Partner Visa Application Status: How to Check

What is a partner visa application status?

A partner visa application status is the label the Department of Home Affairs shows in ImmiAccount to tell you where your partner visa application sits in processing, such as Received, Initial assessment, Further assessment or Finalised. Your partner visa application status is a processing marker. It is not a decision, it is not a prediction, and it is not a score of how strong your case is. It tells you whether the Department has the application, whether an officer is working on it, whether the Department is looking at information it asked you for, and whether a decision has been made.

Most people search for their partner visa application status because they have waited a long time and they want to know if something is wrong. That is a fair question. The answer usually depends less on the label itself and more on what sits behind it: the letters in your ImmiAccount, the emails sent to the address the Department holds for you, and any request with a deadline attached. This guide explains how to read the partner visa application status correctly, where the important information actually appears, and when no news is a warning sign rather than normal waiting.

The guide applies to every partner visa pathway. That includes the onshore Subclass 820 partner visa and its permanent Subclass 801 stage, the offshore Subclass 309 partner visa and its permanent Subclass 100 stage, and the Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa. For the bigger picture of how these visas fit together, see the complete partner visa guide.

What your partner visa application status cannot tell you

Your partner visa application status cannot tell you whether the case officer is satisfied that your relationship is genuine and continuing. It cannot tell you whether a health or character concern has been raised. It cannot tell you how close you are to a decision. Two couples can show the same status for very different reasons. One may be waiting in a queue that has not yet reached them. Another may have an officer who has read the file and is preparing a letter. The label is the same. The position is not.

That is why My Migration Lawyers reads the whole file, not only the label, whenever a client asks about their partner visa application status. The label is the starting point. The correspondence is where the substance is.

How do you check your partner visa application status in ImmiAccount?

You check your partner visa application status by logging in to the ImmiAccount that was used to lodge the application and finding the application in your list of applications, where the current status appears beside it. ImmiAccount is the Department's online account system. Partner visa applications are lodged online, so the ImmiAccount that created the application is the one that shows its status.

If you have not yet set up an account, or you are not sure which account was used, the step by step guide on how to create an ImmiAccount explains the basics. Once you are logged in, the process to check your partner visa application status is simple.

Step 1: Log in to the account that lodged the application

Use the same ImmiAccount login that was used to create and submit the application. If you lodged the application yourself, that is your own account. If a lawyer or registered migration agent lodged it for you, the application usually sits in your representative's ImmiAccount, and your representative is the person who sees the status and the correspondence first.

Step 2: Find the application in your applications list

The Department's help text describes this page as the My applications summary. Each application appears with its reference details, the applicant's name and the current status. A combined partner visa application appears as one application, even though it covers two visas.

Step 3: Open the application and read everything

Do not stop at the status label. Open the application and look at the attached documents, any requests for further information, and the correspondence the Department has sent. A request for documents or a letter inviting comment may be sitting there even though the partner visa application status has not moved. The Department's partner visa frequently asked questions confirm that ImmiAccount is where you can check the status of your visa application and whether you have provided all supporting documents.

Step 4: Check the email address the Department holds

The Department usually sends a notice by email when a new letter is available, and it may send the letter itself by email. Search every inbox you use, including junk and spam folders, for messages from the Department. If the email address recorded in your application is one you no longer check, update it straight away. We explain how below.

If you cannot see the application in your ImmiAccount

If your representative lodged the application, it will not automatically appear in your personal ImmiAccount. Ask your representative for a copy of the acknowledgement of application and every letter received. If you have changed representatives, or your representative has stopped acting, the guide on how to change your immigration lawyer explains how to get your file and make sure the Department knows who now acts for you. ImmiAccount also has a function that allows some applications lodged elsewhere to be linked to an account using the application details. Whether it works for your application depends on how and by whom it was lodged.

What the sponsor sees

The sponsor's partner sponsorship form behaves differently from the visa application. The Department states that the application status for partner sponsorship forms will always display Submitted and will not change to Received. A sponsor who sees Submitted on the sponsorship form for months has not done anything wrong. The partner visa application status that matters is the status of the visa application itself. If the sponsorship itself raises a problem, the issues are explained in our guide to partner visa sponsorship limitations.

