# prospective marriage visa



## interested (Mar 7, 2010)

hello

this is all a bit freaky for me, the whole process. i am just wanting to gain information about trying to get a prospective marriage visa. I have a boyfriend from another country and we are in love. We were together two months before he went back to his country. We have had a 5 month long distance relationship. He was going to apply for a sponsored visa in another state but we wish to be together in the same state.

I am looking into the prospective marriage visa. I am wondering if you apply for this, do you need to have joint accounts? Also whilst you are waiting for approval for this visa, is it possible for him to come over on tourist visa and wait for this to be approved?

I would appreciate anyone's answers on this.
Thanks so much.
interested.


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## aussiegirl (Dec 15, 2009)

Hi interested,

Yes, spouse visas are confusing, and time-consuming to apply for. Have you read the information on the DIAC website re eligibilty and how to apply? There is also the Partner Booket 1 that you should look at too, which has more in-depth information.

Basically, prospective spouse visas don't need the 12 month living together requirement, however, you still need to show genuine comittment together. So, if you have joint accounts that's great, but if you don't, don't worry - there are other ways you can prove that you're lives are connected.

Also, if you apply out of Australia and it is approved, you have 9 months within which to get married, so you can both travel to Australia to organise everything before the bid day

Hope you find this helpful, and let is know how things progress.


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## interested (Mar 7, 2010)

aussiegirl said:


> Hi interested,
> 
> Yes, spouse visas are confusing, and time-consuming to apply for. Have you read the information on the DIAC website re eligibilty and how to apply? There is also the Partner Booket 1 that you should look at too, which has more in-depth information.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the information. Yes I have read some information about it on the website. I am just wondering - I think i read it on someone else's post that a person if they have a prospective marriage visa pending they can travel to australia until they recieve the visa.

I would just like to check if this is the case?
I think this visa may be the best one for us. I have two children as well. I was wondering if he can come over for while on a tourist visa. And then if he has to leave the country I believe he may have to go to New Zealand or somewhere and then come back?

It is very complicated isn't it?


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## aussiegirl (Dec 15, 2009)

Hi again,

If you apply out of Oz and it is accepted, you must be out of Oz to get it. If you are in Oz on a tourist visa when it's granted, you;ll have to leave and come back in. Seems to be a bit of a pain to do it that way, but possible I think if you really have to.


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## Wanderer (Jun 16, 2007)

It is as AussieG says re PMVs but you and he need to realise that he will not be able to work while here on a tourist visa or ETA.

With any visas, be they family stream or skilled visas, there's one basic rule of off shore/onshore to be remembered and that essentially means with few exceptions that if you apply when offshore you have to be offshore for granting.
When you have a look at the start of the visa sections, *Visa Options* - Family - Visas & Immigration gives you the onshore/offshor option and the same for skilled visas.

It may seem to be an inconvenience but there does need to be some level of control over visas to achieve good manangement when managing bulk numbers.

Once you get past that stage, it essentially becomes checking eligibility requirements and then applying for which the *Checklists* are a great guide.

So one step at a time and confusion can be left behind.

Now if your Bf has skills that would allow him to apply for a skilled sponsored visa, have you/he considered the possibility of an employer sponsored visa - Employer Sponsored Workers - Workers - Visas & Immigration .

You may be able to do some leg work for him re finding a sponsor and then he'll be here on his own accord for you to see how the relationship develops and if he then procedds on to get PR with an employer you'll not need to be getting all that evidence together but if you still go the partner route, it'll be so much easier to do if he has been in Australia working and living with you, even married.


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## interested (Mar 7, 2010)

yes, i know about the skilled sponsored option. I would not where to start with that and it sounds like it would be very involved etc.

We have been going through this process for 4 months - with looking at different options. I think possibly the fiancee option is the best for us. 

