How Can You Bridge the Time Gap Between a Student Visa and a Partner Visa?
Posted on: 5 November 2020
If you have travelled to Australia to study, the authorities will have granted you a special student visa. This will give you certain rights and privileges, like the right to study in a recognised institution. Over time you may have met and fallen in love with a fellow student, and maybe want to consider a future together. If your current visa is about to expire, what should you do while you apply for a partner visa?
Partner or Bridging Visas
The government can grant a partner visa to two people whether they are married or involved in a de facto relationship. You will need to make this application in Australia, will have to be sponsored by your partner, and be in this country when they actually grant you the visa.
However, the entire application process can take some time, and you want to make sure that you have legal status throughout your stay down under. So, if your student visa is about to expire as your course has come to an end, you need to be sure that you get a bridging visa instead. There are many different types of bridging visa under Australian rules and regulations. You need to be concerned with two in particular, known as A and B.
Understanding Category A and Category B
When you apply for the partner visa, you can apply for a category A bridging visa as well. When the authority acknowledges your partner visa application, they should issue you with this type of bridging visa, and this will give you the full legal permission to stay. This will effectively be an extension of your student visa in as far as your rights are concerned. The bridging visa will then expire when your partner visa is confirmed.
Remember, however, that you will not be allowed to exit and re-enter the country with this type of bridging visa. If you need to travel, you need to apply for a B visa, which is effectively an add-on to the A. With this subcategory, you will be able to travel overseas and get back into the country while your partner visa is still under consideration.
Getting It Right
It's very important that you get this right and do not compromise your application for the partner visa in any way. Work with an immigration attorney. They will help you lodge the paperwork for all the necessary visas involved.
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