# Change from Visa 300 to 309



## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Hi Guys,

My husband is from Indonesia and we applied for his PMV 300 Visa in November 2014. We received an email on 23rd January 2015, asking for an extra form that we didn't think we had needed, which we sent straight away. We had already done his medical and police clearance before we applied, so they didn't need those. We then got married in February 2015, so we sent off change of details forms and all the extra evidence to change his visa to a 309 Partner Visa. We haven't heard from them since the email in January.

We applied when it cost $3000, then at the start of this year it went up to over $4000, then I've seen the posts saying it will go up over $6000 in July!! I'm basically wondering if because we applied and paid for the 300, if we have changed it to the 309, would they charge us the new price because it's a different visa?

Thanks for your help


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## daisy88 (Jan 16, 2015)

Welcome to the forum, Noodles86. I sent an e-mail to the embassy inquiring about that, and they told me no additional payment is required. Good luck!


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

A friend of mine applied for a 300 and then changed to a 309. In the meantime the fee went up and she had to pay the difference.


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Haha hmm 2 opposite answers. .. Mish how long ago was that that your friend Had to pay that fee? 

Thanks daisy88, i hope that's the case for us! !!


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

Was around September 2013 I believe


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## CCMS (Oct 10, 2013)

I am not sure about this, but I would assume that if you changed from 300 to 309 the VAC that is relevant at the time you change to the 309 would apply, not the one that applied to the 300 when you first lodged it.


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

CCMS said:


> I am not sure about this, but I would assume that if you changed from 300 to 309 the VAC that is relevant at the time you change to the 309 would apply, not the one that applied to the 300 when you first lodged it.


That is what I always thought too but she definitely had to pay the difference, time will tell if the OP has to pay too. The interesting part is on the grant it has lodgement date of around the time they changed to the 309 not when they lodged the 300.


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## CCMS (Oct 10, 2013)

Mish said:


> That is what I always thought too but she definitely had to pay the difference, time will tell if the OP has to pay too. The interesting part is on the grant it has lodgement date of around the time they changed to the 309 not when they lodged the 300.


_Under regulation 2.08E,once the couple has notified the department of their marriage and provided the marriage is valid for visa purposes the sc.300 applicant is taken to have also applied for a sc-309/100 Partner visa.

*In these cases, no additional first instalment VAC is payable; the amount paid for the first instalment VAC for the sc-300 visa is taken to be payment of the first instalment VAC for the sc-100 visa*_


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## daisy88 (Jan 16, 2015)

It is very interesting the way the response from the embasy was formulated, though. I specifically asked whether the price will change considering the application fee went up 50% and there was their answer:

"Thank you for your enquiry.

Please note that if you have applied for Prospective Marriage visa
(subclass 300) and you get married while the visa is being processed then
you should provide evidence of your marriage certificate so that your case
officer can change your application to a Partner visa (subclass 309).
Please also provide a withdrawal letter for your current Prospective
Marriage Visa application and indicate that you now wish to be considered
for the Partner visa (309). You will be considered for a Partner visa
(subclass 309) from the date the department receives evidence of your
marriage. Please ensure you send through a copy of your legal marriage
certificate, not the decorative marriage certificate.

Please note that there is no additional fee for changing Prospective
Marriage Visa to a Partner Visa application.

Please note:

-The information you are given by the Europe Service Centre will be based
on the information you supply.
-We recommend that you do not make any irreversible travel arrangements
until you have an appropriate visa.

Yours faithfully,"

You two may be right, as the way she responded to me refers to the no additional fee for change, but nothing was mentioned regarding the price hike... Therefore she did not answer my question, she only gave me the information regarding the additional fee for the change from 300 to 309. Mish, as you said, the time will tell...


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## Maggie-May24 (Jul 24, 2011)

At the moment, 309 and 300 visas cost the same amount so there's no fee difference to be paid.


