Sponsoring a Partner From Bhutan

To sponsor partner from Bhutan, the Australian partner must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen who is eligible to sponsor, and the couple must prove a genuine and continuing marriage, de facto relationship or engagement. The Bhutanese partner then applies for a Subclass 309, Subclass 820 or Subclass 300 visa.

Many people who search how to sponsor partner from Bhutan are themselves part of the Bhutanese or Nepali-speaking Bhutanese community in Australia. Some arrived through the humanitarian program. Some arrived on student, skilled or family visas. Some were themselves sponsored on a partner visa. Others were born in Australia. Each of those histories can affect the sponsorship, and the sponsor's own visa history is the first thing to check.

This guide explains the partner visa options, the sponsor rules that most often cause problems, the Bhutan police certificate, marriage and identity documents, and how to build travel and visit evidence. The firm's complete guide to partner visas in Australia explains the whole framework, and the partner visa lawyers page explains how My Migration Lawyers acts for sponsors.

Who can sponsor partner from Bhutan?

An Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 or over can sponsor partner from Bhutan, provided the sponsor is the applicant's spouse, de facto partner or intended spouse and is not barred by the sponsorship limitations in Division 1.4B of the Migration Regulations 1994.

The sponsor's status is tested when the application is lodged. A person who holds a temporary visa, a bridging visa or a temporary protection visa cannot sponsor. A person whose permanent residence application is still being processed cannot sponsor either. The firm's guides to partner visa sponsor eligibility and partner visa sponsor requirements, and the short answers on who can sponsor a partner visa and on temporary protection visa holders, explain the rules.

Sponsors who became citizens can read the guide for an Australian citizen partner visa sponsor, and the answer on how to prove that a sponsor is an Australian citizen. Sponsors who are permanent residents can read the guide for a permanent resident partner visa sponsor. A permanent resident who has spent long periods overseas should also check the travel facility on their visa, because a permanent resident needs a valid travel facility to return. The guide to a sponsor with an expired travel facility explains that issue.

Can you sponsor partner from Bhutan if you were sponsored as a partner yourself?

Generally not until five years have passed. This is the most important sponsor issue for this group. Under regulation 1.20J(1)(c), a person who was sponsored as a spouse, de facto partner or fiancé generally cannot have a partner sponsorship approved until at least five years after their own visa application was made.

The Department's policy explains how the period is calculated. It runs from the date the sponsor's own partner visa application was made to the date the Department decides the new sponsorship. It is not measured from the date of grant, and it is not measured to the date of lodgement. A sponsor who lodges a new application before the five years have passed may still meet the rule if the decision is made after the five years end, but that is a risk, not a plan.

Three practical points follow for anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Bhutan after being sponsored themselves:

• Check the date of your own application. Your ImmiAccount or your grant letter will show when your partner visa application was made. That date, not the date you arrived, starts the five years.
• The result of your own relationship does not change the rule. It applies whether your earlier relationship continued, ended or ended because of family violence or the death of your partner.
• Compelling circumstances can override the rule. Regulation 1.20J(2) allows the Department to approve the sponsorship if there are compelling circumstances affecting the sponsor. A child of the new relationship is a common example in policy, but each case is assessed on its own facts.

The firm's guides to partner visa sponsorship limitations, compelling circumstances and compelling circumstances involving children, and the answers for a sponsor who was sponsored before and a sponsored partner who wants to sponsor a new partner, explain the test in more detail.

The two-sponsor limit when you sponsor partner from Bhutan

No one can have more than two approved partner sponsorships in their lifetime, and a second sponsorship cannot be approved within five years of the first sponsored visa application. These limits are in regulation 1.20J(1)(a) and (b).

The Department's policy counts only sponsorships that led to the grant of a visa. A sponsorship for an application that was refused does not count. A two-stage partner visa (for example, Subclass 309 then Subclass 100) is counted once, not twice. A grant on family violence grounds, or after the sponsor's death, still counts. Being sponsored yourself is a separate question from how many people you have sponsored. A person who was sponsored as a spouse and later sponsors a fiancé has not used up their two sponsorships, but they are still subject to the five-year rule described above.

For a sponsor partner from Bhutan case, this means the sponsor's whole history should be mapped before anything is lodged: every partner visa they applied for, every partner visa they sponsored, the dates of each application and the outcome of each. The firm's guide to sponsoring more than one partner, the guide to the sponsor's own visa history and the commercial page on partner visa sponsorship limitations explain how these histories are assessed.

