Form 47SP: Application for Migration to Australia by a Partner
Form 47SP is the primary application form for partner visa applicants seeking to migrate to Australia. It is used for the onshore subclass 820/801 and the offshore subclass 309/100. This guide explains what the form requires, who must complete it, and the mistakes that most commonly lead to refusals.
The partner visa application form
Form 47SP is completed by the visa applicant — the person who wants to migrate to Australia to be with their partner. It is the main application form for the partner visa program and must be lodged through ImmiAccount in almost all cases.
The form collects personal details, travel and visa history, relationship details, and family information. It is assessed alongside Form 40SP (completed by the sponsor), supporting documents, and statutory declarations from people who know the couple.
Since 2015, online lodgement through ImmiAccount has been the standard method. Paper applications are only valid where the Department has specifically invited a paper submission. An uninvited paper application is invalid.
The applicant, not the sponsor
Completed by the person applying for the partner visa. This is the person who wants to live in Australia with their partner.
Required for: subclass 820 (onshore), subclass 309 (offshore), and subclass 300 (Prospective Marriage Visa).
Completed by the Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen who is sponsoring the applicant.
The sponsor must be approved as a sponsor. Sponsorship approval is assessed as part of the same application and is not a separate process.
The four sections of the form
Form 47SP is structured around four main categories of information. Each section must be completed accurately and consistently with the supporting documents and evidence submitted.
Full legal name, date of birth, passport details, current address, contact information, and details of any dependent children or other dependants who are included in the application.
All previous visits to Australia, all visas held or applied for in Australia and other countries, any visa refusals or cancellations, and any periods of unlawful stay. Full disclosure is mandatory — non-disclosure is treated as a character issue.
How and when you met your partner, the nature of your relationship, your living arrangements, and your future plans together. This section must be consistent with the four pillars evidence — financial, household, social, and commitment.
Details of the applicant's family members, including any previous marriages or de facto relationships, children from previous relationships, and any family members who may be included in the application as secondary applicants.
The four pillars of a genuine relationship
The Department does not assess partner visas on the basis of Form 47SP alone. It assesses the genuineness of the relationship across four categories. Your form must be completed consistently with evidence across all four.
Joint bank accounts, shared assets, financial interdependence, shared financial responsibilities such as rent, mortgage, or utilities.
Shared living arrangements, shared responsibility for household tasks, cohabitation history, and domestic arrangements.
How the relationship is presented to family, friends, and the community. Statutory declarations from people who know the couple are important evidence here.
The duration of the relationship, future plans together, knowledge of each other's personal circumstances, and the length of time spent together.
What causes partner visa refusals
Partner visa applications are refused for a range of reasons, many of which relate directly to how Form 47SP is completed. These are the mistakes I see most frequently in my practice.
The most common cause of adverse findings. If the dates, locations, or descriptions in the form do not match the documents submitted, the Department will treat the inconsistency as evidence that the relationship is not genuine. Every detail in the form must be cross-checked against every document before lodgement.
Form 47SP requires full disclosure of all previous visa refusals, cancellations, and any periods of unlawful stay in Australia or any other country. Non-disclosure is treated as a character issue under s.501 of the Migration Act and can result in refusal on that basis alone, regardless of the merits of the relationship.
Submitting evidence in only one or two of the four pillars — typically financial and social — while leaving household and commitment evidence thin is a common mistake. The Department expects evidence across all four categories. A weak pillar invites adverse findings.
Leaving sections blank or writing 'not applicable' without explanation raises questions. Every section of Form 47SP must be completed. If a section genuinely does not apply, a brief explanation should be provided.
Since 2015, online lodgement is the standard method. Submitting a paper Form 47SP without a specific invitation from the Department renders the application invalid. An invalid application is not a refused application — it is as if no application was made — but the application charge is not automatically refunded.
"Partner visa applications are among the most document-intensive visa categories in the Australian system. The form itself is straightforward — the difficulty lies in ensuring that every statement in the form is supported by evidence, and that the evidence tells a coherent and consistent story across all four pillars. I have seen applications refused not because the relationship was not genuine, but because the evidence was poorly organised or the form contained minor inconsistencies that the Department treated as significant."
Nilesh Nandan — Immigration Lawyer, 27 years of practice
Form 47SP — common questions
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