Partner Visa Sponsor Financial Requirements

The partner visa sponsor financial requirements worry many Australians who want to sponsor a husband, wife, fiancé or de facto partner. The direct answer is that the partner visa sponsor financial requirements do not include a minimum income test. A sponsor does not need a job, a set salary, savings or a home loan to sponsor a partner for a Subclass 820, Subclass 309 or Subclass 300 visa.

That does not mean money is irrelevant. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements work in two other ways. First, the sponsor signs a sponsorship undertaking to help the sponsored partner with accommodation and financial assistance. Second, the Department of Home Affairs must look at the financial aspects of the relationship as evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing. This guide explains both, and then deals with the situations that frighten sponsors most: unemployment, Centrelink payments, personal debts, tax debts and bankruptcy.

The firm's main service page for these matters is the page for partner visa lawyers. For the wider visa framework, the complete guide to partner visas in Australia explains every subclass and stage, and the guide to what the Australian partner must do as sponsor explains the sponsor's role from lodgement to grant.

What are the partner visa sponsor financial requirements?

The partner visa sponsor financial requirements are limited. The sponsor must be willing to give a sponsorship undertaking, and the couple must be able to show the financial side of a genuine relationship. There is no fixed income, asset or employment requirement for the sponsor.

The sponsor's eligibility is decided by other rules. Under the Schedule 2 criteria for the Subclass 820 visa, the applicant must be sponsored by a spouse or de facto partner who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and the sponsorship must be approved and still in force at the time of decision. The same structure applies to the Subclass 309 partner visa and the Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa. The full list is set out in the guide to partner visa sponsor eligibility and the guide to partner visa sponsor requirements.

When people search for partner visa sponsor financial requirements, they are usually asking one of three questions:

• Can I sponsor if I earn very little or nothing? Yes. Low income is not a bar.
• Will the Department reject my partner because of my debts or Centrelink? Not for those reasons alone. The Department looks at the relationship, the sponsorship limitations and the applicant's own criteria.
• What financial evidence do we need? Evidence of how the couple shares money and responsibilities, which is explained below.

Each answer depends on the facts. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements are simple to state, but they are applied to real households with real histories. A short answer is useful, but a sponsor with an unusual financial history should have the whole application reviewed before lodgement, because the way the evidence is presented can matter as much as the evidence itself.

Is there a minimum income for a partner visa sponsor?

No. There is no minimum income for a partner visa sponsor. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements in the Migration Regulations 1994 do not set an income threshold for the Subclass 820, Subclass 801, Subclass 309, Subclass 100 or Subclass 300 visas.

This is one of the most common misunderstandings about the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. Many sponsors believe they must earn a certain amount, often because friends have mentioned rules from other countries or other Australian visa programs. Those rules do not apply here. The firm's short answer page, does my sponsor need a minimum income for a partner visa, gives the same answer, and the article on partner visa income requirements explains the position from the couple's point of view.

What the sponsorship criteria actually test

The sponsorship criteria test status, age, approval and the sponsorship limitations. They do not test wealth. The Department's policy on the Subclass 820 visa lists four sponsorship bars or limitations that may apply to a sponsor:

• Regulation 1.20J. This limits a sponsor to two approved partner or prospective marriage sponsorships, and imposes 5-year waiting periods, which can be waived in compelling circumstances.
• Regulation 1.20KA. This applies to certain sponsors who hold a Contributory Parent or Contributory Aged Parent visa.
• Regulation 1.20KB. This protects minor applicants from sponsors with convictions or unresolved charges for child sex offences or other serious offences.
• Regulation 1.20KC. This allows refusal where the sponsor has a relevant offence conviction and a significant criminal record for it.

None of those four provisions is a financial test, which is why the partner visa sponsor financial requirements cannot be read as an income rule. The firm's commercial page on partner visa sponsorship limitations explains each one, and the article on when a sponsor cannot sponsor a partner visa sets out the practical effect. The way the Department works through the sponsor's side of the case is covered in the guide to the partner visa sponsorship assessment.