Sponsors who came to Australia through the humanitarian program

A sponsor who holds or held a permanent humanitarian visa can sponsor a partner in the same way as any other citizen or permanent resident. Some specific rules apply where the relationship existed before the sponsor's humanitarian visa was granted.

Where the sponsor was already married to, or in a de facto relationship with, the Bhutanese partner before the humanitarian visa was granted, and told the Department about that relationship before the grant, two benefits can apply:

• The 12-month de facto rule. Under regulation 2.03A, the 12-month de facto requirement does not apply in that situation.
• The permanent stage. For an offshore application, subclause 100.221(6) allows the permanent Subclass 100 to be considered without waiting the usual period, where those conditions are met.

The reverse is also true. Where a relationship existed before the sponsor's humanitarian visa was granted but was not declared, the Department will ask why. An undeclared earlier relationship can raise questions about the honesty of the sponsor's own visa application. That is a matter for careful advice before lodgement, not after a request from the Department.

For a sponsor partner from Bhutan matter where the sponsor is a former refugee, the sponsor's original humanitarian visa file is often the most important document in the case. The firm's answer on former refugee sponsors and its guide to partner visas for undeclared relationships explain the issues. The guide to a partner visa FOI request explains how a sponsor can obtain a copy of their own earlier file.

How to sponsor partner from Bhutan: a practical order of steps

The order of steps matters, because the sponsor's eligibility decides whether anything else is worth doing. A practical sequence for anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Bhutan is:

• Map the sponsor's history. List every partner visa the sponsor applied for or sponsored, with dates and outcomes. Check the five-year rule and the two-sponsor limit.
• Check the sponsor's status. Confirm citizenship or permanent residence, and for a permanent resident, the travel facility.
• Choose the visa. Decide between the Subclass 309, Subclass 820 and Subclass 300.
• Gather identity and civil documents. Collect passports, birth records, the marriage certificate and any earlier divorce documents for both partners.
• Build the relationship evidence. Collect travel records, communication, financial evidence and Form 888 statements.
• Lodge the visa application, then the sponsorship. The Bhutanese partner lodges first, and the sponsor then lodges the sponsorship online.
• Respond to requests. Provide police certificates, the medical examination and any further information when the Department asks.

The firm's guides to how to apply for a partner visa, partner visa sponsorship lodgement and Form 40SP explain the lodgement steps. The short answer on what happens after lodging a partner visa explains the waiting period. A sponsor partner from Bhutan file that follows this order rarely meets a surprise at the sponsorship stage. A sponsor partner from Bhutan file that starts at step 6 often does.

Sponsors who live outside Australia

An Australian citizen who lives overseas can still sponsor partner from Bhutan, but the sponsor will need to show an intention to live in Australia with the partner. A permanent resident who lives overseas faces stricter questions, including whether they are usually resident in Australia and whether their travel facility is still valid.

Some sponsors in this community spend long periods in Bhutan, Nepal or India caring for family or working. That is not a problem in itself, but it should be planned. The guides to a partner visa sponsor living overseas and a sponsor returning to Australia, and the answer on Australians living overseas who want to sponsor a partner, explain what the Department looks for. For a sponsor partner from Bhutan application where the sponsor is overseas, evidence of plans to return, such as a job offer, housing or enrolment of children in school, carries weight.

Which visa should you use to sponsor partner from Bhutan?

Most couples use the offshore Subclass 309, because the Bhutanese partner is usually outside Australia when the relationship is ready to be proved. The onshore Subclass 820 and the Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa are the other options.

• The Subclass 309 partner visa is lodged while the partner is outside Australia and leads to the permanent Subclass 100.
• The Subclass 820 partner visa is lodged in Australia and leads to the permanent Subclass 801.
• The Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa allows an engaged partner who has met the sponsor in person to travel to Australia to marry.

The firm's guides to which partner visa pathway to choose and onshore versus offshore partner visas explain the differences. The base application charge for the combined Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 application, and for the combined Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 application, is AUD 11,710 from 1 July 2026. The partner visa cost guide explains the other costs.

