Highlights
- Processing times for the subclass 309 offshore partner visa are experiencing significant delays due to COVID-19.
- Waiting times blow out past the current average of 18 months.
- It is still possible for offshore partner visa applicants to enter the country. They can apply for a visitor’s visa by seeking consent of the Australian Border Force commissioner to travel as a partner of an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
According to the Migration Institute of Australia, just under half of partner visas lodged in the last financial year were granted.