I think I need to get the advice of someone. who i can sit down and ask some questions. do you think this is a good idea?
thanks so much for your help.
interested


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## Wanderer (Jun 16, 2007)

interested said:


> yes, i know about the skilled sponsored option. I would not where to start with that and it sounds like it would be very involved etc.
> 
> We have been going through this process for 4 months - with looking at different options. I think possibly the fiancee option is the best for us.
> 
> ...


 Well, you can do that or if you're prepared to have a close look at the PMV, read all the Immi site sections closely and look at what is required you'll probably answer most questions in your mind yourself.

The key section to be read for any visa is the *eligibility requirements *and then as I say, using a *Checklist*; print one off and follow it through in addition to reading the *Booklet #1 * and you'll soon have written up what you _[ and your Bf ]_ will need to proceed with an application.

It is not really Rocket Science but if you do find following the Checklist a problem, perhaps you would be best to use an Immi agent to consult and submit an application but it about doubles the Visa cost.


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## interested (Mar 7, 2010)

Yeah I agree it's not rocket science. There are just a few other questions I need to have answered. I have done quite a bit of reading. The actual form I downloaded and its not too bad. It's pretty easy to complete and we meet the requirements.
Thanks a lot for your help. I will write more soon if I need it.
Thanks
interested


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## Wanderer (Jun 16, 2007)

interested said:


> Yeah I agree it's not rocket science. There are just a few other questions I need to have answered. I have done quite a bit of reading. The actual form I downloaded and its not too bad. It's pretty easy to complete and we meet the requirements.
> Thanks a lot for your help. I will write more soon if I need it.
> Thanks
> interested


You can always ask those other questions here too.


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## interested (Mar 7, 2010)

Yes, thanks I think it is helpful to ask questions on here. Especially reading other people's experiences too.
Thanks
Suzanne


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## April86 (Jun 17, 2011)

Hi aussie girl,

my partner is Australian permanent residence. I'm indonesian. We would like to get married at Sydney. Should i apply for prospective marriage visa? or tourist visa is enough? will i be able to get married at australia with tourist visa? Thank you so much for your information


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## aussiegirl (Dec 15, 2009)

Hi there April,

If your planning to get married in Australia, I recommend a PMV. Although many people get tourist visas, marry in Australia and apply onshore, this route can be risky.

Read this sticky for a run-down on the risks:

http://www.australiaforum.com/visas...re-offshore-partner-visas-visiting-visas.html

If you manage to get a tourist visa without a no further stay condition, you can apply onshore, but you won't have working rights and the wait onshore for partner visas is now up to 9 months, which is a long time to sit around doing nothing. You can apply for working permission, but you have to give a very good reason for DIAC to grant it to you.


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## April86 (Jun 17, 2011)

*Visa*

Hi Aussie girl..

thank you for your information. The fact is, i had to go back to Indonesia after i get married at australia. With this condition, is it still risky to use tourist visa?

Thank you


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## aussiegirl (Dec 15, 2009)

If you just want to get married and leave again, I guess a tourist visa would be fine. If you were asked by customs, you could just explain that you are going to get married and go back, which is backed up by your return ticket.

In my opinion, you're better off applying when you go back to Indonesia after the wedding. Trying to lodge onshore in such a short time would only be possible if you had everything ready to be lodged. Plus, if you lodge onshore, you have to be onshore when it's granted.


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## zed85 (Jun 20, 2011)

Hi, Was just wondering if there is a step by step guide on how to complete a Prospective Marriage visa, and everything needed to apply, Have scrolled thru pages of forums, but with no luck


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## aussiegirl (Dec 15, 2009)

Go to this link:

Partner Migration Booklet

Download the partner booklet and read it thoroughly, front to back, until you have a clear picture of what to do.

Also look here:

Immigration Advice & Rights Centre Inc. - Information

Scroll down and find the links for the partner visa guide.

You also need to look on the Australiam embassy for the country you are in (if you're not is Australia that is) as things differ slightly from place to place.