A Bhutanese partner who wants to visit Australia first will generally need a Visitor Subclass 600 visa. If that visa is granted with condition 8503 "No Further Stay", the partner cannot lodge a Subclass 820 in Australia unless the condition is waived. The answers on condition 8503 and partner visas and on spouses visiting Australia on a visitor visa explain the risk. Anyone planning to sponsor partner from Bhutan through an onshore application should check the visitor visa conditions before the partner travels.

Sponsor partner from Bhutan: the Security Clearance Certificate

The Department of Home Affairs lists the Bhutan police certificate as the Security Clearance Certificate (SCC), issued through the Royal Bhutan Police. For Bhutanese citizens, the Department describes a two-step process: an online application, followed by a hardcopy certificate once the online application is approved.

The Department's country information distinguishes four groups:

• Bhutanese citizens living in Bhutan apply online. Once the SCC is approved online, the applicant obtains a hardcopy SCC issued by the Royal Bhutan Police. The form that accompanies the online approval is published by the Bhutanese ministry responsible for home affairs.
• Bhutanese citizens living outside Bhutan also apply online. Once the SCC is approved, the ministry's website sets out how to obtain the hardcopy certificate.
• Non-citizens living in Bhutan apply to the Crime and Operations Branch at Royal Bhutan Police Headquarters, with a completed application form, a copy of the passport and, where relevant, a work permit and an appointment or termination letter from the employer.
• Non-citizens no longer living in Bhutan apply to the Deputy Chief of Police, Crime and Operations Branch. The application can be submitted by a former employer, a family member or a contact in Bhutan.

A fee is payable. The Department's general rules then apply. A police certificate is usually requested for each country where the applicant has lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years after turning 16. It is treated as valid for 12 months from issue, and it must cover the period from age 16, or the whole period the person spent in the country.

Many people involved in a sponsor partner from Bhutan application have also lived in Nepal or India. A Bhutanese partner who spent 12 months or more in another country will need that country's police certificate as well. The same is true for a sponsor if the Department asks the sponsor for overseas police certificates. The Department's policy notes that a person who held a protection or humanitarian visa is not automatically exempt from providing police certificates from former countries of residence.

The firm's guides to overseas police certificates for partner visas and the sponsor police check, and the answers on what to do if you cannot get a police certificate and on police check requirements for partner visas, explain the process. The guide to expired police checks explains what happens if a certificate expires during processing.

Can a Bhutanese partner do the visa medical in Bhutan?

Yes, a Bhutanese partner can usually complete the immigration medical examination in Bhutan. The Department's location finder lists approved panel facilities at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, the Eastern Regional Referral Hospital in Mongar and the Central Regional Referral Hospital in Gelephu.

The Department will tell the applicant when to complete the examination. A sponsor partner from Bhutan application should be planned so that the medical can be completed promptly when it is requested, because a missed health deadline can lead to a refusal. The firm's guides to the partner visa medical examination and the partner visa health requirements explain the process.

Marriage certificates and relationship documents from Bhutan

A marriage that took place in Bhutan is generally recognised in Australia if it was valid under the law of Bhutan when it took place and is not void under Australian law. For a sponsor partner from Bhutan application, the Department will expect a marriage certificate issued by the competent Bhutanese authority.

Where the couple had a religious or cultural ceremony, the practical question is whether the marriage was also registered in a way that Bhutanese law recognises. If it was not, the couple may need to register it, marry again in a recognised form, or rely on a de facto relationship instead. Where the couple married in Nepal, India or another third country, the same test applies to the law of that country. The firm's guides to overseas marriages recognised in Australia, to overseas marriages that are not recognised and to the partner visa marriage certificate explain the rules. The answers on whether an overseas marriage is recognised and on religious and cultural marriages give short answers.

Earlier marriages matter too. Where either partner was married before, the divorce or death certificate must be provided, and the earlier marriage must have ended before the new marriage took place. The guides to partner visas after divorce and to previous relationships explain why.

Documents that are not in English, for example documents in Dzongkha or Nepali, must be translated before you sponsor partner from Bhutan. A translation made in Australia should be made by a NAATI accredited translator. A translation made outside Australia must identify the translator. The guide to partner visa evidence translation explains the standard.

Identity documents for a Bhutanese partner

The Bhutanese partner will need a current passport and a birth certificate or other national identity evidence. The details on every document should match: full name, date of birth, place of birth and parents' names.

