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Loving an Australian; the Most Expensive of all Foreign Partners.

 

Happy young couple on beach in love embracing and hugging smiling joyful. Interracial young couple, Asian woman, Caucasian man.

For many expats living abroad, finding love in your new city makes your new life even more worthwhile. When you fall in love with someone from another country and start to make plans for your future together, the question of where to settle long term can be challenging. For Australian expats who have found love, bringing your loved one home to Australia indefinitely is about to get a whole lot harder with the Australian government set to increase partner visa fees by 50%.

As of the 1 July 2015 the cost of falling in love with an Australian will set the visa applicant back a whopping $6,865. Since 2009, the Federal Government has increased partner visa prices by 390% and have recently announced another price increase. A Brisbane-based partner visa specialist says this move is a money grabbing exercise and will put young couples behind from the onset. .

Emma Drynan, Director at Freedom Migration, said people in love are willing to do anything to be together. “Another increase will result in young couples being separated for extended periods, or starting their life together in significant debt when really it’s a time for them to save towards a new home or a stable future together,” she said. “ For any expat returning home permanently can be extremely challenging; the stress of finding a new home, re-entering the workforce and establishing yourself back into your old life is just as confronting as when you first decided to set off on your adventure leaving your home country. . But to now be faced with the barrier of having to outlay nearly $7,000 to bring your partner home with you makes the process of relocating back to Australia impossible for many expats.”

As of the 1 July 2015 the cost of falling in love with an Australian will set the visa applicant back a whopping $6,865.

In December last year, the government increased partner visa fees by 50% with a partner visa application lodged from outside Australia pre 1 January 2015 costing $3085 increased to $4627.50, prospective marriage visa – previously $3085 increased to $4627.50. From 1 July 2015 these same visas will see a further price rise of 50% taking the fee to $6,865. Emma said Australia attracts the highest fee of all Western countries as far as partner visa fees are concerned. “The government is limiting cross-cultural relationships to the elite, making it only accessible for couples who are willing to pay a crazy amount of money for love”.

For more information on Australia’s partner visa program give our office a call on +61 (07) 3063 1200

 

IMPORTANT: Please note, this does not constitute Immigration advice. Always seek advice from a Registered Migration Agent before applying for an Australian Visa. Migration Law is constantly changing. This information is accurate only at the time of publication.

About the Author Emma Drynan MARN0960361

Emma is the founder and principal migration agent at Freedom Migration. She is extremely passionate about uniting partners and families with their loved ones overseas. It might be because she's a product of a partner visa family.

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