Partner Visa Evidence Translation

Partner visa translation is one of the most practical parts of preparing an Australian partner visa application, and one of the most overlooked. Every document that is not in English must be translated into English before the Department of Home Affairs can rely on it. A missing or poor partner visa translation can delay a decision, cause an officer to give a document no weight, or create inconsistencies that look like credibility problems.

This guide explains the partner visa translation rules as the Department states them, which documents need a full translation, which documents can sensibly be translated in part, how the original and the translation should be uploaded, and how to deal with relationship statements and Form 888 supporting statements written by people who do not write English. It applies to the onshore Subclass 820 partner visa and to the other partner visa subclasses. For an overview of every partner visa pathway, see our complete guide to partner visas in Australia. If you would like the documents checked before lodgement, our partner visa lawyers review translations as part of the applications we prepare.

What are the partner visa translation rules?

The partner visa translation rules require every document that is not in English to be accompanied by an English translation, and they require the translation to show who translated it. The Department's published guidance states that all non-English documents must be translated into English. If the document is translated in Australia, the translation should include the translator's National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) practitioner number. If the document is translated outside Australia, the translation should include the translator's full name, address, phone number and qualifications in the language they are translating.

Those two requirements are the core of partner visa translation. Everything else in this guide is about applying them sensibly to the large volume of evidence a partner visa usually involves.

Why the Department insists on translations

A partner visa officer must be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and continuing, and that the applicant meets identity, character and other criteria. The officer can only weigh evidence that the officer can read. A document in another language that has no English translation may be set aside, or the officer may write to the applicant asking for a translation. Either way, the application is slowed down. In a matter where the evidence is finely balanced, an untranslated document can mean the most important evidence is simply not considered.

The translation is part of the evidence

A partner visa translation is not a formality attached at the end. It becomes part of the evidence. If the translation spells a name differently from the passport, gives a different date of marriage, or leaves out a stamp showing that a divorce was finalised, the officer reads the translation, not the original. The accuracy of the partner visa translation therefore matters as much as the accuracy of the document itself. Our guide to preparing evidence of a genuine relationship explains how translated documents fit into the wider body of evidence.

Who can translate documents for a partner visa?

Who can do a partner visa translation depends on where the translation is done. The Department's guidance draws a line between translations prepared in Australia and translations prepared outside Australia.

Documents translated in Australia

A document translated in Australia should be translated by a NAATI certified translator, and the translation should show the translator's NAATI practitioner number. NAATI is the national body that certifies translators and interpreters in Australia. A NAATI certified translation usually carries the translator's stamp, practitioner number and a statement that it is an accurate translation of the original.

For most couples living in Australia, a NAATI certified translator is the safest choice for every partner visa translation. The practitioner number allows the officer to confirm that the translator holds a current credential in the relevant language pair, and it removes a common reason for a translation to be questioned.

Documents translated outside Australia

A document translated outside Australia does not have to be translated by a NAATI certified translator, but the translation must identify a qualified translator. The Department asks for the translator's full name, address, phone number and qualifications in the language they are translating. An overseas partner visa translation that is unsigned, anonymous, or prepared by a business that gives no details of the individual translator is weaker evidence and may be questioned.

In practice, many couples find it simpler to have every document translated by a NAATI certified translator, even where the documents were issued overseas. Many NAATI certified translators work remotely from scans, and a consistent approach across the whole application avoids the problem of different translators spelling the same names differently.

Can the applicant or the Australian partner translate their own documents?

No. A partner visa translation should not be prepared by the applicant, the Australian partner or a family member. The Department's guidance asks for a translator's credentials or professional qualifications, and a translation by an interested party does not meet that standard. Even where the applicant is fluent in both languages, a self-translation is open to the obvious objection that the person who benefits from the visa decided what the document says.