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## dsmithtx (Jun 7, 2011)

interested said:


> hello
> 
> this is all a bit freaky for me, the whole process. i am just wanting to gain information about trying to get a prospective marriage visa. I have a boyfriend from another country and we are in love. We were together two months before he went back to his country. We have had a 5 month long distance relationship. He was going to apply for a sponsored visa in another state but we wish to be together in the same state.
> 
> ...


Yes Ma'am he can visit but it's a good idea to let your CO know he will be in the country. The thing is; One can only hold one class of visa at a time. My fiance' and I will have been engaged two years next month. I called and ask this very question this week. lol


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## czerney (Jun 25, 2011)

My Fiance and I have just spent the better of 3 months and MANY hours going through process of preparing our PMV application. I'm an Australian citizen and she is from Japan. I really understand what you're going through as a long distance relationship is hard. (We use video skype everyday and very thankfull for it)

Regarding having your fiance or partner come live hear on a tourist visa while you are waiting... I would suggest, based on advise from our migration agent, that you be very careful here that if you're in the country and you get granted the PMV, that you don't depart on the tourist visa as this will blank out your PMV. Something about the way visa's are applied to the passport.

Exactly how it works I'm not sure, but the implications are pretty dire including invalidating the visa and if you're anything like us you are looking at around a year from the time we met to being able to be together. You don't want to risk delays or possible cancellation!!! If you're going to do this I'd HIGHLY recommend advise from a migration agent. The one we used just submitted our application yesterday and was EXTREMELY thorough and picked up on so many technicalities I didn't consider.



interested said:


> hello
> 
> this is all a bit freaky for me, the whole process. i am just wanting to gain information about trying to get a prospective marriage visa. I have a boyfriend from another country and we are in love. We were together two months before he went back to his country. We have had a 5 month long distance relationship. He was going to apply for a sponsored visa in another state but we wish to be together in the same state.
> 
> ...


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## krissybaby (Jul 18, 2011)

Hi good day to all! 

I would like to attached to this thread..I have a question about applying PMV and then tourist visa. Would that be possible? cause my fiancee wants me to be with him while waiting for the PMV to be approved. We are looking for 6 months of tourist visa application after finishing a PMV application. Can anyone advise me if it is possible?


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## RF3 (May 19, 2012)

*PMV processing time*

Hi,

I would like to know the processing time of PMV which was lodged in Sri Lanka in March.
Thanks.


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## IMkddj (Nov 14, 2011)

krissybaby said:


> Hi good day to all!
> 
> I would like to attached to this thread..I have a question about applying PMV and then tourist visa. Would that be possible? cause my fiancee wants me to be with him while waiting for the PMV to be approved. We are looking for 6 months of tourist visa application after finishing a PMV application. Can anyone advise me if it is possible?


Hello krissy,
Yes thats possible. I did that before. And it was granted. It's very rare that they're gonna grant you a 6 months tourist visa. Normally they grant 3 months TV. 
But still depends on what reason you give them. But I can tell you its rare. Specially for those people waiting for their PMV..

Best regards,
IMkddj


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## Rafiki (Apr 20, 2013)

*PMV- queries*

Hi all

I am hoping this is still active as I have not seen too many recent posts on PMV. 
I have a long history with my partner who is from Tanzania in Africa. We met 16 years ago, were friends for many years before we actually became a couple in 2009. I have done alot of volunteer work in Kenya and Tanzania and have travelled with and visited John many times. In 2010 we managed a lodge together in Tanzania for 12 months. Our plan was to apply for partner visa and towards the end I discovered I was pregnant. We werent earning alot of money so we paid $350 to get some initial advice from a migration agent in Melbourne. The advice was poor and during this time I lost the baby and it put alot of strain on our relatonship. I was under pressure to return to Aus for my job there and in the end we never applied for anything because we were simply too raw from the miscarriage. Additionally John started to get cold feet about coming to Aus at all. Following that we had a tricky 10 months when I was back in Aus and so I got another job and came back to sort things out. These days we are much clearer on our goals, but we both are very fearful of the whole process - since so many people keep telling us how difficult it is. I am not really in a position to live in Tanzania permanently at this stage as my parents are elderly and require some support. 
We have loads of evidence of our (sometimes rocky) relationship over many years and I have no doubt we will get testimonials from friends, family and employers. We don't have a joint bank account anymore and are not currently living together (because I am living on a campus of a school and its not allowed). John is not currently working, but is soon to start back as a lodge manager. But the essence of it is that our relationship is very real, has a long history (face to face and long distance) and on that basis for me it should be very straightforward (but I know it isnt).