An assurance of support is a different scheme

An assurance of support is a legal commitment to repay certain recoverable welfare payments, backed by a bond managed by Services Australia. The Department's general family sponsorship form, Form 40, describes it as mandatory for the visas covered by that form, such as parent visas, with some exceptions. The Department's policy instruction for the Subclass 820 visa does not list an assurance of support among the criteria for a partner visa.

The difference matters because sponsors often read information about parent visas and assume the same financial rules apply to partners. They do not. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements are set by the partner visa criteria and the partner sponsorship, not by the parent visa rules.

Do the partner visa sponsor financial requirements differ by subclass?

No. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements are the same in substance for the onshore Subclass 820 visa, the offshore Subclass 309 visa and the Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa. None of them contains an income test, and each requires an approved sponsorship that remains in force at the time of decision.

What differs is the evidence. For an onshore couple living together in Australia, the financial evidence usually comes from shared accounts, a shared lease and shared bills. For an offshore couple applying for a Subclass 309 visa, the evidence often comes from money transfers, shared travel costs and plans for the move to Australia. For a prospective marriage visa, the evidence is usually about wedding planning, travel and the intention to live together. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements are met by showing the financial reality of each of those situations.

• Subclass 820. The applicant is in Australia. Shared costs in Australia are usually the core of the financial evidence. The firm's page on the Subclass 820 visa explains the onshore pathway.
• Subclass 309. The applicant is outside Australia. Transfers and support across borders often carry the financial case.
• Subclass 300. The couple intends to marry. Shared wedding and travel costs are common evidence.

Couples living in different countries should read the guide to the partner visa long-distance relationship, and sponsors who live overseas themselves should read the guide to the partner visa sponsor living overseas. A sponsor living overseas still faces no income test, but the couple must explain where they intend to live and how they will support themselves on arrival.

The sponsorship undertaking: what the sponsor promises financially

The sponsorship undertaking is the closest thing in the partner visa sponsor financial requirements to a true financial obligation. The sponsor promises to help the sponsored partner settle, including by making sure adequate accommodation is available and by providing financial assistance as required to meet the partner's reasonable living needs.

The Department's family sponsorship undertaking describes these obligations as applying for up to 2 years from arrival in Australia, or from the date of visa grant if the applicant applied in Australia. The firm's guide to the partner visa sponsor undertaking explains what the sponsor signs, and the guide to partner visa sponsor obligations after grant explains what continues after the visa is granted.

Three points are often misunderstood:

• It is a safety net, not a payment schedule. The undertaking does not require the sponsor to pay for everything. It applies if the partner cannot meet reasonable living needs from their own resources.
• It is not an income test. Signing the undertaking does not require the sponsor to prove a particular salary at lodgement.
• It must be signed honestly. A sponsor should understand the commitment before signing it. A sponsor who has no intention of supporting the partner if needed should not sign it.

The undertaking forms part of the online sponsorship application, commonly called Form 40SP. The guide to partner visa Form 40SP and the short answer on what Form 40SP is for a partner visa explain the form itself.

Can the Department question how the sponsor will meet the undertaking?

Yes, it can ask questions. The Department may ask about the couple's accommodation, the sponsor's circumstances or how the couple supports itself, particularly in an interview or a request for further information. The answer does not need to show wealth. It needs to show a realistic and truthful plan.

A practical plan might be that the couple lives with the sponsor's parents, that the applicant will work once permitted, or that the couple relies on savings and family help for a period. These are ordinary arrangements. The article on partner visas when living with parents explains how a shared family home is presented, and the guide to the partner visa sponsor interview explains the questions sponsors are commonly asked.

