. The information they provide includes when the candidate can use the visa, the grant number, and the conditions attached to it. Once they get their visa, fiancés may book their flight to Australia, and start working on the preparations for the wedding with their spouse.