I have a permanent government position, own a house (and mortgage) that has plenty of equity in it and am soon to complete a masters degree. I don't have any money in the bank as I am currently earning very little in Tanzania, and in September will return to my permanent position in Aus. I am also 42 years old and we are trying to get pregnant before I have to return to Australia.

I have read the booklets and had a good perusal of the Immi website.

My questions are:
- how important is it that John is working and earning money? 
- will application be slowed because he is from Tanzania, a developing country
- if we have all the evidence and docs, what are the reasons they generally deny?
- as a sponsor do I need to have $10,000 actual cash or can I use the equity in my house as the bond. 
- will being pregnant help to speed up the application? (not that I am trying to get pregnant for that purpose!!!) 
- how much difference does it make engaging a migration agent? Whould I be looking for one that has a track record for Africans?

I think that is all for now, but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for all the questions!

RafikiGirl


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## Rafiki (Apr 20, 2013)

I forgot to say that John applied for a tourist visa in 2010 before I moved to Tanzania and was denied. He had about $3000 in account but was told it was not enough. We did not declare our relationship as partners, but instead i sent the inviation letter.


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## Adventuress (Jan 8, 2012)

Hi Rafiki and welcome to the forum.

It sounds as though you won't have a hard time putting together all the evidence necessary for John's PMV.

To attempt to answer your questions:

1. My husband, who was very recently granted a permanent partner visa from a high risk country, was hardly working at all at the point we applied and afterwards, and in fact he has been mostly unemployed during the entirety of our five year relationship. Me being Australian, I was always the one who provided economically and I have been the breadwinner for our time together out of necessity. If this was an issue for the department, it was not mentioned to us at all.

What is important is that you both do share finances in some way - the fact that you have had a joint bank account in the past will be important evidence, as well as any other joint purchases or shared financial responsibilities you've had, perhaps such as the lodge. So essentially you have this covered.

2. John's application may indeed take longer than normal to process, as many other Africans here on the forum can attest. You will be applying through the Australian High Commission in Nairobi, and most if not all applications processed here are currently taking 12 months or even longer. We believe this is due above all to security checks - as a lot of the infrastructure in African countries is still paper-based, and perhaps not organised as ideally as one would like, it takes a lot longer for any kind of meaningful communication to occur between Australian Security agencies and the bureaucracies in other countries which can supply the requisite information. Although it doesn't seem that there are any other Tanzanians registered on the forum (I checked available timelines here), there is a useful thread specifically for applicants from African countries. You may want to ask more specific questions about your processes there, as you will find people who understand.

3. They deny partner visa applications based on their decision that the relationship in question is either not genuine or not continuing. One aspect that raises strong suspicions is where there is a large difference in background between the partners, being anything from education, religion, culture, ethnicity or class. From what you have said, the length of your relationship and the extent of your commitment to and knowledge of each other throughout the past 16 years, it doesn't seem likely to me that your application would be rejected - you already know each other very well and you have spent significant time in his country and culture to understand him. This is a very important point. In addition, of all the partner visas the PMV is known to be the easiest to be approved for, as they do not ask for as much evidence at that stage - you will do the whole shebang once John's PMV is granted and he's onshore to apply for the 820/801 married partner visa.

4. As a sponsor there are no set financial requirements from you. Until 1st January 2012 there was something called an Assurance of Support that could be requested at the individual case officer's discretion if there were concerns that the applicant would have recourse to public funds. There was no bond involved, simply an agreement signed between an assurer and Centrelink that if the applicant were to access government benefits, the assurer would pay it all back. This is no longer the case, and indeed I as sponsor was hardly employed when we applied, but no question was raised about this at all (I'd be glad to point you in the direction of other threads where this is discussed).