Does VEVO show your partner visa application status?

No. VEVO, the Visa Entitlement Verification Online service, shows the visa you currently hold and its conditions, not the progress of a pending partner visa application. VEVO answers the question "what visa do I hold today, and what can I do on it?" It does not answer the question "how far has my partner visa application progressed?"

This is a common source of confusion. A person who applied onshore for a Subclass 820 visa will usually see their substantive visa in VEVO until it expires, and then a Bridging visa A once that bridging visa comes into effect. Seeing a Bridging visa A in VEVO tells you that you are lawful and what conditions apply. It does not tell you your partner visa application status. Likewise, seeing your old visa in VEVO does not mean the partner visa application has stalled.

When VEVO is still useful

VEVO matters while you wait because it confirms your work rights, your study rights and whether you can travel. If you want to travel while your onshore application is pending, you usually need a Bridging visa B before you leave. If you are unsure which bridging visa you hold, the overview of bridging visas in Australia and the guide to working while a Subclass 820 visa is pending explain the rules. VEVO also becomes important after a decision, because it shows whether your visa has been granted or whether a bridging visa is now counting down after a refusal.

The short rule is this: use ImmiAccount for your partner visa application status, and use VEVO for your current visa entitlements. Mixing the two leads to false alarms and, sometimes, to missed problems.

What does each partner visa application status mean?

Each partner visa application status label describes a processing stage, and the Department's published descriptions are short: Incomplete, Ready to submit, Submitted, Received, Initial assessment, Further assessment and Finalised. The descriptions below use the Department's own wording where it exists and then explain what each partner visa application status means in practice for a couple.

Incomplete

The Department describes Incomplete as meaning you have started but not completed an application. An application with this partner visa application status has not been lodged. Nothing is being processed. If you believed you had lodged your application and it still shows Incomplete, it has not been lodged, and you need advice quickly, especially if you are relying on a current visa that is about to expire. Lodging late can raise Schedule 3 criteria for people who become unlawful.

Ready to submit

Ready to submit means the form is complete and can be submitted. It has still not been lodged. The visa application charge has not been paid and no application exists in law until it is.

Submitted

Submitted means the application has been lodged. For the visa application, this partner visa application status usually appears straight after payment and lodgement. For the sponsorship form, as noted above, Submitted is the status it keeps.

Received

The Department describes Received as meaning it has received the application and can assess it within the current processing times. An application with this partner visa application status is in the system and waiting for an officer. Many partner visa applications stay at Received for a long time. That is normal. It does not mean the application has been lost.

Initial assessment

The Department describes Initial assessment as meaning it is assessing your application. In practice, this partner visa application status usually means an officer has started work on the file. The officer may be reading the relationship evidence, checking identity documents, arranging health and character checks, or deciding whether to request more information.

Further assessment

The Department describes Further assessment as meaning it is assessing the information it requested from you. This partner visa application status often follows a request for more information. It is explained in more detail in the next part of this guide, because it is the status that worries applicants most.

Finalised

The Department describes Finalised as meaning it has made a decision and will notify you by email or post. A Finalised partner visa application status can mean a grant or a refusal. It can also follow a withdrawal or a finding that the application was not valid. You must read the decision letter to know which. A later section of this guide explains what to do if the status changes to Finalised unexpectedly.

The status labels can change

The Department controls these labels and can change their wording at any time. Always compare what you see with the Department's current help text. If the partner visa application status you see does not match the labels described here, rely on the letters in your account rather than on the label.

What does "Further assessment" mean for a partner visa application status?

A Further assessment partner visa application status means the Department is assessing information it requested from you, which usually means a request for further information was sent and the Department is now considering the response or waiting for it. It does not mean the application will be refused. It does not mean the officer has found a problem with the relationship. It means the officer needed something more before deciding.

