Australia Lists 5 Requirements Foreign Spouses Must Meet to Get Permanent Partner Visa

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined the conditions foreign spouses and de facto partners must satisfy to qualify for a permanent Partner visa
• Applicants must already hold a specific temporary visa and wait at least two years before eligibility for the permanent grant can be assessed
• Health checks, financial obligations, and relationship status are among the key hurdles applicants must clear before a decision is made

Australia's Department of Home Affairs has published the five conditions that foreign spouses and de facto partners of Australian citizens or permanent residents must satisfy before they can be granted a permanent Partner visa, known as Subclass 801.

The permanent visa represents the final stage in a two-step process for partners already living in the country.

**Visa and Waiting Period Requirements**

To even be considered, applicants must typically hold either a Partner visa (Subclass 820) or a Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445). Beyond that, a waiting period applies: at least two years must have passed from the date the original Subclass 820 and 801 application was lodged before the Department will assess eligibility for a permanent grant. Applicants can verify that date through their ImmiAccount.

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There is one notable exception. If the sponsoring partner and the applicant can demonstrate they were already in a long-term relationship at the time of lodging the original application, the Department may process the permanent visa before the two-year mark.

**Relationship, Health, and Financial Conditions**

Applicants must remain in a genuine relationship with the same person who sponsored their temporary visa. The Department does, however, make allowances where the relationship has broken down, where the sponsor has passed away, or where domestic or family violence is a factor, with special provisions potentially applying in those situations.

Health requirements must also continue to be satisfied, and this obligation extends to any family members included in the application. Where health examinations were previously completed as part of the Subclass 820 process, the Department will advise whether further checks are needed.

On the financial side, all outstanding debts to the Australian government must either be cleared or have a formal repayment arrangement in place. This applies to the primary applicant as well as any family members, including those not travelling to Australia.

**Best Interests of Child Applicants**

Where any applicant is under 18 years of age, the Department will weigh whether granting the visa genuinely serves that child's best interests. The visa cannot be approved if this condition is not met.

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Once all five conditions are satisfied and the visa is approved, it is permanent. The holder becomes an Australian permanent resident from the date of the grant.

Source: YEN.com.gh