What is important however, from you as a sponsor, is that you're able in some capacity to provide support to your partner for his first two years in Australia. This includes financial support and accommodation. Since you own your house and have a good and stable government job, this should be no problem for you at all. You will simply need to explain this in the forms and in an additional statement called the Sponsorship Undertaking.

5. According to the immigration department itself, pregnancy is not enough of a compelling or compassionate circumstance to warrant priority processing of a visa application. If you already had children when you applied, it would be a different story. It wouldn't hurt your application though, as of course it is additional evidence of your commitment to each other! But it just wouldn't speed it up.

6. Many people do the whole thing without employing a migration agent at all. We certainly did it all ourselves. It all depends how comfortable you are with the process - do you feel ok filling in the mountain of forms? Is there anything particularly unusual about your case that might benefit from an expert explanation? This is something you can decide for yourself, but do know that many, many people proceed on their own without engaging a migration agent and they are successful. If you do want to consult somebody, MarkNortham is a very knowledgeable, kind and scrupulous migration agent who is also a moderator on this forum and who posts regularly. You can contact him by private message on the forum once you've reached five or six posts, or otherwise I'm sure he will respond to specific concerns you have on the forum.

Feel free to start your own thread with any other issues or questions you have, and we will do our best to help you and make you feel welcome. The process is hard on everyone, but probably not as hard as all your friends are telling you


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

I wish I could like that more than once. That is a spectacularly beautiful, thorough, incredibly helpful response, Adventuress.


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## Rafiki (Apr 20, 2013)

*Thankyou*

Adventuress

What a lovely and kind hearted woman you are! Thankyou so much for the reply, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to reply. You answered my questions directly and honestly and you are the first person to be straight with me. Finding any kind of information from agents, Immi dept etc is like pulling teeth - people are either negative or afraid to say anything lest they be blamed if things go wrong (or because of liability).

My fella is just so nervous about the whole process and on top of that his family are upset that he has applied once and missed out - thus telling him not to bother. So there is alot of pressure on the poor guy (and me). Your message was the first that finally gave me some hope and confidence. Hearing your story gave me hope on how to move forward and your advice is priceless. Asante sana (thankyou very much in Kiswahili). Also you did research for me - thanks again so so much. 
As an update, John is now working, I am not pregnant yet and we will still use an agent. I don't have any concerns filling in forms etc but I want to give us the BEST chance. If we miss out and I don't use someone I will always be wondering.....

I am going to follow up on the threads you suggested - thankyou. And I will follow up the agent you mentioned also. In this scenario, word of mouth recommendations are worth a great deal.

So adventuress your middle name should be 'kindness' and I will stay in touch. I hope lots of good karma comes your way...

Rafiki


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## Rafiki (Apr 20, 2013)

*Tourist visa worthwhile*

Hey again

I just wanted to know if anyone has the experience also of applying for a tourist visa first before a PMV. As mentioned my partner is Tanzanian and we have a long history. He has been rejected once for a tourist visa on the basis of not enough money in his account. The rejection letter told him he should try again.

I have been told by others also that he should try for a tourist visa again. This is fine but we don't want to lie that he is just coming to visit a 'friend' when we are actually a couple - we don't want it to backfire on us. 
We are in a better position with money these days and I am sure my partner could show a balance of at least $5,000 AUD in his account. Certainly the sooner he gets a chance to visit Aussie the better - meet my family, see if he even likes Aus etc. The other day I asked what was the reason he wanted to come to Australia and he said 'because you are there'. Now I just want to know if he is happy to actually be there and the only way we will know is if he gets a chance to look himself and make his own decision. After all he is a very proud Tanzanian man!
Any thoughts or experiences would be helpful. 
Thanks so much

RafikiGirl


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## chicken999 (May 2, 2013)

It's pretty rare I think for an African to get a tourist visa. We were rejected twice.


