# Spouse / Partner Visa (Subclass 820) Lodged! And my experience with it...



## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

Hey guys, I just lodged my partner visa application yesterday, 06 Aug '12 and I have to say it was a breeze, quite different from what I'd heard from past applicants. Times have changed!

Here's my experience, and I hope some of the information would be useful for those who are planning to apply 

The night before lodging, I went through all my documents again, making sure all 'i's are dotted, all 't's crossed. Got my husband to look through the application papers as a third eye - I specifically told him to look out for any unanswered questions, and also to ensure that the information stated was correct. Oh, and I have been preparing this application for over 2 years lol...from researching to printing to photocopying to notarising to collecting statements. Phew! My paperwork was 5cm thick (which is nothing compared to some which are 10cm thick). In case anyone is wondering how I stored my paperwork, I took an A4 carton box (the ones used to store reams of A4 paper) and cut the body to height. So I got a custom-made box! I read in this forum about applicants putting their paperwork in pocket files or folders but I wasn't able to visualise how I was going to fit thick stacks of papers into the pocket folders. Each main section was held together by paperclips, and for sections where they got too thick, I didn't bother to bind that section. After all, all the papers fit nicely into my custom-made box.

Now earlier on, a week before lodgement, I'd called the DIAC hotline to ask if I needed to make an appointment to lodge my application, and I also wanted to ask about visa payment since payment is going to be made through my debit card, which requires the applicant to lodge the application in person. The phone officer apparently told me that I do *not *have to make an appointment, as appointments are only for applicants who are dangerously close to their visa expiring and need their applications expedited. This officer told me that I could go up to the counter and tell the staff that I wanted to make payment for my application, after which they'd give me a receipt and I can attach it to my application and send the whole thing off by post.

Just 3 days before lodgement, I booked a medical appointment to expedite the processing time. Since the immigration office was just a few doors down from the medical centre, I went to the immi office to verify the payment procedure. Now here's the cruncher. The counter staff told me, no I can *not *make a pre-payment. I have to* lodge and pay at the same time*. There's no how or why or what. It just isn't the procedure. Different people are telling me different things  My tip for would-be applicants is, if you have time, go down to the immigration office in person and get all your inquiries answered.

With paperwork all in place, on that Monday morning, I made my way down to the Brisbane Immigration Department located in the city, with sister-in-law in tow. I was earlier advised to avoid the hours of 11am-2pm as it was lunch time and a lot of staff won't be around. We got there around 10am, although the office opens at 9am. Still, it wasn't packed at all. I'd say there were around 2 or 3 people (or maybe just 1? My memory's going..) ahead of me in the counter queue. Well I explained to the counter staff what I wanted (to lodge a partner visa application), and she asked to sight Forms 47 and 40, mainly to ensure that both the applicant's and sponsor's signatures have been put down. (This seems to be a particular point with DIAC, so do take note of this.)

The wait was unbelievably short. My number was up next and I don't think I waited over 5 minutes for my ticket to be called. Once I started talking to the lodging officer, here's where it got very cool and exciting. She was helpful and efficient, not exactly bubbly friendly but definitely polite and professional, and in some ways reassuring. Like the counter officer, she took flipped through Forms 47 and 40, making sure that the signatures are in place.

I was a little nervous when lodging the visa, because I came here on a tourist visa and wasn't sure how my lodgement would go. I did try to explain this to the lodgement officer but amazingly she just brushed my concerns aside ("oh that's fine!"). Once she keyed in my details, she immediately gave me a bridging visa, no questions asked (oh wow!!) and even swivelled the computer screen so we could both look at it and I could see how my bridging visa was queued under my existing tourist visa. This meant that once my tourist visa expires in 2 months, my bridging visa would come into effect. She explained that I wouldn't be able to work on the bridging visa, but if I wanted to, all I need to do is fill in Form 1005 to request to change the conditions on my bridging visa. She made it sound so easy - "It's just a 2-3 page form." She was absolutely helpful. She wrote out the date when my bridging visa will be validated, and also wrote about Form 1005 on a sticky note. I was asked to pay the visa fee (AUD3,060 - up from AUD2,960 last financial year), got my receipt, and that's done!

