So you've heard that it can take 2+ years to hear back from Immigration about your partner visa? Unfortunately it's true. Currently, official processing time for most 820/801 onshore partner visas is anywhere between 15 months to 25+ months.
With $7,000 out of pocket, we can definitely see why you'd want to get these applications processed faster! Good news is, many applications do get processed a lot faster, sometimes in less than half the time!
Here are 4 expert tips from our former-Immigration officer on how you can get your partner visa granted faster!
1. Make your application decision-ready
Immigration case officers have targets and KPIs like any other employee. From April to June last year, it was even explicitly stated that case officers will not be prioritising cases by submission dates during that time, but by their decision-readiness (read more about this here) in order to meet annual targets. Give them the incentive to grant your application straight away by giving them everything they need when they pick up your file; win-win situation!
2. Don't inundate them with useless information
Whilst you should give them an abundance of information aimed at proving that your relationship is genuine, drowning them with useless evidence and information will only confuse them. They are also obliged by law to look at all the evidence provided, which not only means you are making them take more time with your application, but also leave yourself more room for error/confusion.
3. Time your application
Evidently, the better you meet the criteria, the stronger your application is. Been living together for 11 months? Can you wait 1 more month before you apply? Been living together for 2 years and 9 months? Can you wait 3 more months, so you can be considered in a 'long-term relationship' and potentially get your permanent and temporary stage granted together?
4. Prepare for your application
Think about how much evidence you have for each of the 4 criteria. For example, have you been putting off getting a joint bank card? This is a good example of the sort of evidence you can use to prove you have shared financial resources, so perhaps it's good to open one a few months before submitting your application.
Want to know more about how you can get your application granted faster? Discuss your situation with our migration experts and find how how in a FREE 1-to-1 consultation today! Book yours here.