The most common trigger is a request under section 56 of the Migration Act 1958. Section 56 allows the Department to invite an applicant to give additional information. A partner visa section 56 request might ask for a police certificate, a health examination, more recent evidence of living together, a further Form 888 statement, or an explanation of something in the application. Our guide on responding to a section 56 request for more information explains how to answer one properly.

Further assessment can also follow a natural justice letter

Section 57 of the Migration Act requires the Department, in many cases, to give an onshore applicant particulars of relevant information that would be the reason, or part of the reason, for refusing the visa, and to invite comment. A section 57 letter is more serious than a routine request. It tells you what the Department is likely to rely on against you. If your partner visa application status changes to Further assessment and you find a section 57 letter in your account, treat it as urgent. Read our guide on how to respond to an S57 natural justice letter for a partner visa.

Further assessment while health or character checks run

Sometimes the partner visa application status changes because the Department is waiting on checks that sit outside the file, such as health examination results, police certificates, or other external checks. The officer cannot finish the assessment until those results arrive. In that situation the partner visa application status may sit at Further assessment for some time, and there is usually nothing more the applicant can do except make sure every requested item has been provided. If you are asked for a Form 80, the Form 80 guide explains how to complete it without errors.

What to do when the status changes to Further assessment

Check your account for any request. Check every email inbox. Note the date of any letter and the response period it sets. Provide everything requested, in the form requested, by the date stated. If you cannot provide something in time, say so in writing before the deadline and explain why. Do not assume the officer will wait. The Department's policy for the permanent stage states that where it has made reasonable efforts to contact an applicant and has not been successful, the officer must proceed to decide the application on the information available. The same practical risk applies at every stage of a partner visa.

Why has my partner visa application status not changed?

Your partner visa application status usually has not changed because the application is waiting its turn to be allocated, or because the officer is waiting for checks or documents, and the status label does not move during those periods. A partner visa application can sit at Received or Initial assessment for a long time without anything being wrong. The label changes at specific events. It does not change week by week.

This guide does not give processing time figures because they change regularly and they are published by the Department. If you want to understand how long your stage of the process usually takes, read how long a Subclass 820 partner visa takes and our explainer on partner visa 820 onshore processing, then check the Department's current published times. Those articles cover timing. This article covers how to read your partner visa application status and what to do about silence.

Common reasons the partner visa application status stays the same

The application has not been allocated to an officer yet. The officer has started but is waiting for health results, police certificates or external checks. The officer has sent a request and is waiting for your response. The application is waiting until the permanent stage can be assessed. The officer has prepared a decision that has not yet been recorded. None of these are visible from the label alone.

When a long wait is normal

If your partner visa application status shows Received, there is no unanswered request in your account, the Department holds your current email address, and nothing in your circumstances has changed, a long wait is usually just a long wait. The Department's partner visa frequently asked questions say not to contact it if your application is still within the standard processing time, because it cannot give further updates on progress. A long wait is a reason to keep your evidence current, not a reason to panic.

Use the waiting time well

The Department assesses the relationship on the evidence before it at the time of decision. While your partner visa application status sits unchanged, keep collecting evidence across the four aspects of the relationship: financial aspects, the nature of the household, social aspects and the nature of the commitment. Our guides on partner visa relationship evidence and preparing evidence of a genuine relationship explain what to keep. The partner visa document checklist and the Subclass 820 evidence checklist show the documents that are commonly requested.

How does the partner visa application status work across the two stages?

A partner visa is a two-stage visa lodged as one combined application, so one partner visa application status in ImmiAccount covers both the temporary visa and the permanent visa, and the label alone does not always tell you which stage has been decided. Onshore applicants apply for a Subclass 820 visa and a Subclass 801 visa together. Offshore applicants apply for a Subclass 309 visa and a Subclass 100 visa together. The Department decides the temporary visa first, then the permanent visa later.

