Do you have a long-distance relationship with an Australian partner and intend to get married & live together but do not know which visa type will allow your partner to enter the country legally? Well! The Australian Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) allows your spouse-to-be to come to Australia temporarily to tie the knot with you.
Moreover, the prospective marriage visa allows your future spouse to study and work temporarily and also makes them eligible to apply for a partner visa (subclass 820) after getting married. However, you can apply for this 300 visa only if your partner is already a PR holder, an Australian citizen, or an eligible New Zealand citizen and sponsors you.
Furthermore, you can also bring your dependent children (stepchildren) and dependent family members on this visa subclass 300.
Note: Couples of the same sex are eligible to apply for this visa, as gay marriage is now recognised per the new updates to the Australian Federal Law.
How long can one stay on a Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) visa?
The stay duration is between 9 to 15 months; during this time, you must get married to your partner/fiancé and become eligible to apply for a partner visa (subclass 820) to extend your stay duration in Australia.
If, in this case, you didn’t get married to your partner and your stay duration ends, you must return to your country, and you can reapply for this visa.
How long does it take to process a Prospective Marriage Visa application?
Usually, the processing time for this visa is between 5 to 35 months, which may depend on the applicant’s profile because there are many other complex cases that the immigration department has to review. Hence, it takes time to announce the result.
Requirements to Apply for Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300)
Here are a few important requirements that need to be fulfilled before applying for this visa subclass 300, which are as follows:
- Your prospective spouse must sponsor you.
- You must be outside Australia while submitting the visa application.
- You have not had any visa refusals or cancellations before.
- You must fulfil the relationship requirements*.
- You are required to provide health and character certificates.
- You must provide a scorecard of English language proficiency test such as PTE/IELTS/ ToEFL.
- You are required to buy adequate health insurance, probably OVHC (Overseas Visitor Health Cover).
- You must be 18 years old or elder when applying for the prospective partner visa.
To fulfil the relationship requirement, you will be asked to provide proof of your relationship, such as chat and call history, pictures with each other (optional), family gatherings, travel together (optional), or more.
Note: You must provide all the genuine information in your visa application, as all the information provided by you is cross-checked by the immigration department. The immigration officer can directly refuse or cancel the visa application if they doubt or find any misinformation.
Tips to Successful Visa Application of Future Spouse in Australia
For a successful visa application that can increase the chances of visa approval, here are a few important tips that need to follow:
Proof of Genuine Intention of Marriage
While submitting the visa application, you need to submit the documents that prove your real intention of marriage, such as documents of wedding ceremony arrangements, the wedding celebrant signed document of date and venue, NOIM (Notice of Intention to Marry) and much more.
Proof of Genuine Intention to Live Together
To increase the chances of visa approval, you need to submit documents that can prove that you both have the intention to live together. To prove this, you submit the documents of joint assets, a document of the nature of commitment and much more.
Get Advice from a MARA Agent
You can take help from the registered migration agent, who can help you in assessing your profile thoroughly, give advice on fulfilling the requirements for the prospective visa, provide assurance for successful visa approval and much more.
Conclusion
The process of visa application seems very easy, but when it to comes to getting positive outcomes, it needs expert advice. So if your partner is in Australia, and you wish to get married soon, you can follow the above tips or can take assistance from us. We will help you at every step of your visa application and improve the chance of visa approval.
We provide detailed information and guidance related to prospective marriage visas. We have a team of registered migration agents (MARA agents) who have more than 13 years of experience and have worked on many unique cases, which has made us one of the most trusted agencies in Australia, India, the Philippines, Cambodia and Pakistan.
