Partner Visa Sponsorship – Migration Amendment (Family Violence & Other Measures) Bill

On 28 November 2018, the Australian Government approved the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill. 

Under this Act, all Partner Visa sponsors are required to be approved by the Department of Home Affairs (Department) before a Partner Visa’s approval.

The purpose of this change is to improve the management of family violence within the family visa regime and advance the protection of visa applicants and vulnerable sponsors.

The Australian government is aware of the ongoing concern of family violence and the ‘power imbalance’ that has been found between visa applicants and their sponsors.

Update – January 2022

The above-mentioned reforms to the Partner Visa program were announced as part of the 2020-21 Federal Budget.

These include introducing an English language requirement and applying the sponsorship framework set out in the Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Act 2018 to the Partner Visa program.

What Does This Mean for You?

Once this legislation has been implemented, sponsorship applications must be lodged and approved before the lodgement of a Partner Visa application.

This will likely result in an additional application fee for the separate Partner Visa Sponsor application.

Further, if a decision has not been made about the Sponsorship Application and your current visa has expired, you may be required to leave Australia and apply offshore.

Sponsors will now be more heavily scrutinised before a Partner Visa application can be submitted and later granted.

Given these changes, we highly recommend that you prepare your Partner Visa as soon as possible you meet the criteria set out by the Department to avoid any complications that may (likely) arise due to these changes.

Contact Us

For professional consultation on how the Migration Amendment (Family Violence & Other Measures) Bill affects Partner Visa Sponsorship, contact Bambrick Legal today:

• Schedule a professional consultation with our specialists here
• Call us on 08 8362 5269
• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Please note: Our migration and citizenship consultations are provided on a fee basis.

Related Blog – Family Violence Whilst on a Visa: What Are Your Options?