Onshore: Subclass 820 then Subclass 801

The Department's policy explains that under two-stage processing, applicants apply on one application form for both a temporary visa (Subclass 820) and a permanent visa (Subclass 801). When the Subclass 820 visa is granted, you receive a grant letter. The Subclass 801 application stays open. Under paragraph 801.221(2)(d) of the Migration Regulations 1994, at least two years must usually have passed since the application was made before the Subclass 801 visa can be granted, subject to exceptions such as a long-term partner relationship, the death of the sponsor or family violence. The differences are set out in our guide to Subclass 820 vs Subclass 801, and the onshore pathway is explained in the Subclass 820 visa explainer.

Offshore: Subclass 309 then Subclass 100

The offshore pathway works the same way. The Subclass 309 visa is granted first. The Subclass 100 application stays open until the applicant becomes eligible for the permanent stage, usually after two years have passed since the application was made, subject to similar exceptions. Offshore applicants should note one practical point: the person who can seek review of a refusal, and the place where they must be, differ between the stages and between onshore and offshore applications. That point is covered later in this guide, in the section on a Finalised status.

How the partner visa application status shows between the stages

After the temporary visa is granted, the partner visa application status shown in ImmiAccount may not clearly show that the permanent stage is still open. Some applicants see a changed status and assume the whole application is finished. Others see no change and assume nothing has happened. The safe approach is to rely on the grant letter. A grant letter for the Subclass 820 or Subclass 309 visa tells you the temporary visa has been granted. It does not grant the permanent visa. Keep the grant letter with your records and keep checking your account for permanent stage correspondence.

Submitting information for the permanent stage

The Department's partner visa frequently asked questions explain that once two years have passed since you applied for the temporary visa, you are eligible for assessment of the permanent visa. The Department's policy states that near the end of that period it sends a reminder email to the address nominated for correspondence, advising that the applicant can be considered for the permanent visa and can upload information through ImmiAccount. The frequently asked questions describe a Stage 2 permanent partner visa assessment form in ImmiAccount for this purpose. If the reminder goes to an old email address, you may not receive it. That is one of the most common reasons a permanent stage partner visa application status appears to stall.

The permanent stage is a fresh assessment

The Department's policy for the Subclass 801 visa describes the permanent stage assessment of the relationship as a fresh assessment, based on the evidence before the officer at the time of decision. The same approach applies to the Subclass 100 visa. A grant at the temporary stage does not guarantee a grant at the permanent stage. If the relationship has ended, read our guide on what happens if a Subclass 820 relationship breaks down. If family violence is involved, see our page on family violence and partner visas.

Prospective Marriage visa holders

A Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa is a separate visa. After the couple marries, the holder applies onshore for the Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 visas. That new application has its own partner visa application status in ImmiAccount. Do not confuse the status of the earlier Subclass 300 application with the status of the later onshore application.

A hypothetical example of reading the status correctly

The following scenario is hypothetical and is included only to show how the status and the correspondence fit together. A couple lodge an onshore partner visa application based on a de facto relationship. For many months the partner visa application status shows Received. The couple then move house and the applicant changes jobs and email address, but nobody updates the Department. Later, the partner visa application status changes to Further assessment. The couple assume this is good news and wait. In fact, the Department sent a request for updated evidence of living together to the old email address. The response period passes. The next change the couple see is Finalised.

The lesson is not that Further assessment is bad news. The lesson is that every change in the partner visa application status is a prompt to open the account and read the correspondence. If this couple had checked the account when the status changed, they would have found the request and responded within time. Couples relying on a de facto relationship should also understand the evidence the Department expects, as explained in our guide to the de facto partner visa and the 12 month rule and whether you need 12 months of de facto relationship for a Subclass 820 visa. The same approach applies to same-sex couples, whose applications are assessed under the same rules, as set out on our LGBTI partner visa page.

Keep your relationship statement and witness statements consistent

When a request arrives during a long wait, the officer will compare your new evidence with what you lodged. Updated material should be consistent with your original partner visa relationship statement and with the Form 888 statements already provided. If circumstances have changed, explain the change clearly rather than leaving the officer to find an inconsistency. Our guide to Form 888 example answers and common mistakes shows the kind of detail that helps a witness statement carry weight.

Where do requests and correspondence appear?

