The Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) allows individuals to come to Australia to visit their Partner.

For applicants seeking a Visitor Visa to come and stay with their Partner in Australia there are two streams, Independent and Family Sponsored. As part of your Visitor Visa application you must show that you have a genuine visitor intention, incentive to return home and that you have access to adequate funds for your intended stay in Australia. Applicants must also meet Health, Character, Special Return and Public Interest Criteria.

The Family Sponsored stream requires that the applicant be sponsored by an eligible Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident. A separate sponsorship application must be submitted as part of the visa application. The Department of Immigration may request a Bond as part of your application. The bond requested can be in the amount of $5000 – $15,000. The bond is refunded when the visa holder observes the conditions of their visa and leaves Australia.

The Department of Immigration has specific policy regarding the granting of Visitor Visas to a Partner of an Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen. The length of stay granted and your ability to lodge a further Partner Visa whilst in Australia will depend on your circumstances.

For example, a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa (Family/Partner Sponsored Stream) has a mandatory condition 8503 (No Further Stay) placed on it, preventing the holder from making a further visa application while they remain in Australia. However, the placement of the ‘no further stay’ condition is not mandatory for the Case Officer where you apply for a 600 Visitor Visa (Independent Stream). Your circumstances and the country you are applying from will determine the likelihood that such a condition would be placed in your Visitor Visa.

Visitor Visas are a highly discretionary area of Australian Immigration law and great care must be taken to ensure that your particular circumstances are outlined to the Department of Immigration.

Processing times depend on country of the passport holder and country of origin of the applicant. Current processing times for Visitor Visas as indicated by the Australian Department of Immigration website, is published here.