Another interesting fact that the officer told me, and which I wasn't aware of, is the 2-year waiting period to obtain Australia PR starts from the date of lodgement, *not *the day of visa approval or when the bridging visa starts. How nice is that!

As for processing times, my sister-in-law did the questioning this time (I didn't bother asking because I've read so many times in this forum that it's very subjective and can take as fast as a month or as long as a year), and the officer said that it could take up to 12 months to be assigned a case officer, and once the CO goes through my file and is satisfied, the visa can be granted just like that (the officer snapped her fingers )

Let me know if anyone has questions on my experience, post it in this thread so that all can read and learn from each other.

Cheers!
Miss Swan


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## turpsss (Aug 5, 2012)

Yes i to did the same and yes it was easy enough and because we have school aged kids it was only month later the visa 820 was granted Although we were both asked to supply federal police checks even know its not on any of the paperwork required. All in all a easy process i thought


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## dingo144 (Dec 5, 2011)

Congratulations Miss Swan!

I had a similar experience...they guy taking my application was really nice and working efficient so much better then the people on the hotline, they are always telling you different things about the same thing...

Form 1005 is really easy to fill in and if you can proof that you have financial hardship you can get it granted in just a few days...!

Oh I didn't know about that the PR waiting time starts with the day of lodgment...that's amazing!!!  ...thx for that info

All the best for you !


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## BBK (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks Miss Swan thats all great to know. 

Just wanted to confirm you appiled from tourist visa ( of course without the no further stay ) to a partner visa and had no problems ? 

Hope all goes well in few months getting work restrictions lifted


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## turpsss (Aug 5, 2012)

Yes i would be interested to know that as well if a no further stay visa can be changed via the partner 802 visa


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## neyo (Jan 29, 2012)

Miss Swan said:


> Hey guys, I just lodged my partner visa application yesterday, 06 Aug '12 and I have to say it was a breeze, quite different from what I'd heard from past applicants. Times have changed!
> 
> Here's my experience, and I hope some of the information would be useful for those who are planning to apply
> 
> ...


Hi Miss Swan,
Congratulations!

Can you please clarify "the 2-year waiting period to obtain Australia PR starts from the date of lodgement, not the day of visa approval or when the bridging visa starts".

Which visa are your initially referring to?

Thanks!


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## turpsss (Aug 5, 2012)

Visa 820 Starts from date of approval not when lodged


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## Emily88 (Jun 5, 2011)

How are Partner visas processed?

The combined Partner (UK820 / BS801) visa is considered an application for two separate visas. The two visas are Partner (Temporary) class UK subclass 820 and Partner (Permanent) class BS subclass 801. Partner visas are processed in two stages however you apply for both stages by completing and lodging one application. We refer to the two stages as Partner (Temporary) and Partner (Permanent):

-	First stage: If you meet all the legal criteria for the Partner (Temporary) visa, you will be granted a subclass 820 visa. This visa will remain in effect until a decision is made on your Partner (Permanent) visa, which is usually two years *after you lodged your Partner visa application. *

-	Second stage: If after the two year waiting period you meet all the legal criteria of the Partner (Permanent) visa, you will be granted a subclass 801 visa.


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

BBK said:


> Thanks Miss Swan thats all great to know.
> 
> Just wanted to confirm you appiled from tourist visa ( of course without the no further stay ) to a partner visa and had no problems ?
> 
> Hope all goes well in few months getting work restrictions lifted


No, I didn't experience any further questioning nor problems during the lodgement process. It all went very smoothly. When I explained my tourist visa status, the clerk/officer brushed it off as if tons of people applied on tourist visas everyday.


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

turpsss said:


> Yes i would be interested to know that as well if a no further stay visa can be changed via the partner 802 visa


Hello, are you asking for a child visa (802) or partner visa (820? 

well basically how it works is if the applicant comes on a tourist visa, which I did, a bridging visa will be given upon application so that I can be allowed to stay on once my tourist visa ends. It really depends on what visa you have been given. If you're on a visa that isn't of a tourist nature, I won't be able to advise you further.

Cheers!