Requests and correspondence about a partner visa application appear in the application's records in ImmiAccount and are usually also notified by email to the address the Department holds for receiving documents, or to your authorised recipient if you have appointed one. The status label does not always change when a letter is sent. The letter is what carries the deadline.

The letters that matter most

The letters that most often affect a partner visa are: an acknowledgement of application; a request to provide documents or information under section 56; a request to undertake health examinations; a request for police certificates; a letter inviting comment under section 57; an invitation to interview; a grant letter; and a refusal letter with the decision record. Each one has a different consequence. Only some of them change the partner visa application status.

Deemed receipt: the rule that catches people out

The Migration Act sets out methods the Department can use to give you documents, in section 494B, and rules about when you are taken to have received them, in section 494C. Where a document is sent by email under these provisions, you can be taken to have received it at the time set by the Act, not when you open it. That means a request, a natural justice letter or a refusal can start a deadline running while the email sits unread in a spam folder or an old inbox. The partner visa application status will not warn you. Your inbox will.

When you have an authorised recipient

If you appointed a lawyer, a registered migration agent or another person as your authorised recipient, the Department sends written communication to that person and treats it as received by you. Our guide to Form 956 and Form 956A explains how appointments and withdrawals work. If that person stops acting and the appointment has not been withdrawn, letters may continue to go to them. You may never see a request, even though in law you are taken to have received it.

Keep a record of everything

Download every letter as soon as it arrives and keep it outside ImmiAccount. Write down the date of the email, the date the letter is dated, and the response period it states. If you later need to show what you received and when, that record matters. It also matters if you change representatives, because a new lawyer needs the full correspondence history to understand your partner visa application status properly.

When is no change in partner visa application status a problem?

No change in your partner visa application status is a problem when the silence is caused by a missed communication, such as a request or natural justice letter sent to an email address you no longer use, to a former representative, or to an inbox nobody checks. In those cases the application has not stalled. It is moving towards a decision without you. The Department's policy for the permanent stage says that after reasonable efforts to contact the applicant, the officer must proceed to decide the application on the information available.

The situations below are the ones where an unchanged partner visa application status should prompt immediate action rather than patience.

A request has been sent and not received

If the Department sends a section 56 request and nobody responds, the officer can decide the application without the requested information. In a partner visa, that often means the officer cannot be satisfied of something the law requires, such as the genuine relationship, health or character. A missed request is one of the common reasons partner visas get refused. It also features in why Subclass 820 visas are refused.

Your email address has changed

Section 52 of the Migration Act requires applicants to keep the Department informed about how to contact them. The Department's frequently asked questions tell applicants to report changes to contact details, address or passport through ImmiAccount. Form 929 can also be used to notify a change of address or passport details. If you changed your email address after lodging and did not tell the Department, assume that some letters may have gone to the old address. Check the old account if you can still access it.

A section 56 or section 57 letter was missed

A missed section 57 letter is more serious than a missed section 56 request, because it usually tells you the specific information the Department proposes to rely on to refuse. If you discover after the response period that a section 57 letter was sent, get legal advice immediately. If the application has not yet been decided, it may still be possible to send a response and ask the officer to consider it. Whether that is possible depends on the stage the application has reached.

Your representative changed or stopped acting

If you changed lawyers or migration agents, or your representative closed their practice, letters may still be going to the old representative. Make sure the old appointment has been withdrawn and any new appointment has been notified. If you have already lodged and want legal help now, our guide on hiring an immigration lawyer after lodging your own visa application explains how a lawyer can take over a live application.

Your circumstances changed

Section 104 of the Migration Act requires applicants to notify the Department of certain changes in circumstances. A new child, a new address, a change in relationship status or a new criminal charge can all be relevant. The guide to Form 1022 change of circumstances explains when to lodge it. The Department's frequently asked questions also refer to a notification of relationship cessation form in ImmiAccount if the relationship ends. A change you have not reported can come out at the decision stage and cause a refusal that would otherwise have been avoidable.