The same applies to relatives and friends who are bilingual. Their help is valuable in gathering and organising evidence, and they may be suitable people to give a Form 888 supporting statement, but they should not be the translator of record. The safe course is to have the partner visa translation done by an independent, qualified translator.

Machine translation is not a substitute

An online translation tool is not a partner visa translation. Machine translations are often wrong about names, legal terms, dates and the meaning of informal messages. They are useful for a couple trying to understand what a document says before deciding whether it is relevant. They should not be uploaded to ImmiAccount as the English version of a document the officer is asked to rely on.

Which documents need partner visa translation?

Every document that is not in English needs partner visa translation if the couple wants the officer to rely on it. The practical question is how much of each document must be translated. For the documents in this section, the answer is all of it.

Identity documents

Passports, national identity cards, birth certificates and household registration documents establish who the applicant is. Most passports include an English data page, and that page usually does not need translation. Any page or document that is not in English, including national identity cards, family books and household registers, should have a full partner visa translation.

Identity documents must also be consistent with the application form and with any Form 80 personal particulars the Department requests. If an identity card gives a different date of birth or a different spelling of a name, the inconsistency must be explained, not left for the officer to discover.

Birth, marriage, divorce and change of name records

Civil documents are central to most partner visa applications, and each one needs a complete partner visa translation. They include:

• the marriage certificate, where the couple is married;
• divorce orders, divorce certificates or death certificates showing that any earlier marriage has ended;
• birth certificates for the applicant and for any children included in the application;
• change of name documents, where a name has changed through marriage or otherwise;
• adoption or custody orders where a child is included in the application.

A marriage certificate translation should include every field, every stamp and every handwritten note. Officers often look closely at registration numbers, the date of registration, the place of the ceremony and the names of witnesses. A translation that leaves out the registration details because they look unimportant can create a question that did not need to arise. Our partner visa document checklist lists the civil documents most applications need.

Police certificates

Police certificates must be translated if they are not in English. A police certificate is a character document, and the officer must be able to read it in full, including any statement that there is no record and any reference number used to verify it. Where a police certificate is issued in a language other than English, the partner visa translation should be done in full and uploaded with a colour scan of the certificate. Our guide to partner visa refusals explains why character and identity documents receive close attention.

Financial and household records

Financial and household evidence supports the financial aspects and the nature of the household. It includes joint bank statements, lease agreements, utility bills, property documents, insurance policies and records of money sent between the couple. Where these records are not in English, they need partner visa translation.

For short documents such as a lease, a title deed or an insurance certificate, translate the whole document. For long bank statements, a full translation of the headings, account holder details, dates and the transactions the couple relies on is usually sufficient, provided the translator states clearly that the translation is an extract and identifies what has been translated. This keeps the partner visa translation accurate and readable without translating hundreds of unrelated transactions.

Documents about children

Where a child is included in the application, or where the couple has a child together, the child's birth certificate and any custody or consent documents need a full partner visa translation. Documents showing that the child lives with the couple, such as school or medical enrolment letters, should be translated in the same way as other household evidence.

Documents connected to the Australian partner

The Australian partner's documents may also need translation. A partner who was born overseas may hold a foreign birth certificate, a foreign divorce document or a foreign change of name record. These documents need partner visa translation in the same way as the applicant's documents. Our page on partner visa sponsorship limitations touches on the sponsor documents that may be relevant.

Documents that do not need translation

Documents already in English do not need partner visa translation. Bilingual documents, where every field is printed in English as well as another language, generally do not need translation of the printed fields. Any handwritten or typed entries that appear only in the other language should still be translated. Where a document is partly in English and partly in another language, translate the parts that are not in English and make clear that the rest of the document is already in English.

Does partner visa translation differ between the partner visa subclasses?

No. The partner visa translation requirements are the same across the partner visa subclasses. The same rule applies to the onshore Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 application, the offshore pathway, and the Prospective Marriage visa. What changes between the subclasses is the evidence each one requires, not the standard of translation.

