Subclass 461 visa enables who individuals who are not an New Zealand citizen but is a member of a family unit of a New Zealand citizen to live, study and work in Australia for up to five years.
With this visa, you have:
There are 4 main aspects of the relationship that the Department of Home Affairs will consider when assessing any partner visa application:
Under this section, you can provide facts and evidence of your financial commitment to each other.
In this section, you can provide evidence of any joint responsibility for the care and support of children, your living arrangements and sharing of the responsibility for housework.
In this section, you can outline important social aspects of your relationship, including opinion of your family, friends and acquaintances about the nature of your relationship.
In this section, you can outline significant events in your lives during which you have relied on each other for support and future plans together.
To be eligible for this visa, you must:
You must belong to the below three categories to be granted a visa. If you are:
Although there are no direct pathways for permanent residency, you may pursue the below options to become a permanent resident in Australia. This includes:
If your NZ partner arrived in on or before 26 February 2001 (or lived there for at least 12 months before), they are likely to be an ‘eligible New Zealander’. This means that they hold Australian permanent residency and can sponsor you for a partner visa.
Your family member is considered an eligible New Zealand citizen if they are a protected special category visa holder and they:
If you applied for the visa outside Australia, you must typically be outside Australia at the time your visa is granted.
To extend this visa, you can apply for another New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary) visa (subclass 461).
No, subclass 461 visa does not directly lead to permanent residency.
If your relationship with your New Zealand partner breaks down, you can still apply for a further five year 461, provided you are not in a new relationship.
You can include your child/step-child or your partner’s child/step-child in you visa application at the time of lodgement. You can’t add family members to a Subclass 461 visa application after it is lodged.
We have summarised a cost estimate for Subclass 461 visa application.
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the Department of Home Affairs
Paid directly to the agency (i.e.; BUPA in Australia) that conducts your medical checks
Paid directly to Australian Federal Police that conducts your character checks
PROCESSING TIME FOR SUBCLASS 461 VISA
The Department is now prioritising Subclass 461 visa.
The Department request that applicants ensures that their application includes:
If your application contains the above, you can contact the Department to say you have provided all required documentation and your application is ready for assessment.
You can do this by sending an email to [email protected]. In your email, include your file reference number and the words ‘Assessment Ready’ in the subject line.
As you can only lodge the application on paper (i.e. not via ImmiAccount), the Department will send you a letter to arrange a health examination where required.
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