Permanent Visas:

If you on a Skilled Migration Visa, you may be eligible to apply for a permanent visa provided:

• You have lived and worked for a minimum of two years in a Specified Regional Area in Australia; or
• You have been sponsored under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme.

A Specified Regional Area restricts the place in which you have to live and work in order to acquire a permanent visa. In some cases, a Specified Regional Area will mean a place which has a low density population.

You may want to sponsor your partner so they may come and live with you in Australia. In order to obtain a permanent visa for your partner, you will need to lodge an application for both a temporary and permanent visa at the same time. If you are found to meet the relevant criteria and are approved for a visa, you will be granted a temporary Partner Visa until a decision is made on your permanent visa.

It may be possible to be granted a permanent visa immediately if one of the following apply:

• At the time of the application for the visa, you have been in a marriage or de facto relationship for three (3) or more years; or
• At the time of the application for the visa, you have been in a marriage or de facto relationship for two (2) or more year and have a dependent child as a result of your relationship; or
• Your partner was granted a Protection Visa and you were in a relationship with your partner prior to the grant of the visa and this was known to the Department of Immigration.

Our Migration Lawyers are able to assist you with a range of disputes and Litigation matters relating to Permanent Visa matters. We do not process Visa Applications. By assessing your situation, our Migration Solicitors will be able to determine your eligibility and advise you accordingly.

If you are intending to sponsor your partner, you should note that in order to be eligible, you must be one of the following:

• An Australian citizen; or
• An Australian permanent resident; or
• An eligible New Zealand citizen.