How the sponsor's finances are assessed as evidence of the relationship

The sponsor's finances matter mainly as evidence of the financial aspects of the relationship. For partner visas, the Department must consider all the circumstances of the relationship, including the financial aspects, under regulation 1.15A(3)(a) for married couples and regulation 1.09A(3)(a) for de facto couples.

This is the part of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements that actually affects most decisions. The Department is not asking how much money the couple has. It is asking whether the couple's financial arrangements look like those of a couple sharing a life. Read properly, the partner visa sponsor financial requirements reward honesty and organisation, not wealth. The firm's article on the financial aspects of the relationship explains the legal test, and the article on partner visa financial evidence lists the documents commonly used.

The regulations list five matters under the financial aspects:

Joint ownership of real estate or other major assets

Joint ownership of a home, a car or major household items is strong evidence. It is not required. Many genuine couples, particularly younger couples, couples on low incomes and couples living apart before the visa, own nothing jointly. The article on partner visas and mortgages deals with couples who are buying property while the visa is being processed.

Joint liabilities

Joint loans, joint leases and joint accounts can show shared responsibility. Department policy notes that accounts operated with reasonable frequency over a reasonable period carry more weight than recently opened accounts or accounts with few transactions. Policy also recognises that some couples keep separate accounts, and says that in both joint and personal accounts there should be evidence of income or spending on shared costs such as utilities, rent and mortgage payments.

Pooling of financial resources

Pooling means combining money for shared goals, especially major financial commitments. A low-income couple can still pool money. Two people sharing a modest budget, saving together for a bond or sending money between countries can show pooling just as clearly as a couple with large assets.

Legal obligations owed to each other

Where one partner owes a legal obligation in respect of the other, such as acting as guarantor for a loan, holding a power of attorney or being named as a beneficiary, that can be evidence of commitment. These documents are often overlooked by couples who do not think of themselves as having finances to show.

How day-to-day household expenses are shared

The Department looks at the basis on which the couple shares day-to-day household expenses. Department policy gives the example of a couple where each person pays only their own expenses and nothing is pooled. That arrangement is not fatal, but it needs an explanation that fits the rest of the evidence.

This is where a low-income or unemployed sponsor's case is often stronger than the sponsor expects. If one partner earns and the other does not, the evidence usually shows one person supporting the other, which is a form of financial interdependence. The short answer on what financial evidence is for a partner visa gives a quick overview, and the partner visa four pillars of evidence article explains how the financial aspects sit alongside the household, social and commitment aspects.

Partner visa sponsor financial requirements when the sponsor is unemployed

An unemployed sponsor can sponsor a partner. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements contain no employment test, so losing a job before or during processing does not, by itself, make the sponsor ineligible or require the application to be withdrawn.

Unemployment does change the evidence that the partner visa sponsor financial requirements call for. The couple should be ready to explain how they meet their living costs. Common answers include the applicant's income, savings, redundancy payments, family support, a Centrelink payment or a combination of these. The explanation should be consistent across the relationship statements, the sponsorship application and any interview. The firm's article on partner visas when you are unemployed covers the general position for both partners, and this guide focuses on the sponsor.

Unemployment often has a specific cause. A sponsor may be caring for a child, recovering from illness, studying, between contracts or looking after a parent. Each of those reasons tells the Department something about the household and the couple's commitment. A sponsor who stays at home with a child while the applicant works, for example, shows a shared division of responsibility. That fits the nature of the household under the regulations, which the article on the partner visa nature of the household explains.

When the applicant supports the sponsor

In many genuine relationships the applicant earns more than the sponsor. Under the partner visa sponsor financial requirements, that is not a problem. The rules do not require the Australian partner to be the main earner. Where an onshore applicant is permitted to work, the applicant's wages paid into an account used for shared costs are good financial evidence. The guide to partner visa work rights and the short answer on working on a Subclass 820 visa explain when the applicant can work, and the guide to partner visa bridging visa work rights explains the bridging visa stage.