The onshore Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 application

Many couples lodge the combined onshore application. Our Subclass 820 visa explainer, our guide to Subclass 820 requirements, documents and how to apply and our complete Subclass 820 partner visa guide explain the evidence the onshore application needs. Every one of those documents that is not in English needs a partner visa translation. Applicants who arrived on a visitor visa should also read our article on moving from a tourist visa to a partner visa, because their documents are often still in their home country's language when they decide to apply.

The offshore pathway and the Prospective Marriage visa

Where the applicant is outside Australia, the Australian partner is often the person who gathers the documents and arranges translation. The same partner visa translation rules apply to the Subclass 309 partner visa. For engaged couples, the Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa also requires evidence of the couple's intention to marry, such as wedding arrangements, and any of those documents not in English needs translation.

Partners of New Zealand citizens and same-sex couples

The Subclass 461 visa for family members of some New Zealand citizens follows the same translation approach. Same-sex couples are assessed on exactly the same terms as other couples, and our LGBTI partner visa page explains how we assist. Couples from countries where their relationship cannot be registered or openly documented may rely more heavily on messages, letters and statements, which makes a careful partner visa translation strategy for that evidence even more important.

Do you have to translate every chat message, card and social media post?

No. Partner visa translation does not require every message, card or post the couple has ever exchanged to be translated word for word. The Department needs enough translated material to understand what the evidence shows. A sensible partner visa translation strategy for this kind of evidence focuses on representative samples and accurate extracts, with a clear explanation of what has been selected and why.

This is one of the areas where couples most often waste time and effort. They translate thousands of messages, or they upload untranslated screenshots and hope the officer understands them. Neither approach helps. The better course is a selection that is honest, representative and properly translated.

Long chat histories

Chat histories are often the most voluminous evidence in a partner visa application. They can show the couple's daily contact, their plans, their support for each other and the way the relationship developed over time. They are also often written in a mix of languages, slang and emoji.

A sensible partner visa translation approach for chat histories is to:

• select a representative sample of conversations across the whole relationship, including the early period, periods apart and recent months;
• include conversations that show something specific, such as planning to live together, discussing finances, supporting each other through difficult events or planning a wedding;
• have the selected messages translated by a qualified translator, with dates, times and the names of the people speaking shown clearly;
• prepare an index that explains the period each extract covers and the reason it was selected.

A selection must not give a false impression. It should not leave out periods where the couple was in less contact without explanation, and it should not present a translated extract out of context. Our guide to partner visa relationship evidence explains what the officer is looking for in communication records.

Social media posts

Social media posts help show the social aspects of the relationship: that the couple presents itself to family and friends as a couple. Where posts and comments are not in English, translate the caption and the relevant comments, not every reaction. A screenshot showing the date, the account names and the post, with a translated caption beneath it, is usually enough for the officer to understand what the post shows.

Cards, letters and handwritten notes

Cards and letters can be powerful evidence, particularly for couples who spent long periods apart. Handwritten documents in another language must be translated if the couple wants them considered. Translate a selection of the most meaningful cards and letters in full, rather than a single line from each. A partner visa translation of a handwritten letter should note any words the translator cannot read, rather than guessing.

Photographs and captions

Photographs do not need translation. Captions, signs, invitations and event booklets that appear in photographs or are uploaded with them may need translation if the couple relies on what they say. For example, a wedding invitation in another language should be translated if it is relied on to show who was invited and when the ceremony took place. Our Subclass 820 evidence checklist explains how photographs and supporting documents are usually organised.

What an officer cannot do with untranslated evidence

An officer cannot give weight to what an untranslated document says. Uploading a large volume of untranslated screenshots does not strengthen an application. It can make the application harder to assess, and it can make the evidence that is translated harder to find. A focused partner visa translation of the right material is far more useful than volume.

Must the original document be uploaded with the translation?

