Same-Sex Partner Visa: A Guide To Same-Sex Partner Visas For Australia

Can I marry or register my same-sex relationship?

If you are in a same-sex relationship and wish to make an application for a partner visa for Australia, things are a lot easier today than they were a few years ago. Australia recognises same-sex relationships. You can marry your same-sex partner in any state and get a marriage certificate.

If you do this you will typically be eligible to lodge a partner visa based on a married relationship. Such an application does not have any 12-month pre-existing relationship requirement. Simply marry and then lodge your partner visa.

However, if you do not wish to marry, but rather you and your same-sex partner instead plan to register your de-facto relationship this is certainly possible in most Australian states and territories – BUT there is no system for gay partners to register as de-facto couples in:

• Western Australia;
• Northern Territory;
• South Australia (although same-sex couples can register their relationship through a “Domestic Partnership Agreement” document).

The potential for registration of gay relationships in addition to heterosexual relationships in most states and territories is a significant development in partner immigration law.

Lodging a partner visa as a de facto partner can yield strategic benefits.

Information on how to get married or register your same-sex de facto relationship is available at the Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages.

Time period – the long wait to get a certificate!

Please also check carefully whether any “waiting period” may apply between the date of lodgement of an application for registration of a relationship and the date of actual registration of the relationship. This can be around one month but the timing may be very critical in relation to any application you wish to make.

Genuine and continuing relationship?

Each and every temporary partner visa applicant, whether homosexual or otherwise, is required to provide evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship .to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP)  

The rules are that a person is the de facto partner of another person (whether of the same sex or different sex) if a person is in a de facto relationship with another person if they are not in a married relationship with each other but: 

• they have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others; and
• the relationship between them is genuine and continuing; and
• They:
  • live together; or
  • do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis; and
• they are not related.

If you are in a de facto relationship with an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident (or with what is known as an eligible New Zealand Citizen), you may be eligible for a de facto partner visa now.

Do you need help with lodging a same-sex partner visa? Book a consultation with me now. Together we can decide what should we do next. I have helped hundreds of same-sex couples get permanent residence visas so they can continue to live their lives in Australia. Can I help you do the same?

How long do Australian partner visas take?

The normal processing time of an Australia partner visa whether is an onshore subclass 820 or an offshore application subclass 309 is around 20 months give or take 5 months. You can check the general processing time on the Department of Home Affairs website here.

How partner visa law changes may affect you?

Does your sponsor have any criminal record or family violence history? Is the person who is not the sponsor in a partner visa application somebody who is currently in Australia without any visa or with a bridging visa held for more than 28 days? 

These are some of the reasons why you might not be eligible to make an application for a partner visa. If you are eligible, these issues may present difficulties for you in getting a partner visa granted.

Looking for an immigration lawyer to help. Book a consultation with me.

Your Experience?

Please share your comments with me.

I’d love to know more about your experience with applying for a partner visa for Australia!