Sponsoring a Partner From the Gambia

If you want to sponsor partner from the Gambia, the first legal question is not about forms or fees. It is whether Australian law recognises your marriage at all. An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen can sponsor partner from the Gambia on a partner visa, but the way the application is framed depends on the marriage history of both people.

Many Gambian couples marry in an Islamic ceremony. Gambian law allows polygamous Islamic marriages. Australian law does not recognise a marriage where either party was already married to someone else on the day of the ceremony. That single rule shapes almost every decision when you sponsor partner from the Gambia: which visa to choose, whether to apply as spouses or as de facto partners, which divorce documents to collect, and how to explain the relationship history to the Department of Home Affairs.

This guide is written for the Australian sponsor. It explains the marriage validity rules, the polygamy issue, previous marriages and proof of divorce, Gambian civil and Islamic marriage documents, the Gambian police certificate, where visa services are handled, and how to build relationship evidence across two continents. For the wider picture, the partner visa complete guide and the partner visa sponsor requirements explain the general framework.

Can an Australian sponsor partner from the Gambia?

Yes. An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen can sponsor partner from the Gambia, provided the sponsor is eligible and the couple is in a genuine and continuing married or de facto relationship. The Gambian partner applies for the visa, and the Australian partner lodges a sponsorship.

There are three visa pathways:

• Subclass 309 and Subclass 100. The Subclass 309 partner visa is the temporary offshore stage, and the Subclass 100 is the permanent stage. The Gambian partner must be outside Australia when the application is lodged and when it is decided. It is the pathway commonly used by couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia.
• Subclass 820 and Subclass 801. The Subclass 820 partner visa is the onshore pathway. It is only available if the Gambian partner is in Australia, holds a suitable visa or can satisfy the Schedule 3 criteria, and is not prevented by a condition such as 8503.
• Subclass 300. The Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa suits couples who are engaged and intend to marry in Australia. It can also be the right choice where an earlier Gambian ceremony cannot be recognised.

The sponsor must meet the sponsorship rules as well. These include the sponsorship limitations on sponsors who have sponsored before or were themselves sponsored, and the police check rules for sponsors explained in partner visa sponsor police checks. An Australian who lives overseas can still sponsor partner from the Gambia, but must show an intention to live in Australia, as explained in sponsoring a partner while living overseas.

The marriage validity rule that decides how you sponsor partner from the Gambia

A marriage solemnised in the Gambia is recognised in Australia as valid unless an exception in Part VA of the Marriage Act 1961 applies. Section 88D(1) states the general rule of recognition. Section 88D(2) then lists marriages that are not recognised. The most important exception for couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia is section 88D(2)(a).

Section 88D(2)(a) applies where either party was, at the time of the marriage, a party to a marriage with some other person, and that other marriage was recognised in Australia as valid. In plain words, if the Gambian partner or the Australian sponsor was still married to someone else on the day of the Gambian ceremony, Australia does not recognise the Gambian marriage.

This matters because the partner visa law depends on Australian recognition. Under section 5F of the Migration Act 1958, two people are in a married relationship only if they are married under a marriage that is valid for the purposes of that Act, and they also have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, a genuine and continuing relationship, and they live together or do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis. The firm's guides on whether an overseas marriage is recognised in Australia and what happens when an overseas marriage is not recognised explain the general position.

The rule looks at the day of the ceremony. A later divorce from the earlier spouse does not make the Gambian marriage valid. This is the point that couples most often misunderstand when they sponsor partner from the Gambia, and it is the reason a lawyer should read both partners' full marriage histories before anything is lodged.

What the rule does not do

The rule does not prevent a couple from being in a genuine relationship. It only decides whether the couple can rely on the marriage. If the marriage is not recognised, the couple may still qualify as de facto partners, or may plan a new valid marriage, as explained later in this guide. The valid marriage requirement for a spouse visa is a short summary of the same point.

Polygamous marriages when you sponsor partner from the Gambia

Gambian law recognises polygamous Islamic marriages, but Australia recognises only one marriage at a time. To sponsor partner from the Gambia as a spouse, neither partner can have been married to another person on the day of the marriage relied on, and the couple must be committed to each other to the exclusion of all others.

There are three common situations.

The Gambian partner already has another spouse

If the Gambian partner was married to another person when the Gambian marriage to the Australian sponsor took place, section 88D(2)(a) applies and the marriage to the sponsor is not recognised in Australia. That remains so even if the earlier marriage later ended. The couple cannot apply as spouses on the strength of that ceremony. A further problem arises if the earlier marriage is still continuing. The Department will ask whether the couple has a commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others. While the Gambian partner remains married to another person and lives in that marriage, that requirement is very difficult to meet. The firm's FAQ on polygamous marriages and the spouse visa summarises this.