Yes. The partner visa translation and a copy of the original document should be uploaded together. The officer must be able to see the original document as well as the English translation, both to confirm that the translation matches the original and to check features such as seals, stamps, signatures and photographs.

How to upload the original and the translation

The Department's ImmiAccount guidance for attaching documents asks applicants to scan documents in colour where the original is in colour, to scan both sides of a document, and to combine multiple pages of one document into a single PDF. For partner visa translation purposes, a practical approach is to place the colour scan of the original first and the English translation immediately after it, in one file, and to name the file clearly. Our guide to creating an ImmiAccount explains how documents are attached once an application has been lodged.

The Department's attachment guidance also warns that a file cannot be removed once it has been attached. A wrong translation, a translation attached to the wrong document, or a file that combines unrelated documents stays on the application. That is a strong reason to check every partner visa translation before it is uploaded.

Do not send original documents unless asked

Couples should not post original documents to the Department unless the Department asks for them. Partner visa applications are generally lodged online, and the colour scan of the original together with the partner visa translation is what the officer works from. The Department can ask to see an original document at a later stage, for example at an interview, so originals should be kept safe and available.

Certified copies and partner visa translation

For online partner visa applications, couples generally upload clear colour scans of original documents rather than certified copies. The Department can ask for certified copies or originals during processing, and some specific documents may have their own requirements, so the request should be followed exactly if it is made.

A certified copy and a certified translation are different things. A certified copy is a copy of a document that an authorised person has confirmed is a true copy of the original. A certified translation, in the partner visa translation context, is a translation that carries the credentials the Department asks for: a NAATI practitioner number for a translation done in Australia, or the translator's full name, address, phone number and qualifications for a translation done outside Australia. Couples sometimes arrange for translations to be certified as copies when what the officer needs is a translation that properly identifies the translator.

Police certificates and certified translations

Police certificates deserve particular care. The Department's guidance for some visa types states that if a police certificate is not in English, a certified copy of the translation must also be provided. A partner visa translation of a police certificate should therefore be prepared by a qualified translator and uploaded in full with the colour scan of the certificate, and couples should check the Department's current police certificate instructions for the country concerned before lodging.

Translating the relationship statement

The relationship statement must be submitted in English, so a relationship statement written in another language needs a partner visa translation before it is uploaded. Many applicants express themselves more accurately in their first language, and there is nothing wrong with writing the first draft that way.

The relationship statement is the couple's own evidence. It sets out, in their words, how they met, how the relationship developed, how they live together or maintain the relationship, and their commitment to a shared future. Our guide to writing a partner visa relationship statement explains the content in detail. The translation must preserve the couple's meaning. It must not be rewritten into a more polished or more persuasive account than the one the couple gave.

Writing in your own language and translating

Where the applicant writes in another language, the safest approach is:

• the applicant writes the statement in their own language, in their own words;
• a qualified translator prepares the partner visa translation into English;
• the applicant has the English version read back or explained in their own language, and confirms that it is accurate;
• the applicant corrects anything that does not reflect what they meant;
• the applicant signs the English version only once they are satisfied that every statement in it is true.

This matters because the applicant may be interviewed about the content of the statement. If the English version says something the applicant did not mean, the inconsistency will appear at interview and may be treated as a credibility issue.

When the Australian partner writes in English and the applicant does not

Many couples have one partner who writes comfortably in English and one who does not. The Australian partner should not write the applicant's part of the statement for them, and should not act as the translator. Each partner should give their own account. The applicant's account should be translated by a qualified translator and confirmed by the applicant in the way set out above.

Translation of evidence in more complex partner visa matters

Partner visa translation becomes more demanding when the application involves more than relationship evidence. Complex matters often rely on documents from several countries, legal records and evidence that must be translated with particular precision.

