Partner Migration

Australian Embassy

Russian Federation

Embassy address: 10A/2 Podkolokolny Pereulok, Moscow - Telephone: 956 6070 - Fax: 956 6170

Detailed information about partner migration visas is available from the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) website.
See: http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/family-visas-partner.htm
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/books1.htm

Who is this visa for?

Applicants who intend to migrate to Australia as a partner of an Australian citizen or permanent resident (or an eligible New Zealand citizen) may apply for one of the following visas at the Australian Embassy Moscow:
• Fiance – subclass 300 (Prospective Marriage); or
• Spouse – subclass 309 (Spouse Provisional); or
• Interdependent Partner – subclass 310 (Interdependency Provisional).

How to apply

General information about how to apply for this type of visa is available from this website.
See: Applying for Visas

The Australian Embassy Moscow is aware that applying for partner migration can be an exciting and stressful time. In order to give you the best opportunity to speed up processing times in a way which suits your personal circumstances, you have different options about how you can lodge an application with us.
See: Partner Migration Chart

i. Applying in person with a lodgement appointment

If you apply in person with a lodgement appointment, you will be interviewed on the day of lodgement. Having your interview on the day of lodgement will reduce processing times. Please bring all required documents and the correct fee to the interview (see list below).

If you are planning to lodge your application in person at the Australian Embassy Moscow, please phone or e-mail us between 9.00 and 12.30, Monday to Friday, 2-4 weeks prior to the anticipated date of lodgement to make a lodgement appointment.

You will be requested to fill in a pre-lodgement questionnaire and e-mail or fax it to us. You can access the questionnaire from this site:
See: Questionnaire for partner applications

Please note that in a limited number of cases, the applicant may, after an initial interview on the day of lodgement, be requested to attend a second interview at a later date.

You should ensure that you bring all required documents and the correct fee to the interview (see list below).

ii. Applying by mail
If you lodge your application by mail or courier, you will receive notification of an interview time by e-mail or fax (if you have authorised us to communicate with you by electronic means) or mail.

If you have not provided all relevant documents listed below with your mailed application, please ensure that you bring them to your interview.

General processing information
On the day we receive your application with a valid receipt of payment, we create a new file to hold the application and other information/correspondence which we may receive during processing. We will provide you with a letter acknowledging receipt of your application and advising you of:

• your file number,
• the name and contact telephone number of your case officer,
• additional documentation and/or evidence required,
• usual processing time, and
• (where you have mailed your application) the time, date and location of your face-to-face interview with an Immigration Officer. Applicants to be interviewed in centres other than Moscow may receive an approximate timeframe for the next interview trip only.

Please note: where the application has been mailed, the acknowledgment letter will be sent to you within 7 days. We always try to communicate with you by the fastest means. If you have an e-mail address or fax we can use, please note this in the application form so we can communicate with you electronically.

If you have nominated another person to receive written communications on your behalf, we will send this information to that person.

Interviews
As part of the assessment process, applicants for spouse, fiance and interdependent partner visas are interviewed by an Immigration Officer. Interviews are conducted in Russian or in English depending on your choice. If you wish to be interviewed in a language other than Russian or English, please advise us in writing when you lodge your application.

Purpose
The purpose of the interview is to collect information, which may be relevant to the assessment of your application. Interviews take approximately one hour, although in some cases an interview may take longer. While you may be asked questions of a personal nature, the sole purpose of these questions is to gather information on whether you meet the criteria for the class of visa you have applied for. The questions are not intended to be rude or offensive, but may cover in detail the nature of your relationship between you and your partner. Depending upon your circumstances, we may also ask you some questions in English if you state that you communicate with your partner in English.

You should bring with you to the interview evidence of your relationship with your partner. Generally, the interviewing officer will make a note of this evidence and return it to you at the interview. In some cases we may ask to retain the evidence during the processing of your application. Please note that only limited time is available to examine such evidence at the interview, and the interviewing officer may choose to examine a sample of the evidence you bring.

Please note that when assessing your application we are required to take into account all information held by the Department about you and your partner, including the information provided in relation to previous visa applications.

Timing
We expect you to be available for your interview when scheduled and it is generally not possible to delay it, except under special circumstances. A final decision on your application is not made at the time of interview; you will be advised of the decision in writing at a later date. Please ensure that the contact residential address and telephone number you provide on your application form are correct so that we have no difficulties in contacting you.

Location
Interviews are conducted in Moscow. Interviews may also be conducted in Vladivostok or other locations if there is sufficient interest from applicants; however, these will occur more rarely. Applicants will be contacted if and when these opportunities arise.

Applicants who prefer to be interviewed in either of these locations are advised of the date and time of the interview approximately 2 – 4 weeks beforehand.