What Tribunal decisions show about missed communications

Tribunal decisions show how missed communications can lead to refusals. In Bobadilla (Migration) [2022] AATA 232, the reported issues included no response to the Department's request for further information, while the applicant was visiting their home country and had changed contact details. In Manalo (Migration) [2024] AATA 1927, the reported issues included a sponsorship form and other requested material not being provided to the Department, and access issues. In FAHME (Migration) [2023] AATA 3079, the reported issues included a primary notification affected by error. In NGAOSRI (Migration) [2020] AATA 1956, the reported issues included the notification period and defective notification. Each of these decisions, made by the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal, was remitted to the Department for reconsideration. They show that missed communications and notification problems arise in real cases. They do not mean that every such case will be remitted.

How do you contact the Department about your partner visa application status?

You contact the Department about your partner visa application status using the online forms it provides for partner visa enquiries, but only if your application is outside the standard processing time or something specific has gone wrong. The Department's partner visa frequently asked questions say not to contact it if your application is still within the standard processing time, because it cannot give further updates on progress.

The partner processing enquiry form

The Department's partner visa frequently asked questions refer to a Partner processing enquiry form. Use it for specific problems: a request you believe you did not receive, a change of representative, a change in circumstances you need to report alongside Form 1022, or an application that is outside the published processing time. State the applicant's full name, date of birth, the application reference number and the transaction reference number, and describe the problem in a few clear sentences.

The ImmiAccount technical support form

If your problem is technical, such as an error when uploading documents or an account that will not open, the Department provides an ImmiAccount technical support form. A technical problem is not the same as a processing problem. Use the right channel, or your enquiry may not reach the people who can help.

What not to do

Do not lodge a second partner visa application because the first appears stalled. Do not send the same documents again and again without explanation. Do not rely on a phone call to correct an important record, because you will have no written proof. Do not wait for months after you suspect a missed letter. A written enquiry with a clear request is the right approach, and if the problem involves a deadline, legal advice should come first.

Getting a second opinion on a stalled application

If you lodged the application yourself and the partner visa application status has not moved for longer than you expected, a short review of the file by a lawyer can confirm whether the wait is normal or whether something has been missed. Our guides on getting a second opinion from an immigration lawyer and booking an immigration lawyer consultation explain what that involves. If you are weighing whether to keep managing the application yourself, partner visa lawyer vs doing it yourself sets out the considerations.

When a lawyer should make contact instead

If the problem involves a missed section 57 letter, an appointed representative who has stopped acting, a relationship change, or a possible refusal, a lawyer should usually handle the contact. The words used in a letter to the Department can matter later if the case goes to review. Our article on urgent immigration lawyer advice explains what to prepare before you seek urgent help.

What should you do if your partner visa application status changes to Finalised unexpectedly?

If your partner visa application status changes to Finalised unexpectedly, read the decision letter and the decision record immediately, because Finalised can mean a refusal, and the time limit to apply for review at the Administrative Review Tribunal is short and strictly applied. Do not wait for a second email. Do not assume the decision is a grant. Open the correspondence in ImmiAccount and check your email and your representative's email the same day.

Step 1: Find out what the decision is

A Finalised partner visa application status can mean the temporary visa has been granted, the permanent visa has been granted, the application has been refused, the application has been withdrawn, or the application was found invalid. Only the letter tells you which. A grant letter states the visa granted and the date. A refusal letter states that the visa has been refused, gives the reasons in a decision record, and states whether the decision can be reviewed, who can apply for review and the time for doing so.

Step 2: If the visa was refused, note the review deadline at once

The Administrative Review Tribunal replaced the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on 14 October 2024 and now reviews partner visa refusals. The time limit to apply is short and strictly applied. It runs from when you are taken to have received the decision, not from when you read it. Read ART review: what to expect after your visa is refused and partner visa refused: your appeal options, and get advice on your options before you do anything else.

Step 3: Check who can apply and where they must be

Who may apply for review depends on the visa and where the application was made. For a Subclass 820 refusal, the Department's policy states that only the visa applicant may apply for review, and only while physically present in Australia. For a Subclass 801 refusal, the same applies. For a Subclass 309 refusal, the sponsor is usually the person entitled to apply for review. For a Subclass 100 refusal, the position depends on where the applicant was when the application was made and when the decision was made, and in some cases there is no review right at all. These rules are technical. Confirm them against your refusal letter and with a lawyer, as explained on our partner visa refusals page and our wider visa refusals page.