Family violence evidence

Where a relationship has ended because of family violence, the applicant may rely on the family violence provisions. Evidence may include documents issued overseas, such as police reports or medical records, and those documents need a full and accurate partner visa translation. Our family violence partner visa lawyers handle these matters with care, and our article on what happens if the relationship breaks down during a Subclass 820 application explains the wider position.

Schedule 3 and applicants without a substantive visa

An applicant who does not hold a substantive visa when applying onshore must meet the Schedule 3 criteria unless they are waived. A waiver request may rely on compelling reasons supported by documents from overseas, such as evidence about the applicant's circumstances or family. Those documents need partner visa translation in the same way as any other evidence. See our Schedule 3 waiver service, our guide to the Schedule 3 criteria for a partner visa and our article on applying for a partner visa without a substantive visa.

Earlier refusals, cancellations and visa conditions

An applicant with an earlier refusal or cancellation may need to provide translated documents explaining what happened, such as overseas court records or employment documents. Our articles on applying for a partner visa after a visa refusal and on the no further stay condition 8503 explain those issues. Our visa refusals and visa cancellations services deal with the underlying problems.

Bridging visa travel documents

Applicants waiting on a Bridging Visa A who need to travel may apply for a Bridging Visa B. Any supporting document for that request that is not in English needs translation in the same way. Our overview of bridging visas in Australia and our article on work rights while waiting for a Subclass 820 visa explain the bridging visa position.

Form 888 and witnesses who do not write English

Form 888 must be completed in English. The current Form 888 instructs the person making the statement to type in English in the fields provided, or to print the form and complete it in English in block letters. A Form 888 supporting statement handwritten in another language does not comply with the form's instructions.

A Form 888 supporting statement is made by a person who knows the applicant and the partner and the history of their relationship, and who is at least 18 years of age. The person must provide evidence of their identity and, where applicable, their Australian citizenship or permanent residence. Our guides to who can make a Form 888 and what it should say and Form 888 example answers and common mistakes cover those requirements.

Witnesses who do not write English

A witness who does not read or write English can still give a Form 888 supporting statement. The challenge is to make sure the English form reflects the witness's own knowledge and words. A practical approach is:

• the witness writes or dictates their account in their own language;
• a qualified translator translates the account into English, and the English is entered on Form 888;
• the completed Form 888 is translated back or explained to the witness in their own language before they sign;
• the witness's original account in their own language is kept, and can be provided together with the partner visa translation if that helps show how the Form 888 was prepared.

The Form 888 warns that it is an offence under section 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 to make a false statement in connection with a visa application. A witness must never sign a form they cannot understand. Couples should not prepare Form 888 statements for witnesses, and should not ask a witness to sign an English form someone else has written.

Identity documents for the witness

The identity documents the witness attaches to Form 888 may also need partner visa translation. A witness who provides a foreign passport, identity card or birth certificate that is not in English should provide an English translation of the relevant pages.

Common partner visa translation errors

The most common partner visa translation errors are inconsistent names, incorrectly converted dates, incomplete translations and translations prepared by the couple themselves. Each one is avoidable, and each one can create a doubt that takes time and evidence to resolve.

Names spelt differently across translations

Names are the most frequent source of partner visa translation problems. A name written in Arabic, Chinese, Persian, Thai, Russian, Hindi or another script can be transliterated into English in several ways. If one translator writes Mohammad and another writes Muhammad, or one translation places the family name first and another places it last, the officer may not be certain the documents relate to the same person.

The solution is to give every translator the passport spelling of every name and to ask them to use it. Where a name appears differently on an original document, the translator should transliterate the name as it appears and note the passport spelling. Where the difference cannot be resolved by translation, the couple should explain it in a short covering note or through Form 1022 or a change of circumstances notification if the name has actually changed.

Dates in other calendars

Many countries use a calendar other than the Gregorian calendar for civil documents. Documents may be dated in the Solar Hijri calendar used in Iran and Afghanistan, the Islamic lunar calendar, the Thai Buddhist calendar, the Ethiopian calendar, the Nepali calendar, or Japanese era years. A partner visa translation of such a document should show the date as it appears in the original and the converted Gregorian date.

