Family Migration

Partner migration is migration to Australia as the spouse, prospective spouse (fiancé(e)) or interdependent partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Spouse - Those who can apply under the spouse category are people who are married or in a de facto relationship with their sponsor. (If applying on the basis of a de facto relationship, you should have been in the relationship for at least 12 months at the time you apply). The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Prospective marriage (fiancé(e)) - Those who can apply under the prospective marriage (fiancé(e)) category must be outside Australia, be engaged to their sponsor and plan to marry. The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Interdependent partner - Those who can apply under the interdependent partner category must be aged at least 18 years old and in an interdependent relationship with their sponsor. The sponsor must be aged at least 18 years old and an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. Interdependent relationships include, but are not restricted to, same sex couples.

Parents must be sponsored by their child, who must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

On 5 March 2003, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Philip Ruddock, announced that the Senate had passed legislation: introducing a new contributory parent visa category, and providing for an additional 4,000 parent places in the Migration Program

The Child category is for the natural child, adopted child or stepchild of a sponsor. The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. Where a child was adopted after the sponsor became a permanent resident, they should apply under the Adopted Child category. Note that a child can only be granted a permanent Child visa on the basis of a step relationship in circumstances where the child's natural or adopted parent is no longer a spouse of the step parent and that step parent has been granted legal responsibility for the child by a court.