Sponsors who are students, retirees or pensioners

Students, retirees and people receiving the Age Pension or Disability Support Pension can sponsor a partner. For them, the partner visa sponsor financial requirements are met in the same way as for any other sponsor. Their financial evidence is usually simpler: pension statements, superannuation statements, a shared budget and proof of shared accommodation. The issue is not the amount of income. The issue is whether the evidence shows a shared life.

Can a sponsor on Centrelink sponsor a partner?

Yes. A sponsor who receives a Centrelink payment can sponsor a partner. Receiving income support is not one of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements and is not a sponsorship limitation under regulations 1.20J, 1.20KA, 1.20KB or 1.20KC.

The real risk with Centrelink is consistency. A partner visa application says the couple is in a genuine relationship and, in most cases, living together. If the sponsor has told Centrelink that they are single or living alone during the same period, the two government records will contradict each other. The Department can see that contradiction as a credibility problem and, where information given is false or misleading, public interest criterion 4020 may be raised against the applicant. The guide to partner visa PIC 4020 explains that criterion.

Centrelink is therefore a consistency issue, not one of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. The sponsor's Centrelink obligations are a matter for Services Australia, not the Department of Home Affairs, and they are outside the scope of this article. The practical point for the partner visa is simple. What the sponsor has told Centrelink about the relationship should match what the couple tells the Department. Where it does not, the couple should get advice before lodging anything further, not after a request arrives.

The firm's article on partner visas and Centrelink explains the position from both sides, the short answer on whether a lawyer can help if the sponsor is on Centrelink covers the sponsor's situation, and the short answer on whether the applicant can get Centrelink on a partner visa covers the applicant's side.

Centrelink records as relationship evidence

A Centrelink record that shows the couple declared as partners can be useful evidence of the social aspects of the relationship, because it shows the relationship has been declared to a government body. Department policy refers to declarations of the relationship to government bodies as evidence under the social aspects. The article on the social aspects of the relationship explains how those declarations are used.

Partner visa sponsor financial requirements and personal debts

Personal debts do not stop a sponsor from sponsoring a partner. Credit card debt, personal loans, car finance, buy now pay later balances and debts to family members are not mentioned in the partner visa sponsor financial requirements or in the sponsorship limitations.

Debts can still appear in the evidence. A joint loan or a debt one partner has taken on for the other can be evidence of joint liabilities and pooling. A debt the sponsor has hidden from the applicant, or a debt that has caused serious conflict in the relationship, may raise questions about the relationship itself if it surfaces in an interview or an inconsistent statement. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements do not penalise debt, but they do depend on a truthful picture. The answer is not to hide debts. The answer is to make sure both partners give the same truthful account.

Joint debts as evidence

A joint debt is often better evidence than a joint asset, because it shows that each partner is legally exposed for the other. Joint leases, joint utility accounts and joint loans fall into this category. The article on partner visas without a joint lease and the short answer on whether joint bills are needed for a partner visa explain what to do if the couple does not have those documents.

Gambling, spending and financial conflict

Where one partner's spending or gambling has caused financial difficulty, the couple should think carefully about how the issue is described. A Tribunal decision in the Partner Visa ART Remittals database, Doan (Migration) [2024] AATA 57, recorded "parties' gambling" among the issues in a Subclass 820 review alongside the financial, household and social aspects, and the matter was remitted to the Department for reconsideration. Each case turns on its own evidence, but honest disclosure presented in context is usually safer than an account that the Department later finds to be incomplete.

Can a bankrupt sponsor a partner visa?

Yes. A sponsor who is bankrupt, or who has been bankrupt, can sponsor a partner. Bankruptcy is not one of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements and is not a sponsorship limitation.

Bankruptcy affects the financial evidence in practical ways, even though it does not affect the partner visa sponsor financial requirements themselves. A bankrupt sponsor may not be able to hold joint credit, take out a joint loan or buy property with the applicant. That means the couple's financial evidence may rely more on shared accounts, shared bills, money transfers and the household budget. The firm's article on partner visas after bankruptcy covers bankruptcy for both partners, and this guide covers the sponsor's position.