A wrong conversion can make a marriage appear to have taken place before a previous divorce was finalised, or make a birth date inconsistent with the passport. Ask the translator to show both dates, and check every converted date against the application form, the relationship statement and other documents before lodgement.

Incomplete translations

A translation that leaves out stamps, seals, marginal notes, registration numbers or the back of a document is incomplete. Officers notice when the original shows text that the partner visa translation does not account for. The translator should either translate every element or note clearly where an element is illegible or contains no text.

Self-translation and family translation

As explained above, a partner visa translation prepared by the applicant, the Australian partner or a relative is not the translation the Department asks for. It may be questioned, it may be given less weight, and it can raise the question of whether the content was changed.

Translations that do not match the application

A partner visa translation must be consistent with what the application says. If the application gives one date for the start of the relationship and a translated wedding invitation gives a different date, or the application describes a city of residence that a translated lease does not support, the officer will ask why. Our article on why Subclass 820 partner visas are refused explains how inconsistencies feed into refusal decisions.

Altered or inaccurate translations

A translation must be accurate. A translation that adds words, removes unfavourable content or changes dates is not a translation problem. It is an integrity problem. Public interest criterion 4020 allows a visa to be refused where a bogus document, or information that is false or that misleads in a material particular, has been given in relation to the application. Couples should never ask a translator to soften, improve or omit anything in a partner visa translation.

Interpreter or translator: what is the difference?

A translator works with written documents and an interpreter works with spoken language. Partner visa translation is written work: the translator produces an English document that is uploaded to the application. An interpreter assists people to communicate orally, for example at a Department interview, a phone call with an officer or a Tribunal hearing.

The difference matters in two ways. First, an interpreter's oral assistance is not a substitute for a partner visa translation of a document. Second, a person who is a NAATI certified translator is not necessarily a certified interpreter, and the reverse is also true. NAATI credentials are specific to the skill and the language pair.

Interviews and interpreters

If the Department interviews the applicant or the Australian partner, an interpreter can usually be arranged where the person is not comfortable being interviewed in English. Couples should say so in advance. It is better to be interviewed through an interpreter and answer accurately than to be interviewed in English and misunderstand a question about the relationship.

Interpreters at the Tribunal

If a partner visa is refused and the couple seeks review, the Administrative Review Tribunal can provide an interpreter for a hearing. Our guide to what to expect at an ART review explains the hearing process. Review deadlines are short and strictly applied, so translation issues identified after a refusal must be dealt with quickly. See our partner visa refusal service and our article on partner visa appeal options.

When to arrange partner visa translation: timing and practical tips

The right time to arrange partner visa translation is before lodgement, once the documents have been selected. Translating too early wastes effort on documents that will not be used. Translating too late delays lodgement or leaves the application incomplete.

Practical tips

• Decide which documents will be relied on before sending anything to a translator.
• Give the translator a single list of names, as spelt in each person's passport, and ask that the same spellings be used throughout.
• Ask for both the original date and the converted Gregorian date on every document from a country that uses another calendar.
• Use one translator, or one translation service, for the whole application where possible, so that terms and names are consistent.
• Check each partner visa translation against the original and against the application before upload. Errors are far easier to fix before lodgement.
• Keep the translator's details with each translation, so the NAATI practitioner number or the overseas translator's details appear on the face of the document.
• Keep new documents that arrive during processing, such as updated bank statements, in a folder for later translation, because the permanent stage of the partner visa will require updated evidence.

Translations for the permanent stage

The partner visa is assessed in two stages, and at the permanent stage the Department asks for updated evidence that the relationship is continuing. Any new document not in English needs partner visa translation in the same way. Our article on the difference between Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 explains the second stage.

