What You Need to Know to Get a Prospective Marriage Visa Approved

If you've fallen in love with an Australian citizen or permanent resident, then you may be planning your next steps and thinking about marriage. Your ultimate aim is to live with your spouse in Australia and wonder what legal steps you have to take in order to achieve this. What do you need to know about visas?

What Visa Is Available?

The Australian government has created a "prospective marriage visa" (aka subclass 300) as a temporary visa for foreign nationals in your case. This visa, when approved, will last for nine months and allow you to enter the country with the objective of getting married to a permanent resident or citizen.

What Are the Requirements?

There are some fundamental initial considerations. You must have met the person who you're planning to marry, who must then be the personal sponsor of your application. You must have an intention to live in Australia with your prospective spouse and you must meet certain health and background requirements in order to be eligible.

What's the Process?

Once you get this visa you are then able to travel into and out of Australia through a multiple entry visa system during these nine months. You may be eligible to work in certain circumstances and you're allowed to enrol in higher education, so long as you don't apply for any funding from the government. Once you have married you are then required to apply for a partner visa, which will convert your status to one of a permanent resident.

What Does The Sponsor Have To Do?

There are certain requirements expected of the sponsor as well. He or she must not have sponsored anybody else for a similar type of visa within the past five years and will be required to take responsibility for your financial obligations during your stay in Australia. Your sponsoring partner will also be responsible for your compliance with any employment conditions or legislation and with the conditions associated with the prospective marriage visa.

How to Apply?

In order to apply you will need a passport copy which must be certified, two identical passport photographs, a certified birth certificate with names of two parents, evidence that you have met in person, evidence that you have arranged for a formal wedding within nine months of being granted the entry visa and copies of evidence to show the progression of your relationship from the time that you met and through to your projected plans as a married couple. You also have to supply police background checks.

It's possible to apply for this visa online with the uploaded documents and the payment of the fee and you must wait for the response from the visa authorities before you are eligible to travel to Australia. For more information, contact a business such as Fisa Pty Ltd.