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## CCMS (Oct 10, 2013)

Ok, I had some time to look it up and this is (an edited version of) what the regulations say:

_Under regulation 2.08E,once the couple has notified the department of their marriage and provided the marriage is valid for visa purposes the sc.300 applicant is taken to have also applied for a sc-309/100 Partner visa.

*In these cases, no additional first instalment VAC is payable; the amount paid for the first instalment VAC for the sc-300 visa is taken to be payment of the first instalment VAC for the sc-100 visa *_


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Ok well that all sounds kind of promising! But as the fees have changed i won't hold my breath too much! Thanks for the help guys


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

ok i just reread everything (i just woke up haha) and it actually kind of sounds like i will have to pay the difference  .. again only time will tell I suppose. ..

Another thought though, If they then consider the visa application from the date we changed the visa and not the date we originally applied would that mean the 12 month estimate would be from the change date and we'd kind of go back to the bottom of the pile?


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## daisy88 (Jan 16, 2015)

I don't know how you read it, but I read it as you won't have to pay the difference now. The only payment that you need to do is for the second instalment, when you apply for PR, aproximatelly 2 years after you applied, same as everyone else who had applied offshore.


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## CCMS (Oct 10, 2013)

daisy88 said:


> I don't know how you read it, but I read it as you won't have to pay the difference now. The only payment that you need to do is for the second instalment, when you apply for PR, aproximatelly 2 years after you applied, same as everyone else who had applied offshore.


There is no second instalment for partner visas...


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Ah ok. What do you think about the waiting period? Would we go back to the bottom of the pile from February (when we changed the visa)?


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## CCMS (Oct 10, 2013)

Noodles86 said:


> Ah ok. What do you think about the waiting period? Would we go back to the bottom of the pile from February (when we changed the visa)?


I am not privy to the inner workings of the DIBP, but the regulations say :

"_the sc.300 applicant is taken to have also applied for a sc-309/100 Partner visa_",

so I would assume that the original application date would remain the relevant date.


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Awesome! Thank you so much for all your help


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## dejainc (Jun 23, 2013)

We changed ours from 300 to 309, decision date was based on the original application date (300) and they never asked us to pay any additional fees or costs.


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Oh awesome thank you Dejainc! Do you know if the fees went up at all at that time between you applying for your 300 and then changing it to a 309?


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## dejainc (Jun 23, 2013)

Noodles86 said:


> Oh awesome thank you Dejainc! Do you know if the fees went up at all at that time between you applying for your 300 and then changing it to a 309?


An announcement was made for the increase, but didn't come into effect when i made the change.


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## CCMS (Oct 10, 2013)

Noodles86 said:


> Oh awesome thank you Dejainc! Do you know if the fees went up at all at that time between you applying for your 300 and then changing it to a 309?


It doesn't matter if the fees went up in the meantime, as your application has already been lodged and as I have posted previously:

_*no additional first instalment VAC is payable; the amount paid for the first instalment VAC for the sc-300 visa is taken to be payment of the first instalment VAC for the sc-100 visa*_


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## Noodles86 (Apr 8, 2014)

Just thought I'd check back in and update. I did not have to pay the fee increase and they did not start our waiting period from when we changed the visa. Visa was just approved today after only waiting 8 months and 3 weeks! Which is AMAZING for a high risk country (Indonesia). Good luck to anyone still waiting .


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## JandE (Jul 17, 2015)

dejainc said:


> Medicals: Requested on: 16/05/2014 Completed 22/05/2014 Cleared: 27/06/2014
> Police check: Requested on: 16/05/2014 Obtained on: 26/05/2014
> Tourist Visa: Granted on 30/05/2014, 12 months multiple entry. Entered 20/07/2014.


When did you apply for the Tourist Visa?
Before or after doing the Medicals?


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## dejainc (Jun 23, 2013)

JandE said:


> When did you apply for the Tourist Visa?
> Before or after doing the Medicals?


before the medicals


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