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## Rafiki (Apr 20, 2013)

Hi Chicken999

Yes I agree that it is probably rare, but I am aware of 2 Kenyan friends who were granted a tourist visa to Aussie, so I remain hopeful!! But it is really good to hear from everyone about their experiences - thankyou!

Rafiki


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## Rafiki (Apr 20, 2013)

Chicken999 did you eventually get a visa, and what was your experience? Where are you or your partner from?


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## Salpakan (May 29, 2013)

1. More often than not, the reason while partners apply for TV while partner visa applications are on going is that they want to be together while waiting for the partner visa decision. My question is what exactly do you write on the TV application as the reason for visiting Australia?

2. Also, I have read people say TV sponsored by fiance - is this visa SPONSORED as i believe only relatives can sponsor and lodge onshore. Please shed light. Thanks.


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## nini78 (Sep 3, 2014)

*Visa*

Hi All I really need some help I am waiting on a Visa for my partner to come to Australia. He is African and we have had the process for prospective marriage visa for around 9 months and still nothing. We have already just pasted our wedding date that was registered and the agent and case officer cant give a time period. 
I am feeling so down these days because our future depends on the Case officer. I don't know what to do anymore I don't want to leave Australia because this is my home but I don't want to be apart from my husband to be. we have been together over 4 years and the distance has to be bridged now because we no longer want to be apart. We only see eachother when I go over to him every few months. It is very stressful and I don't understand why it is taking so long I need some hope!! Anyone please.


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## nini78 (Sep 3, 2014)

Also is anyone on this forum anymore because I haven't seen any posts on here since 2013. 

Oh and to add to my story we have been engaged since Nov 2012 we are coming up to 2 years and I feel so lost and confused. 

Please if there is anyone out there that knows anything or can help please I welcome anything.

I need to hear from people that have gone though this PMV with an African because it looks like they are a high ricks country so its up to 12 months but our agent said to me 7 to 8 months tops and not we have pasted that time and I am getting anxious why and is no news good news or is no news bad news. Should I call the CO or should I sit and wait I am getting upset daily and my partner is always calming me down because anxiety has kicked in and I have never had it before but I cant wrap my head around someone having control over my life, im Australian and I feel like I am a prisoner.

If I leave Australia and make a life with him and marry and then we apply to come back together will that work or not? I just find it hard to leave my family to long because my parents are getting older and mother is not in the best health.


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

Nini - this is just one thread of thousands on this (very busy) forum. You've bumped up an old thread. There are tons of people using this forum on a daily basis, including people with African partners/spouses. Specifically which country is your fiance from? South Africans tend to get their visas reasonably quickly, but applicants from places like Kenya can take up to 18 months due to external security checks.


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## IndyMama (Jul 13, 2014)

I used the search tool on the right hand side of the page for "Kenya" and found this thread that may be helpful to you:

http://www.australiaforum.com/visas-immigration/64474-kenya-processing-times.html

There may be similar threads for other African countries. Good luck!


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## nini78 (Sep 3, 2014)

Thank you for your responses ladies,

My partner is from Nigeria, Lagos


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## nini78 (Sep 3, 2014)

Hi Collegegirl,
I am new to this site and I don't know where to go to see the new threads of recent uses. Can you please direct me into the area needed so I can see if there is anything I don't know or if there is hope that my partner will be here with me soon.
Thanks for your help in advance.


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

You can try this thread: http://www.australiaforum.com/visas...ond-12-months-wait-share-your-experience.html

and this thread: http://www.australiaforum.com/visas...ing-african-partners-those-lodged-africa.html

Both of these threads include posts by Nigerian applicants.

What it boils down to is that you should expect to wait a MINIMUM of 12 months, and possibly up to 18 months. Most people who have posted here applying from Nigeria wait 14-16 months, though we have had a person or two report getting theirs faster recently.


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## chicken999 (May 2, 2013)

Is your fiancé in Malaysia? Read my threads about that horror story.


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