How long the Department takes

Translation delays add to processing times that are already long. As at October 2026, the Department's published processing time guide for the Partner visa (Subclass 820) states that 50% of applications are processed in 22 months and 90% are processed in 30 months. The Department updates this guide regularly. An application that must stop for a request about a missing partner visa translation risks adding further delay. Our article on Subclass 820 processing times explains how the guide works.

What happens if a translation is missing or wrong after lodgement?

If a translation is missing or wrong after lodgement, the couple should upload a correct partner visa translation as soon as possible and, where the error affected information in the application, explain the correction. The Department may also ask for a translation itself.

A request for more information

The Department can write to an applicant under section 56 of the Migration Act 1958 asking for further information, which can include an English translation of a document already uploaded. The request will set a time for the response. Our guide to responding to a section 56 request explains what to do.

A natural justice letter

If the Department has information that would be a reason, or part of the reason, for refusal, it may invite the applicant to comment under section 57. A natural justice letter about inconsistent names or dates in translated documents needs a careful, evidence-based response. Our article on responding to a section 57 natural justice letter for a partner visa covers the process.

If you lodged the application yourself

Many couples lodge without advice and later realise their translations are incomplete or inconsistent. Our guide to hiring an immigration lawyer after lodging your own visa application explains how a lawyer can review the file, and our article on getting a second opinion explains what a review involves. A representative is appointed using Form 956.

Where we act

My Migration Lawyers acts for couples across Australia. Our partner visa pages for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart and Parramatta explain how we work with couples in each city.

Where a matter also involves other visa issues, our general immigration pages for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart and Parramatta explain the wider services available. Consultations are by video, so the location of the documents and the translator does not limit where we can help.

Choosing help with partner visa translation and evidence

A translator and a lawyer do different jobs. A translator produces an accurate English version of a document. A lawyer decides which documents should be relied on, checks that the partner visa translation is consistent with the application and the other evidence, and identifies legal problems the documents reveal, such as a divorce that was not finalised before a later marriage. Couples who are weighing up whether to get advice may find our articles on what a partner visa lawyer does, when you need an immigration lawyer for a partner visa, a partner visa lawyer compared with doing it yourself and the differences between a migration agent and a lawyer for a partner visa useful. Our guides on how to choose a partner visa lawyer in Australia and booking an immigration lawyer consultation explain what to prepare, including a list of the documents that are not in English.

How My Migration Lawyers helps with partner visa translation and evidence

My Migration Lawyers acts in many partner visa matters where most of the evidence is not in English, and many of those matters are complex. They include couples whose civil documents come from several countries, applicants whose names are transliterated differently across records, documents dated in other calendars, earlier marriages ended by overseas divorces, and witnesses who do not write English. The firm deals with complex cases as a regular part of its partner visa practice and is capable of handling them.

On partner visa translation, the firm takes concrete steps before anything is uploaded. It reviews every document the couple holds and identifies which ones need a full translation, which can be translated as extracts and which add nothing to the application. It prepares a master list of names and dates, checked against each passport, so every translator works from the same spellings. It checks each partner visa translation against the original, against the application form and against the relationship statement, and it raises any inconsistency with the couple before lodgement rather than leaving it for the officer to find. It organises each original and its translation into clearly named files in the form the Department expects.

Where the relationship statement or a Form 888 supporting statement starts in another language, the firm makes sure the English version remains the couple's or the witness's own evidence, translated by a qualified translator, explained back to them and confirmed by them before it is signed. The firm presents that evidence in the form the law requires. It does not write anyone's account for them.

Our partner visa work is led by Weiwei Zhang, Principal Lawyer. You can read more about My Migration Lawyers, browse our migration law articles, visit our immigration lawyers home page or send an enquiry through our contact page. If you are preparing a partner visa and your evidence is not in English, getting the partner visa translation right before lodgement is far easier than fixing it afterwards. Book a consultation online or call 1300 040 300.