ImmiResponse

20/10/2026

I read the partner visa forums more than I should admit. This question comes up every week: do we do police checks and medicals at lodgement, or only when the RFI lands?

Best option: have your application decision ready from day one. Upload evidence, complete the health assessment, and get Australian and overseas police checks in.

Short on cash? The health assessment is expensive. Hold it until the RFI or the final stretch of processing. That is a legitimate call.

The case officer needs to be satisfied that your relationship is genuine and continuing, you are healthy, and your character is good on the day they decide. Not the day you lodged. Months or years ago is a long time on paper.

So refresh it:

New bank statements and bills every 6 months
A few fresh social proofs of your relationship
Police check renewed every 12 months (AFP in Australia, overseas check if you are offshore)

Calendar it. Set reminders. The applicant who is always ready gets decided faster.

Free guidance: immiresponse.au | 0494 315 315

18/10/2026

Partner visa forums are having a moment. The advice doing the rounds: if you have a de facto relationship certificate, you can skip the evidence of living together on an onshore application.

Wrong. And the proof people point to is the wrong comparison.

Offshore applicants often live in different countries. Case officers know that. So they look for flights, wedding photos, hotel bookings, the family home you both stayed in.

Onshore, you are in the same country. If you claim de facto and have no shared address, no shared bills, no shared life on paper, a certificate does not fill that gap. It shows commitment. Cohabitation is what shows the relationship.

I read these threads far too late at night for someone who does this for a living. Every time, I think of the person who will lodge on forum advice and find out at the decision stage.

Before you lodge, ask yourself: could a stranger read my evidence and see two people sharing a life?

Questions about your own case? immiresponse.au

13/10/2026

Your partner visa is granted. Now Immigration wants proof you’re still together. Again. 🙃

The law says you’re eligible for permanent residency two years after you apply. The Department grants you temporary residency instead, then invites you to “provide further information.” Two years of processing, and they still want to check you haven’t broken up in the waiting room.

So do you need to pay an agent for the second stage?

I’m a migration agent. My answer: no. Do it yourself.

The hard part is done. The second stage is the same story with fresh evidence:
✅ Same address, still living together
✅ Shared finances
✅ A statement from the sponsor
✅ Two NEW Form 888s (the old ones don’t count, and your referees can be new friends because life moves on)

One tip: ask your previous representative to share your 820/309 application to your ImmiAccount. Read your old answers first and keep the new ones consistent.

Save your money. Spend it on the wedding party you never had. 🥂

Need a hand with something genuinely complex? Call 0494 315 315 or visit immiresponse.au

12/10/2026

Your partner applied for a partner visa overseas, and now you are being told the wait could stretch past three years. ABC News reported this week that offshore partner visa applicants are facing waits of up to 39 months, since the government moved in July to prioritise onshore applications instead. One sponsor said her husband might not be back until mid 2028. That is an enormous amount of time to hold a relationship together across a border. While you wait, the one thing within your control is your evidence. Joint finances, communication history and proof of your commitment all need to be solid, since a thin file only adds delay once your case is finally assessed. I always tell couples the wait itself is out of my hands, although I can make sure nothing in your application invites more questions. If you want help getting that evidence right, look up our Partner Visa Readiness service.

#

12/10/2026

If your visa depends on your partner and your relationship has become unsafe, I want you to know that you have options.

The ABC reported this week on people who discovered, sitting in a lawyer’s office, that they had been living in Australia unlawfully because their partner never lodged their visa application or never told them it was refused. With both the government and the opposition talking about tougher action on overstayers, advocates say abusers are already using the threat of detention and deportation to keep people quiet.

Australia’s family violence provisions can allow some visa applicants to keep moving towards permanent residency without staying with an abusive partner. They only apply to certain visas and only once an application has been made, which is exactly why getting advice early matters. If you’re not sure whether an application was ever lodged for you, we can help you find out.

I work on family violence cases, and I’m passionate about them. Our conversations are confidential, and you can book a free 10-minute consultation through immiresponse.au or email [email protected]. Please don’t share your situation in the comments here, and send us a private message instead.

If someone checks your phone or messages, contact us from a phone they can’t see, or ask a trusted friend to reach out for you.

If you’re in danger right now, call 000. For confidential support at any time, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.



https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-12/migration-changes-hands-power-to-domestic-abusers-expert-say/107180366?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

A crackdown on overstayers is part of both federal government and opposition migration plans. But advocates against domestic and family violence warn it may worsen the situation for many.

10/10/2026

Have a migration agent check your partner visa application before you submit it. Increase your chances of success - refusal means a lost visa fee.

07/10/2026

Five stars look reassuring. A clear answer to a difficult immigration question is what earns trust.

Our Google reviews reflect the support we aim to provide: timely responses, personalized guidance, and transparent advice grounded in current immigration policy. Read what clients say, then contact us for immigration assistance.

05/10/2026

'He may not be home until 2028…'

For couples waiting on an offshore subclass 309 visa, that uncertainty is more than a date on a screen. ABC News reports that 90% of offshore cases take up to 39 months, compared with 29 months for onshore applicants at the 90th percentile. Since July, onshore applications have been prioritised.

We cannot change processing priorities, but we can help you prepare clear, thorough evidence while you wait. Financial records, communication history and shared commitments can help make your circumstances clear when your application is assessed. Contact us for immigration assistance.

01/09/2026

On 25 July the Department issued Ministerial Direction 117. It sorted the entire family visa queue into two piles: onshore, and everyone else.

Onshore goes first. All of it. Ministerial intervention cases, then onshore partner and dependent child, then orphan relative, then contributory parent. Carer and aged parent visas sit at the very bottom of that pile — and they're still ahead of you.

If you applied offshore, you wait for that whole list to clear.

So if there is a lawful path for you to apply onshore — partner, parent — that decision is worth making this month.

Come talk to me and we'll look at where you actually sit. If you'd rather run it yourself, the partner visa tools on our site will get you to a properly evidenced application without the professional fees.

VisaProcessingTimes MigrationAgent MovingToAustralia

24/08/2026

We get asked a lot: do I really need a migration agent?
The honest answer is that you don't have to use one - but there's a reason so many people do.

Here's what working with an RMA actually means for you:
📌 Advice that's legally sound and specific to your situation
📌 Someone who knows which visa is right for you
📌 A strategy built around your timeline, your documents, your goals

Ready to take the first step? Book a free call via the link in our bio.