A sponsor who entered a debt agreement or personal insolvency agreement is in a similar position. The arrangement is not a bar to sponsorship. It is part of the couple's financial story, and it should be explained if the Department asks about the couple's finances.

Where bankruptcy explains thin financial evidence

Bankruptcy can explain why a couple has no joint assets or joint credit. Department policy recognises that some couples keep separate finances, and the Department is required to consider all of the circumstances of the relationship. A short, factual explanation of the bankruptcy, supported by a document showing its dates, can stop the Department from drawing the wrong conclusion from the absence of joint financial records.

Debts to the Commonwealth: does PIC 4004 apply to the sponsor?

No. Public interest criterion 4004 is a criterion the visa applicant must satisfy. Clause 820.223 requires the Subclass 820 applicant to satisfy PIC 4004, and the same criterion appears for the Subclass 801 stage. It is not part of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements.

PIC 4004 requires that the applicant does not have outstanding debts to the Commonwealth, unless the Minister is satisfied that appropriate arrangements have been made for payment. Department policy says appropriate arrangements exist where the debt has been paid in full or the person has entered an approved instalment arrangement. Policy also says that, in most circumstances, the debt is expected to be paid before the visa is granted, and that failing to pay or enter an acceptable arrangement results in refusal.

Department policy explains that a debt to the Commonwealth is not limited to debts owed to the Department of Home Affairs. It gives examples of debts to the Australian Taxation Office and to the Commonwealth human services agency, such as child support and family benefits. Policy also says debts owed to State governments, such as traffic fines and hospital debts, are not debts to the Commonwealth.

So where the sponsor has a tax debt or a Centrelink overpayment, that is the sponsor's own debt, and it sits outside the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. It is not assessed under PIC 4004 against the sponsor. Where the applicant has a debt to the Commonwealth, the applicant needs to deal with it before grant. The firm's article on partner visa immigration debt and the short answer on whether you can get a partner visa if you owe money to the Australian Government explain the applicant's position.

Can the sponsor pay the applicant's debt?

Department policy focuses on whether the debt is paid or an approved arrangement is in place, not on who pays it. A sponsor who pays an applicant's Commonwealth debt is also creating financial evidence of the relationship, because it is one partner meeting a legal obligation for the other. Payment records should be kept and provided.

Sponsors who are self-employed or paid in cash

Self-employed sponsors and sponsors paid in cash can sponsor a partner. The partner visa sponsor financial requirements do not ask for payslips, so the challenge is evidence, not eligibility. Where income does not appear as regular wages, the couple should keep records that show where money goes, such as transfers into a shared account, rent receipts, bills paid and tax returns lodged.

The article on partner visa joint bank account evidence explains how account records are read, and the article on partner visas without a joint bank account explains what to provide where there is no joint account. Couples who keep finances apart for cultural or practical reasons should read the guide to partner visa separate finances.

What evidence should a low-income or unemployed sponsor prepare?

A low-income or unemployed sponsor should prepare evidence of shared life, not evidence of wealth. This is the practical core of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. They are met through the undertaking and through the financial aspects of the relationship, so the documents should show how the couple actually manages money.

Useful documents commonly include:

• statements for any joint account, or personal statements showing spending on shared costs;
• evidence of money transfers between the partners, especially during periods of living apart;
• a joint or shared lease, or a letter from the person the couple lives with;
• utility, phone and internet accounts showing either or both names at the same address;
• Centrelink or pension statements that are consistent with the relationship;
• documents showing one partner paying for the other's travel, study, medical costs or debts;
• evidence of savings for a shared goal, such as a wedding, a bond or a move; and
• each partner's own relationship statement explaining how the couple manages money.