Where a partner has lived in more than one country, has held more than one passport, or has documents issued at different times by different authorities, small differences in spelling and dates are common. They should be identified and explained before lodgement. A sponsor partner from Bhutan file with unexplained differences invites identity questions, and false or misleading information can lead to a refusal under public interest criterion 4020. The answer on different names and dates on documents and the guide to PIC 4020 and partner visas explain the approach. The answer on what to do if you cannot get a birth or marriage certificate explains the alternatives.

Relationships that began with a family introduction

Some couples who sponsor partner from Bhutan met through a family introduction or a community connection rather than independently. That is not a reason for refusal. The Department assesses the relationship as it exists now, not how it began.

What matters for a sponsor partner from Bhutan application that began this way is evidence that the couple, not only their families, have made a commitment to each other. Each partner's own account of how they got to know each other, how the decision to marry was made, and how they have kept the relationship going since is central. The firm's guides to arranged marriages and partner visas and to refusals involving arranged marriages, and the answer on families who know about the relationship, explain how the Department approaches these relationships.

Documents to collect before you sponsor partner from Bhutan

A complete document set avoids most requests for further information. Before lodging a sponsor partner from Bhutan application, collect:

For the Bhutanese partner

• the current passport and any earlier passports;
• birth or national identity records;
• the marriage certificate, or evidence of the de facto relationship or engagement;
• divorce or death certificates for any earlier marriage;
• police certificates from Bhutan and any other country of 12 months or more residence.

For the sponsor

• evidence of Australian citizenship or permanent residence;
• evidence of any earlier partner visa the sponsor held or sponsored, with dates;
• an Australian Federal Police check and any overseas police certificates the Department asks for.

For the relationship

• each partner's own account of the relationship;
• Form 888 statements;
• travel, financial, communication and social evidence.

The firm's partner visa document checklist, its guide to partner visa sponsor documents and the answer on what documents a partner visa needs set out the full lists. Anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Bhutan should keep certified copies of every document in one place, because the same documents are often needed again at the permanent stage.

The sponsor's own character checks

The sponsor is assessed too. Under regulation 1.20KC, the Department must refuse to approve the sponsorship if the sponsor has a conviction for a relevant offence and a significant criminal record for that offence, unless it is reasonable to approve it. Under regulation 1.20KB, where a child under 18 is included, the sponsor must not have a conviction or an unresolved charge for a registrable offence.

The sponsor must also consent to the Department telling the applicant about any relevant offence conviction. A sponsor partner from Bhutan application cannot succeed if that consent is expressly refused. The guides to the sponsor's relevant offences, the sponsor criminal record and the sponsor police check explain the rules.

Children of a Bhutanese partner

A Bhutanese partner's dependent children can usually be included in the partner visa application. Where the other parent of a child is not migrating, the Department will usually need that parent's consent, or a court order, before it will grant the visa to the child.

For a sponsor partner from Bhutan application that includes children, the sponsor's police checks are also examined under regulation 1.20KB. The guides to adding children to a partner visa and to child custody and consent, and the answer on the other parent's consent, explain the requirements. Where the sponsor and the Bhutanese partner have a child together, that child may be an Australian citizen by birth, and that can also be relevant to compelling circumstances under regulation 1.20J(2). The answer on having a child together and partner visas explains the position.

Can you sponsor partner from Bhutan as a fiancé or fiancée?

Yes, an engaged couple can use the Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa. It suits a couple who want to marry in Australia rather than in Bhutan, and it allows the Bhutanese partner to travel to Australia to marry the sponsor within the visa period.

To use this pathway to sponsor partner from Bhutan, the couple must have met in person as adults, must genuinely intend to marry and live together as spouses, and must have no legal impediment to the marriage under Australian law. After the wedding, the partner applies for the onshore partner visa without leaving Australia. The firm's guides to the Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa and its answers on prospective marriage visa requirements, the Notice of Intended Marriage and whether to use a fiancé visa or marry first explain the choice.

A sponsor partner from Bhutan application on the fiancé pathway needs strong evidence of the engagement itself: the families' involvement, any engagement ceremony, the planned wedding date and venue, and the couple's plans for life after the wedding. The answer on engagement ceremonies and fiancé visas explains what helps. Where the couple are in two countries, the sponsor partner from Bhutan file should also show how the wedding will be organised from a distance.

