The Importance of Comprehensive and Forensically Sound Applications to ensure Priority in Processing.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection flag changes to Partner Visa Processing.
Onshore partner (subclass 820/801) visas are designed for partners in a genuine de-facto relationship with an Australian Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or eligible New Zealand Citizen to be able to live in Australia together. In the past, partner visas have been reviewed in sequential order based on lodgement month with no regard for the complexity of the case. A recent letter released by the Director of the onshore partner migration division, Wendy Davenport, has outlined changes to partner visa processing.
Ms Davenport explained in her letter to the Migration Institute of Australia, due to scant resources, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection is changing its method of visa processing, straying from the usual chronological allocations to processing decision ready applications first. According to Ms Davenport, the Department will be giving priority to ‘low-risk applicants and those regarded by DIBP as fully front-end loaded with documents that immediately satisfies Partner criteria’.[1]
Current onshore partner visa waiting times range between 16 and 23 months. The new ‘triaging approach’ will see applicant with the most decision ready applications assessed ahead of those whose applications are lacking evidence and documentation, therefore extending processing times for applications that are not completed to the standard required for an immediate decision.
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[1] Letter from Wendy Davenport, Director Onshore Partner Migration, Department of Immigration and Border Protection to Bronwyn Markey, Professional Support Manager, Migration Institute of Australia, 4 April 2017, <https://www.mia.org.au/documents/item/1097>.