None of these documents is mandatory under the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. Money transfers are often the best financial evidence for couples who have lived in different countries. The short answer on whether money transfers count as relationship evidence explains how they are used. The short answer on whether a joint bank account is needed for a partner visa and the short answer on whether opening a joint account just before applying looks bad deal with common worries about accounts.

The firm's partner visa document checklist and the guide to partner visa sponsor documents list the identity and status documents the sponsor also needs. The guide to the partner visa relationship statement explains how each partner's own statement should deal with finances in plain, consistent language.

Form 888 statements and finances

Form 888 statements are not part of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements, but they support the social aspects of the relationship. A witness who has seen the couple sharing a home, sharing costs or supporting each other through hard times can describe those facts. The guide to Form 888 for partner visas explains who can make one and what it should say.

Partner visa sponsor financial requirements: common mistakes

The most damaging mistakes about the partner visa sponsor financial requirements are not about income. They are about inconsistency, assumptions and missing explanations.

• Delaying the application to "earn enough". Some couples wait months or years for the sponsor to reach an income level that the law does not require. For onshore applicants, that delay can affect visa status, and a person whose visa is about to expire should read about urgent partner visa lodgement.
• Inconsistent Centrelink declarations. Telling Centrelink one thing and the Department another is a serious credibility risk.
• Hiding debts or bankruptcy. Concealment creates more risk than the debt itself.
• Assuming no joint account means no case. Separate finances can be explained. Policy expects evidence of spending on shared costs, which can appear in personal accounts.
• Reading parent visa rules. Assurance of support and parent visa financial rules are not the partner visa sponsor financial requirements.
• Ignoring the applicant's own criteria. The applicant must satisfy PIC 4004 and the other public interest criteria. A Commonwealth debt in the applicant's name must be dealt with.

Avoiding these mistakes is the practical side of meeting the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. Where the Department has concerns, it may send a request for more information under section 56 or an invitation to comment on adverse information under section 57 of the Migration Act 1958. The guide to responding to a partner visa section 56 request and the guide to an s57 natural justice letter for a partner visa explain those steps. Couples who are considering whether to get help can read the short answer on whether you need a lawyer for a partner visa.

What have Tribunal decisions looked at in financially limited relationships?

The Administrative Review Tribunal and the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal regularly consider couples whose financial evidence is limited. Several decisions in the Partner Visa ART Remittals database recorded financial issues similar to those faced by low-income sponsors, and in each the matter was remitted to the Department for reconsideration.

• Gaspar (Migration) [2024] AATA 4055 (Subclass 820) recorded that the "applicant is wholly reliant upon on the sponsor's income to meet her day-to-day needs" and that the "parties see their relationship as a long-term commitment".
• Singh (Migration) [2018] AATA 5925 (Subclass 309) recorded that the "sponsor financially supports the visa applicant" where the couple had been living in separate countries for the past 10 years, and that the relationship was widely recognised.
• Ho (Migration) [2023] AATA 405 (Subclass 820) was a court remittal that recorded "financial pooling" and "shared accommodation with other co-tenants" among the issues.
• Kesserwani (Migration) [2024] AATA 1470 (Subclass 309) recorded "money transfers" and "neighbouring families" among the issues.

These decisions are described only by the issues recorded. A remittal means the Tribunal sent the matter back to the Department to decide again. It is not a grant of the visa, and every case depends on its own evidence. None of them turned on a sponsor failing the partner visa sponsor financial requirements, because there is no income threshold to fail. What the decisions show is that the Tribunal looks at the substance of the couple's financial arrangements, including one-way financial support and modest shared arrangements, rather than the size of the sponsor's income. The firm's guide to partner visa ART evidence explains how evidence is prepared for review.

Partner visa sponsor financial requirements at the second stage

The partner visa sponsor financial requirements do not start again at the permanent stage. For the two-stage partner visas, the sponsorship is approved as part of the temporary or provisional visa process, and Department policy explains that there is no separate sponsorship approval for the Subclass 100 or Subclass 801 visa.