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

neyo said:


> Hi Miss Swan,
> Congratulations!
> 
> Can you please clarify "the 2-year waiting period to obtain Australia PR starts from the date of lodgement, not the day of visa approval or when the bridging visa starts".
> ...


I applied for subclass 820 - Onshore Temporary. For partner visas there are *2 types*: Temporary (820) and Permanent Residence (801). Permanent visas are usually given to couples who have been in a de facto or married relationship for a significant period of time. I applied under Temporary because I feel we don't meet the requirements to be awarded a Permanent Residence visa.

Applicants who are given a Temporary Residence visa, have to wait 2 years to qualify for Permanent Residence visa. This allows DIAC to assess if the relationship has been continuing and genuine enough to be granted permanent status in Australia.

A lot of people think that the 2 year period starts from the day the TR visa is given. So what I shared earlier is, the clerk did tell me (with my sister in law as witness), that this 2 year period starts from the day of lodgement 

For e.g., I lodged on 6 Aug 2012. If my 820 is approved on 6 Aug 2013, I can qualify to apply for PR (801) on 6 Aug 2014, *not* 6 Aug 2015.


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## newinoz (Jun 26, 2012)

Thanks for the tip ! I always thought that the 2 years start from when you get the visa approved. That's good actually. 
Then after do you know how it works after the 2 years ? Do u have to contact the immigration or do u have to wait that they contact you to have a relationship assessment session, or maybe also it is transparent, after 2 years they just change to pr in their system ?


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## dingo144 (Dec 5, 2011)

IMMI contacts you after the 2 year period and tells you what forms and evidence you have to hand in...that's why it is so important to inform them when you move or have a new phone number or email!

cheers


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## wishful (Jun 14, 2011)

Miss Swan said:


> I applied for subclass 820 - Onshore Temporary. For partner visas there are *2 types*: Temporary (820) and Permanent Residence (801). Permanent visas are usually given to couples who have been in a de facto or married relationship for a significant period of time. I applied under Temporary because I feel we don't meet the requirements to be awarded a Permanent Residence visa.
> 
> Applicants who are given a Temporary Residence visa, have to wait 2 years to qualify for Permanent Residence visa. This allows DIAC to assess if the relationship has been continuing and genuine enough to be granted permanent status in Australia.
> 
> ...


Hi Miss Swan, I believe you're on ETA tourist Visa since you're from Singapore? Does it has a "no further stay" condition? In my case, I'm from the Philippines, if I'll apply for a Tourist Visa (Philippines is non-ETA), most likely I'll have a "no further stay" condition and this would prevent me from applying any Visa's on-shore. I'm just curious of your case since we are advising those planning to get wed in Australia to take the PMV route instead.


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

Yes wishful you're correct. If circumstances hadn't been as such in my case, I'd have applied offshore, instead of onshore.

'No further stay' condition does not restrict you from applying onshore visas. It simply means that after the 3 months is up, you have to return to the country you came from. Staying on will be a breach of conditions and the person risks deportment. As I explained in my first post, since I applied for the partner visa onshore, I was given a bridging visa which allows me to stay on after 3 months in Australia, for an indefinite period of time, until a decision on my application has been made.


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

I'd like to share a very silly oversight I made and hope no one else makes the same error as I did. Despite going through my entire application dozens of times and meticulously ticking off the checklist, I still missed out on a couple of important documents (!!).

They were the proof of Australian citizenship/PR for the required 2 statutory declarations. I know why I neglected to submit those - I didn't bother to read every line of the explanatory notes that came with the Form 888, and simply went straight to the form itself. There was no indication on the form to attach proof of citizenship/PR, so that step didn't occur to me at all. I assumed (incorrectly) that all forms would be as instructional as Forms 47 and 40, where under certain sections, they would state "Attach certified copies of..."

To remedy this silly error (I'm still kicking myself for this), I quickly got the required documents and posted it to the immigration department. There is an address given to all applicants where they could post any outstanding documents in the interim.


