COVID-19 Effect: Crucial Updates On Australian Partner Visa Processing Time

Amidst the crunch of Coronavirus, the Australian immigration department has proclaimed even more grim news for all its partner visa holders, claiming that they will have to wait at least for up to 2 years to begin staying with their marital or de facto partner after their visa gets processed. Applicants who have applied for their partner visa within the last three months or haven’t applied yet are likely to face the maximum impact of this change in different Australian partner visas.

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On the contrary, applicants whose visas are already undergoing a processing session are likely to get impacted by this decision quite soon. According to the statements of some of the immigration officials, there are several reasons for which this change in the partner visas had to be brought. Some of these reasons can be considered below.

• A sudden decline in the number of visa application approvals since January 2020, specifically for the partner visa 309.
• Also, there has been an abrupt increment in the visa processing time, which has increased reasonably from the previous visa processing time, comprising a time-frame of 10-12 months at the most.
• One of the reasons is also the lockdown, which has been imposed on various countries all across the globe. This in return has stopped these countries from providing their visa-related services, hence, these unreasonable delays in the processing of the various partner visas of Australia.

One of the migration experts also presumed, and, said that if the duration of the lockdown is extended all over the globe, then, the approximate delayed processing times of the Australian partner visas can become a little longer than 2 years as well.

The Rate of People Being Affected

As a result of this elongation in the processing times of the Australian partner visas, at least 75%-80% have been affected severely in terms of starting to stay with their partner within the expected time through their partner visas. Apart from this, the delayed processing times of the partner visas have also made some of the negative impacts given below.

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1. The applications of various other visas apart from the partner visa category may also face a delayed processing time as a result of this.
2. Many applicants are facing difficulties to undergo the English language tests on their individual visas, simply because of the stoppage in their applications.
3. Some of the medical tests related to certain visas have also been stopped, hence, applicants who have already applied for their visas are being unable to get through their relevant medical examinations.

Due to all of these unexpected restrictions on some of these visas, which is undoubtedly the result of the decision to impose delayed processing times on all of the partner visas, Australia has decided to allow only its permanent residents and citizens, who will have to go for quarantine for a fortnight as soon as they return to the country. Besides, each of them will be selected by the Australian immigration officials on a case by case basis, and, according to the order of importance.

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What’s the Solution?

Keeping in mind the crisis of lockdown, which the entire world is going through, the Australian immigration department has allowed all those applicants who are facing delayed processing in their partner visas, to apply for a visitor visa and that’s how to access the country. It’s a more positive alternative to visit Australia in a hassle-free manner whose partner visas are undergoing delayed processing, an immigration official said. Compliance with all the visa criteria and submission of the right documents will only reduce the duration of the turnover time, or else the processing time will almost remain the same, hence, it may become reasonably longer for the next couple of months.

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For more information and expert assistance on matters like these, contact our team of professional Migration Agents Perth at ISA Migrations, and we are always happy to help you.