Sponsor partner from Bhutan: language and communication

The couple do not need to share a first language, but the Department will expect them to be able to communicate. Where the partners speak Dzongkha, Nepali, English or another language with each other, the couple's own accounts should explain how they communicate. Messages and letters in a language other than English need a translated sample. The answers on couples who speak different languages and on translating messages explain the approach.

How do you prove the relationship with travel and visit evidence?

Travel and visit evidence shows that the couple have spent real time together. For a sponsor partner from Bhutan application, where the partners usually live in different countries, it is often the strongest evidence in the file.

The Department assesses the four pillars of a relationship: the financial aspects, the nature of the household, the social aspects and the nature of the couple's commitment. Visits feed into each of them. Shared accommodation during a visit is household evidence. Meeting each other's families is social evidence. Paying for each other's travel is financial evidence. Returning again and again is commitment evidence.

For each visit, keep:

• flight bookings and boarding passes in each partner's name;
• passport stamps and entry and exit records;
• accommodation bookings in both names, or evidence of staying with family;
• photographs over the whole visit, including with family members and friends;
• receipts that show shared spending;
• any ceremony, engagement or family event attended together.

Many sponsors visit their partner in Bhutan. Others meet the partner in Nepal, India or another third country. Either is fine. What matters is that each trip is documented and that the pattern of visits makes sense alongside the couple's explanation of the relationship.

The firm's guides to partner visa travel evidence, overseas travel and partner visas and photo evidence, and the answers on travel together as evidence and on photos for a partner visa, explain what to keep and how to present it. The guide to the four pillars of a partner visa explains how each type of evidence is weighed.

Between visits

Visits are only part of the story when you sponsor partner from Bhutan. Between visits, the Department expects to see regular communication, financial support where it is part of the relationship, and shared planning. A sponsor partner from Bhutan file should include a selection of messages and call logs across the whole relationship, not only the months before lodgement. The guides to long-distance relationships, chat evidence and the answer on money transfers as relationship evidence explain what helps.

Sponsors who cannot travel easily

Not every sponsor can travel to Bhutan easily. Some face practical, family, work or document barriers. Where that is the case, the couple may meet in a third country, or the sponsor's visits may be less frequent. A sponsor partner from Bhutan application in that situation should explain the reason openly and make up for fewer visits with stronger evidence of communication, financial commitment, family involvement and concrete plans. The answers on explaining gaps in relationship evidence and on long-distance relationships explain how to present it.

Statements from the community

Form 888 statements from people who know the couple are part of every sponsor partner from Bhutan application. For a sponsor in an established community in Australia, friends and relatives who have met both partners, attended the wedding or spent time with the couple during visits are often well placed to give them. The firm's guides to Form 888 statements for partner visas and the answers on who can sign a Form 888 and what a Form 888 should say explain the requirements.

De facto partners from Bhutan

An unmarried couple can sponsor partner from Bhutan on the basis of a de facto relationship. The couple must usually have been in the de facto relationship for at least 12 months before the application, unless the relationship is registered in an Australian State or Territory or another exception applies, such as the humanitarian exception described earlier.

A de facto relationship requires more than a long-distance romance. The couple must have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, live together or not live separately and apart on a permanent basis, and the relationship must be genuine and continuing. The guides to de facto partner visas in Australia and the 12-month rule, and the answers on when the 12-month period starts and on registering a relationship while the partner is overseas, explain the options.

When should you lodge to sponsor partner from Bhutan?

Lodge when the sponsor is clearly eligible, the documents are complete and the relationship evidence is strong, not simply when the couple want to start. For a sponsor partner from Bhutan application, timing often turns on the sponsor's own dates.

• The five-year rule runs to the decision. A sponsor who is just inside the five years should take advice before lodging, because the outcome depends on when the Department decides.
• The 12-month de facto period runs to the application. A de facto couple who lodge too early can fail the requirement unless the relationship is registered or an exception applies.
• Police certificates expire. They are generally treated as valid for 12 months, so obtaining them too early can mean obtaining them twice.
• Onshore applications need a substantive visa. For a Subclass 820, the partner should lodge while still holding a substantive visa. Lodging after the visa expires brings in Schedule 3 criteria.

The firm's answer on the best time to lodge a partner visa and its guides to the minimum relationship length and Schedule 3 criteria explain each point. A well-timed sponsor partner from Bhutan application is decided on its merits, not on a date.