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## wishful (Jun 14, 2011)

Miss Swan said:


> I'd like to share a very silly oversight I made and hope no one else makes the same error as I did. Despite going through my entire application dozens of times and meticulously ticking off the checklist, I still missed out on a couple of important documents (!!).
> 
> They were the proof of Australian citizenship/PR for the required 2 statutory declarations. I know why I neglected to submit those - I didn't bother to read every line of the explanatory notes that came with the Form 888, and simply went straight to the form itself. There was no indication on the form to attach proof of citizenship/PR, so that step didn't occur to me at all. I assumed (incorrectly) that all forms would be as instructional as Forms 47 and 40, where under certain sections, they would state "Attach certified copies of..."
> 
> To remedy this silly error (I'm still kicking myself for this), I quickly got the required documents and posted it to the immigration department. There is an address given to all applicants where they could post any outstanding documents in the interim.


Hi Miss Swan, who witnessed your forms? We had ours by a pharmacists and we're asked photocopies of passports. Are they expected to be familiar with this form (or any government form) or they'll just sign anything you've presented to them?


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

wishful said:


> Hi Miss Swan, who witnessed your forms? We had ours by a pharmacists and we're asked photocopies of passports. Are they expected to be familiar with this form (or any government form) or they'll just sign anything you've presented to them?


Hi there wishful, those forms were also witnessed by a pharmacist and he never asked for photocopies of passports. I guess it depends on luck - your pharmacist might have witnessed similar documents before but for our pharmacist, I doubt he gets such requests often.


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## Nai (Feb 23, 2011)

Hi Miss Swan, you were really lucky to be treated so nice. I lodged my application on the 3rd of August in the same Brisbane Office. I went to the small reception counter and said "hi, I would like to know..." when the receptionist interrupted me and said "all inquiries in the other counter", with a bad attitude.

I did the line with my boyfriend, it wasn't very long, and when the officer called the next person I told him I wanted to apply for the 820 visa, which he said "ok I can hand it for you". Like the receptionist, he seemed tired of servicing another immigrant applying for PR. I gave it to him and he walked away, when he returned he stared at us like "what??". Me and my boyfriend looked at each other confused, it took us so long to get everything for this application and he did not even offer to give us a receipt, a short explanation of following steps, anything. His attitude made us feel guilty of asking him if we could have a receipt, so we just said thank you and walked away. Luckily I received my acknowledgement letter the next Tuesday. But I was worried sick all that weekend thinking of my application in the litter bin.

Good to hear not all are treated like that! Let us know about the progress of your application.


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

Hi there again...I just received my medicals in the mail today, with the words 'DO NOT OPEN' stamped just about everywhere. Right in front of the envelope, it says 'You must present this sealed envelope to DIAC'. Now I am getting confused over what to do with this.

When I went for my medicals, the doctor told me DIAC could access my medical results online, and I would get my medical results in the mail. He did not elaborate beyond that, did not say if I was to sent the envelope to whoever.

When trying to get an answer from Google, I saw this information. But my visa application is being processed in Brisbane, not Sydney.

So here lies my question. Do I:
A) do nothing and keep the medicals for my own record and reference;
B) send it to the Brisbane processing office; or
C) send it to the Sydney office as stated in the link above?

Thanks!


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## frankiefrankies (Aug 5, 2011)

Hey Swan, you're supposed to turn those medicals in. You are not supposed to keep them. You should go into your local immi office, where you lodgeg your application. Usually your application is processed in the office in which you submitted it; atleast that is what the person from immigration told me when I submitted my application.

Best of luck!



Miss Swan said:


> Hi there again...I just received my medicals in the mail today, with the words 'DO NOT OPEN' stamped just about everywhere. Right in front of the envelope, it says 'You must present this sealed envelope to DIAC'. Now I am getting confused over what to do with this.
> 
> When I went for my medicals, the doctor told me DIAC could access my medical results online, and I would get my medical results in the mail. He did not elaborate beyond that, did not say if I was to sent the envelope to whoever.
> 
> ...


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## dingo144 (Dec 5, 2011)

Dear Miss Swan,

Send the sealed (!!!) envelope to the processing centre im Brisbane together with a note of your Client ID, passport number or any other refernce number quoted on your letter of acknowlegment

If you open the envelope the result will be invalid so just send them as they are to the centre in Brisbane!

Cheers


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## Miss Swan (May 28, 2012)

Thanks for all the helpful replies! I'll send it off by post, which is the preferred way I think.


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