New partner sponsorship requirements

Posted on June 25, 2021 by CCMS - News

Australians wanting to marry foreigners will have to undergo a domestic violence check before they can apply to bring their loved ones into the country.

The new measure will require Australian citizens and permanent residents to undergo a police check and show any adverse results to their partner or spouse before they can sponsor them.

The domestic violence check is expected to take six weeks to process and will be covered by an additional $420 fee announced last week in the federal budget when the government also revealed it planned to introduce an English language test for foreign partners.

For those intending to apply onshore, this could be a problem, if they are in Australia on a temporary visa and that visa expires before the sponsorship has been approved.

Both the domestic violence check and English tests would come into effect at the end of 2021 but have to be approved by Parliament.

Responses

1. Peata says:
   

   August 23rd, 2021 at 2:24 am

   Will these changes include eligible new Zealand citizen sponsors?

2. CCMS says:
   

   August 23rd, 2021 at 2:56 am

   It will apply to all sponsors.

3. Helen Bell says:
   

   October 6th, 2021 at 11:15 pm

   Very informative and thorough. Thank you.