Common reasons a sponsor partner from Bhutan application fails

Most refusals of a sponsor partner from Bhutan application come from a short list of problems:

• the sponsor was caught by the five-year rule or the two-sponsor limit, and no compelling circumstances were put forward;
• the sponsor's own earlier relationship history was not disclosed or was inconsistent with earlier applications;
• the relationship evidence showed contact but little time spent together;
• the couple's accounts of how they met, when they married or how often they have visited did not match;
• police certificates from Bhutan or another country were not provided in time;
• the marriage could not be shown to be valid.

The firm's guides to why partner visas get refused, non-genuine relationship refusals and conflicting statements, and the answer on challenging a refusal based on sponsorship limitations, explain each problem and how it is approached. The guides to section 56 requests and section 57 natural justice letters explain how to respond before a decision is made.

Can a refused sponsor partner from Bhutan application be reviewed?

Yes. A partner visa refusal can usually be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal. The application must be made within 28 days after the applicant is notified of the decision, or 7 days if the applicant is in immigration detention. For a Subclass 309 refusal, the visa applicant applies for review in their own name under regulation 4.02(5)(raa) of the Migration Regulations 1994, not the Australian sponsor. For a Subclass 300 refusal, the Australian sponsor applies.

The Tribunal fee for review of a partner visa refusal is AUD 3,727 from 1 July 2026, and half is refunded if the Tribunal sets aside, varies or remits the decision. The Tribunal reconsiders the case on the evidence before it at the hearing, which means new evidence can be added. The guides to the partner visa appeal deadline, the ART hearing, the ART review process and who applies for review of an offshore refusal explain the steps.

Published Tribunal decisions show how relationship evidence is reassessed on review. Each case turns on its own facts, and none of these decisions concerned a sponsor partner from Bhutan application:

• In Saadie (Migration) [2024] ARTA 862, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were an expedited hearing, a genuine and continuing relationship, and a valid marriage in the home country months after the couple were introduced and days after they met in person. The Tribunal remitted the matter to the Department.
• In Pham (Migration) [2024] ARTA 107, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were a genuine and continuing relationship, joint social activities and frequent travel, money transfers and a long-term relationship. The matter was sent back to the Department for reconsideration.
• In Daher (Migration) [2024] AATA 2077, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were that each party had previously been married and divorced, that the families were known to each other, and that the couple were validly married in the home country. The Tribunal remitted the matter.

These decisions show that a marriage soon after an introduction, a relationship built on frequent travel, and earlier marriages on both sides are matters the Tribunal will look at closely and on the evidence. The firm's partner visa refusal lawyers page and the guide to the partner visa appeal versus reapplying explain the options after a refusal.

How My Migration Lawyers helps you sponsor partner from Bhutan

My Migration Lawyers deals with complex partner visa cases, acts in many matters for Australian sponsors with partners from South Asia and the Himalayan region, and is capable of handling a sponsor partner from Bhutan application from the first check of the sponsor's history through to review. The firm's Principal Lawyer is Weiwei Zhang, and the firm's approach is explained on the about My Migration Lawyers page.

On a sponsor partner from Bhutan matter, the firm:

• maps the sponsor's own visa history, including any partner visa the sponsor held or sponsored, and calculates the regulation 1.20J dates before anything is lodged;
• where the sponsor came through the humanitarian program, reviews whether the relationship was declared and whether the regulation 2.03A and subclause 100.221(6) rules can apply;
• prepares a compelling circumstances submission under regulation 1.20J(2) where the five-year rule or the two-sponsor limit is engaged;
• explains the Security Clearance Certificate process and identifies any other police certificates needed from Nepal, India or elsewhere;
• checks the Bhutanese marriage certificate and any earlier divorce documents for validity and consistency;
• presents the couple's own account of the relationship and their visits, which each of them reviews and corrects, together with Form 888 statements from the community and organised travel evidence;
• responds to section 56 requests and section 57 letters; and
• acts on review at the Administrative Review Tribunal if the visa is refused.

The firm acts for sponsors across Australia, including through its partner visa lawyers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra, and through its guidance for regional sponsors. The guide to complex partner visa applications and the partner visa FAQ hub explain more.

If you plan to sponsor partner from Bhutan and you were sponsored yourself, came through the humanitarian program, or have sponsored before, get advice on the dates first. Book a consultation with My Migration Lawyers, or call 1300 040 300.