In some cases your partner may be called on for an interview as well. A decision on whether an interview is required is based on the circumstances of each case and not all partners will be interviewed. If an interview is required your partner will be contacted by the Embassy. If your partner is in Australia, a telephone interview can be arranged.

If there are any changes in circumstances relating to your application following the interview, you are obliged to inform this office about them. This includes changes in your name, address, contact details and the status of your relationship. If you wish to provide any other relevant information in support of your application, please do so in writing.

DOCUMENT CHECKLIST

form 47SP (signed by you) with all questions answered. For copies of the 47SP form please visit the DIAC website;

See: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/47sp.pdf

form 40SP (signed by your partner) with all questions answered. For copies of the 40SP form please visit the DIAC website;

See: www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/40sp.pdf

form 80, for each person included in the application who are aged 18 or over, signed by that person, with all questions answered. For copies of form 80 please visit the DIAC website;

See: www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/80.pdf

Visa application charge;

See: Fees

4 recent passport photographs of yourself and other family members included in your application;

2 recent passport photographs of your partner;
Copies of all passport pages of the valid international passports of all persons included in the application (uncertified copies are acceptable in countries where passports can not be certified).

Copies of all passport pages of the valid international passports of your partner (uncertified copies are acceptable in countries where passports can not be certified).

Certified copies of all birth, marriage and divorce certificates of all persons included in the application as well as your partner.

Police certificates for all people included in the application who are 16 years of age or older. Police certificates are required from every country you resided in for 12 months or more (in total) during the last 10 years. Please, provide the original document; certified copies of police certificates are not acceptable. More information about obtaining police certificates can be found in Form 47P
See: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/47p.pdf

Evidence that your relationship with your partner is genuine and continuing, such as:
- a copy of your partner’s passport showing entry and exit stamps for his/her visit(s) to your home country,
- wedding/engagement photos plus any other photos of you and your partner together,
- evidence of your contact with your sponsor since you first met (eg letters with original envelopes, itemised telephone accounts. e-mails),
- any additional evidence to support your relationship including financial, household, social and commitment aspects of your relationship.

A statement from you and a statutory declaration from your partner outlining how, when and where you met, how your relationship developed, when you decided to marry and any other details of your relationship you consider to be relevant.

Evidence that your partner is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen (eg Australian citizenship certificate or copy of passport pages that show identification page, permanent visa and any arrival/departure stamps for Australia).

Evidence that your partner is able to fulfil the sponsorship undertaking (refer to Form 40SP) (eg latest income tax statement, current pay slips or other evidence of income, evidence of ownership of major assets, including bank or similar accounts, details of property and/or motor vehicle ownership).

If you have served in the military (including national service), copies of service records.

If you have included a child under 18 years of age in your application please see “Additional requirements for children under 18 years”.

See: Applying for Visas

If you are applying for subclass 300 (Prospective Marriage), a Notice of Intended Marriage. This is an official document that must be signed by the person who will be conducting the marriage ceremony in Australia and must include the names of both parties and the date of your intended marriage.
Please note that we are unable to store large quantities of correspondence, photos and other documentation and do not have the facilities to view videos (unless specifically requested by this office). You may wish to bring evidence to your interview for assessing officers to examine.

Assurance of support

If your partner is not in full time employment or has received any form of social security benefit during the last two years, we may request an Assurance of Support. This is assessed by Centrelink in Australia.

Health Requirements

All applicants for permanent entry to Australia must meet health requirements before the grant of a visa. More information is available from this website.

See: Medical Requirements

Processing Times

The service standard processing time for the partner applications is 10 months. However, some complex applications may take longer to process. Please apply as early as possible before the time you wish to move to Australia.

Notification of visa decision
All advice of visa decisions is sent to applicants and/or their agents by the method of correspondence indicated in the application form. If you have nominated your partner’s address as the address for correspondence, we will send a letter of advice of decision to that address.

Advice of visa approval is accompanied by some general information about the migration process to Australia. If the visa application is refused, applicants are notified of this by letter accompanied by a decision record giving reasons for refusal and information about review options. Please note that it is not possible for us to pass decision records to your partner without the written permission of the applicant. In the first instance, your partner should ask you for a copy of the decision record.

Applying for a visitor visa while a migration application is in progress
Some applicants for migration also lodge applications for visitor visas before their migration application is decided.

Australia’s visitor program is designed to promote tourism and to encourage the entry of genuine visitors, including family visitors, who intend to abide by the conditions of their visitor visas. For visitor visas, it is a criterion that ‘the applicant satisfies the Minister that the expressed intention of the applicant only to visit Australia is genuine’. Generally, people with an existing migration application are unable to satisfy the decision maker that they are planning a genuine visit to Australia and not using a visitor visa as a means of entering Australia to remain permanently. However, in some cases, applicants may be able to satisfy the decision maker that a grant of a visitor visa is appropriate. Further information about tourist visas is available from this website.
See: Tourist Visas

February 2007

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