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Shipping to Australia? We’ll find you the best price!Foreigners in Relationship with Australians Can Stay While Application Considered
Are you a foreign national in a relationship with an Australian citizen? Good news! You no longer need to leave the country while your request for a visa for Australia is being considered.
Previously the law required a foreign partner applying for an Australian partner visa to go offshore while awaiting a decision from the Australian Immigration department. Now, couples no longer face a separation and the foreign partner is permitted to remain in the country while their application for an Australian visa is considered. Those applying for the Australian partner visa will need a sponsorship form signed by their partner and supporting statutory declarations from two other Australians.
The changes will not apply to people who have previously been refused a partner visa since their last entry into Australia, or who have had an Australian visa cancelled or refused on character grounds.
Chris Evans, a spokesman for Immigration Minister said the old practice was forcing Australians to face a potentially long separation from their foreign partners. Figures show that up to 30 per cent of all cases presented to the minister for intervention involved people in that situation.
While immigration experts have welcomed the change but say the changes need to go further and also apply to those who have family in Australia but not a partner.
