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

PARTNER MIGRATION

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

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

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

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

See: Fees

 

 

See: Applying for Visas

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