Step 4: Check your bridging visa

If you are in Australia on a Bridging visa A when an onshore partner visa is refused, that bridging visa does not last indefinitely after the refusal. It ends a set period after the decision unless a valid review application is made, in which case it generally continues while the review is decided. Check VEVO and get advice quickly. If the bridging visa ends, you may become unlawful, and that has serious consequences for future applications. If you have been refused before and want to apply again, see partner visa after a visa refusal.

Step 5: Read the decision record carefully

The decision record explains why the officer refused the visa. It shows which criteria the officer found were not met and what evidence was relied on. It may also reveal that a request or a section 57 letter was sent that you never saw. That information shapes the review application and the evidence you need to prepare. A visa appeal lawyer can read the decision record with you and identify the issues the Tribunal will need to decide. If you are considering whether the decision involves a legal error rather than a merits issue, see our judicial review page.

If Finalised means a grant

If the partner visa application status changes to Finalised because a visa was granted, read the grant letter carefully. Check which visa was granted, its conditions, and whether it is the temporary or the permanent visa. If it is the temporary visa, the permanent stage is still to come. Keep your evidence current, keep your contact details current, and keep checking your account.

How My Migration Lawyers monitors partner visa application status for clients

My Migration Lawyers monitors the partner visa application status and the correspondence on every partner visa file it handles, and acts on requests as soon as they arrive, so that clients do not have to interpret the status labels or worry about missed letters. The firm acts in many partner visa matters, including complex matters where a request was missed, a representative stopped acting, the permanent stage has stalled, or the status has changed to Finalised without warning. The firm is capable of handling these matters carefully and promptly, but it does not promise any outcome.

The firm is led by Weiwei Zhang, Principal Lawyer. You can read more about My Migration Lawyers and the firm's partner visa lawyers service. Consultations are by video, so the firm assists couples across Australia, including through its partner visa lawyers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart and Parramatta.

What the firm does on a partner visa application status problem, step by step

First, the firm establishes the facts. It obtains the application details, the acknowledgement, every letter in ImmiAccount and every email the client and any former representative received. Where the application sits in another account, the firm works with the client to obtain the records.

Second, the firm checks the contact record. It confirms the email address and postal address the Department holds, whether an authorised recipient is appointed, and whether a former representative is still on the record. Where needed, it lodges the correct appointment and withdrawal forms and notifies changes of address.

Third, the firm reads the partner visa application status against the correspondence. It identifies any request, section 56 letter or section 57 letter, the date it is taken to have been received, and the response period. Where a deadline is still running, the firm prepares the response.

Fourth, the firm responds to requests. It prepares the client's own information and evidence in the form the law requires, including updated relationship evidence across the four aspects of the relationship, a relationship statement where needed, and supporting Form 888 statements from people who know the couple.

Fifth, the firm prepares the permanent stage. For clients approaching the Subclass 801 or Subclass 100 assessment, it gathers updated evidence and submits it through ImmiAccount when the client becomes eligible.

Sixth, where the partner visa application status has changed to Finalised and the decision is a refusal, the firm reads the decision record, confirms who can apply for review and where they must be, and acts within the time limit. Its work on visa refusals and Tribunal review follows from there.

Ongoing monitoring on the firm's own clients' files

For clients who instruct the firm to lodge or take over their partner visa, the firm is ordinarily appointed as the authorised recipient. It monitors the partner visa application status and the correspondence on the file, tells the client when something arrives, and acts on requests within the response period. Clients do not need to log in every week to check whether something has changed.

Book a consultation about your partner visa application status

If your partner visa application status has not changed for a long time, if you think a request or letter may have been missed, or if your status has changed to Finalised and you need to know what to do, My Migration Lawyers can review your file and advise on your next steps. Use the Book a Consultation form to request a time. You can also call 1300 040 300.