The couple's finances still matter at the second stage, because the Department must again be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and continuing. A sponsor whose income has fallen since the first stage, who has lost a job or who has gone onto a Centrelink payment does not fail the partner visa sponsor financial requirements because of that change. The second stage evidence should simply show how the couple has continued to share finances and responsibilities since the first visa was granted.

Changes in circumstances should be reported where the law requires it. Section 104 of the Migration Act 1958 requires an applicant to notify the Department in writing if circumstances change so that an answer in the application becomes incorrect. The guide to the partner visa sponsor at the second stage and the guide to partner visa second stage documents explain what the sponsor and applicant provide.

What happens if the partner visa is refused?

If a partner visa is refused, the refusal letter will state the reasons, the review rights and the deadline. A refusal based on the financial aspects is usually a refusal on the genuine relationship test, not on any income rule, because the partner visa sponsor financial requirements contain no income rule.

For a refused Subclass 820 or Subclass 309 visa, the visa applicant applies to the Administrative Review Tribunal. The application must be made within 28 days after notification of the decision, or within 7 days for a person in immigration detention. The deadline should be read from the refusal letter and acted on immediately. The short answer on how to work out the deadline to apply for review explains the calculation.

As at October 2026, the Administrative Review Tribunal application fee for a review of a migration decision under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 is $3,580. The Tribunal can reduce the fee by 50% in cases of financial hardship. A low-income couple should consider that option before paying. The fee is a Tribunal charge, not part of the partner visa sponsor financial requirements. The guide to partner visa ART fees, the short answer on tribunal review cost and fee reduction and the guide to the partner visa ART review process explain the steps.

The firm's page on partner visa refusals sets out how a refused case is assessed, and the article on partner visa refusal reasons and the article on a partner visa refused for insufficient evidence explain the most common grounds.

How My Migration Lawyers presents a case on the partner visa sponsor financial requirements

My Migration Lawyers deals with complex partner visa cases, acts in many matters where the sponsor has a low income, is unemployed, receives Centrelink, has debts or has been bankrupt, and is capable of preparing those applications so that the financial side of the relationship is presented clearly and truthfully. The firm's Principal Lawyer is Weiwei Zhang, and the firm's approach is explained on the about My Migration Lawyers page.

On a matter involving the partner visa sponsor financial requirements, the firm:

• confirms that the sponsor is eligible and that no sponsorship limitation under regulations 1.20J, 1.20KA, 1.20KB or 1.20KC applies, so the couple knows that finances are not a legal bar;
• reviews the sponsor's income, Centrelink history, debts and any bankruptcy for inconsistencies that the Department could treat as a credibility issue;
• checks the applicant's own position under PIC 4004 and the other public interest criteria, including any debt to the Commonwealth;
• builds the financial evidence around how the couple actually shares money, including one-way support, transfers, shared bills and shared accommodation;
• prepares the sponsor and the applicant to give consistent, truthful accounts of their finances in their own relationship statements, which each of them reviews and corrects;
• explains the sponsorship undertaking to the sponsor before it is signed;
• responds to section 56 requests and section 57 invitations to comment about the couple's finances; and
• acts on review at the Administrative Review Tribunal if the visa is refused, including on a request to reduce the fee for financial hardship.

The firm acts for sponsors and applicants across Australia by video consultation, with its office at Level 1, 60 Martin Place, Sydney. It works with clients through its partner visa lawyers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, and onshore applicants can read about the Subclass 820 partner visa. Sponsors whose case involves more than one difficulty can read about the work of a complex partner visa lawyer, and those with other sponsor concerns can read the guide to a partner visa sponsor risk assessment before lodgement.

Concerns about the partner visa sponsor financial requirements are best dealt with before lodgement, when the evidence can still be organised and explained. Book a consultation with My Migration Lawyers, or call 1300 040 300.