The Australian sponsor already has another spouse

The same rule applies in reverse. If the Australian sponsor married in the Gambia while still married to someone else, whether in Australia or overseas, the Gambian marriage is not recognised. Sponsors sometimes assume that an Australian separation is enough. It is not. A separation does not end a marriage. Only a divorce order that has taken effect ends it. The guide on applying for a partner visa while still married explains how the Department treats a sponsor who is separated but not yet divorced.

A marriage that is only potentially polygamous

An Islamic marriage in the Gambia is often described as potentially polygamous, because the law under which it was made would allow the husband to take another wife later. Where neither party was already married at the time of the ceremony, and the couple's relationship is monogamous in fact, the marriage is generally capable of recognition in Australia. The fact that Gambian law would have allowed a later additional marriage does not, by itself, defeat recognition. What matters for the visa is the actual marital status of each party on the day of the ceremony and the exclusive commitment between them. This point should still be confirmed with advice on the specific facts, because the evidence of each party's status on that day is what the Department will examine.

The exclusivity requirement when you sponsor partner from the Gambia

The exclusivity requirement means the couple must have a mutual commitment to a shared life together to the exclusion of all others. It applies to married couples under section 5F of the Migration Act 1958 and to de facto partners under section 5CB. It is separate from the marriage validity rule, and it is assessed at the time of application and again at the time of decision.

For couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia, this requirement is where cultural practice and Australian law meet. The Department does not assess whether a religion permits more than one spouse. It assesses whether these two people are committed only to each other. Evidence that helps includes a relationship statement that addresses the issue directly, divorce documents for every earlier marriage, Form 888 statements from people who know the couple, and consistent information across every form. The guide to the genuine and continuing relationship test explains how decision makers weigh this material.

An Australian sponsor should also know that the Department cross-checks earlier applications. If a sponsor or an applicant has declared a different spouse in an earlier visa or citizenship application, that history will be visible. The guide on the sponsor's own visa history explains why consistency matters, and the FAQ on whether a person can sponsor more than one partner explains the limits.

What if you married in the Gambia before a divorce was final?

If you married in the Gambia before an earlier divorce was final, the Gambian marriage is not recognised in Australia, and the application must usually rely on a de facto relationship or a new valid marriage instead. It is a problem that arises regularly when Australians sponsor partner from the Gambia.

The Administrative Review Tribunal considered this kind of problem in Najem (Migration) [2026] ARTA 575. The reported issue was a marriage in the home country that took place before the sponsor's divorce was finalised, and the relationship was assessed as a de facto relationship instead. The Tribunal remitted the matter to the Department for reconsideration. The case shows that an invalid marriage does not end the inquiry. The question becomes whether the couple meets the de facto definition.

The de facto alternative

A de facto relationship under section 5CB of the Migration Act 1958 does not depend on any marriage. The couple must have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, the relationship must be genuine and continuing, and they must live together or not live separately and apart on a permanent basis. They must not be related by family.

For most partner visas, regulation 2.03A(3) of the Migration Regulations 1994 also requires the de facto relationship to have existed for at least 12 months immediately before the application, unless an exception applies, such as compelling and compassionate circumstances or registration of the relationship in an Australian State or Territory. The FAQ on when the 12 month de facto period starts and the guide to de facto partner visas in Australia explain this requirement.

Marrying again after the divorce

Once the earlier divorce has taken effect, the couple is free to marry validly. A new marriage, whether in the Gambia or in Australia, can then support a spouse application. A Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa can bring the Gambian partner to Australia to marry. The timing must be planned carefully, and the relationship statement must explain the earlier invalid ceremony openly. Hiding the first ceremony risks a finding of false or misleading information, which is far more serious than the original problem. The guide on false information refusals explains that risk.

Proving the sponsor's previous marriages ended

To sponsor partner from the Gambia as a spouse, every previous marriage of the Australian sponsor must be shown to have ended before the marriage the couple relies on. For a divorce granted in Australia, that means a divorce order from the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and the relevant date is the date the order took effect, not the date it was made or the date the couple separated.

Under the Family Law Act 1975, a divorce order generally takes effect one month after it is made. A sponsor who travelled to the Gambia and married in the weeks between the hearing and the date the order took effect was still legally married on the day of the ceremony. Section 88D(2)(a) then applies. This timing issue is easy to miss, and it is one of the first things to check when you sponsor partner from the Gambia after a recent divorce.

Where a sponsor who wants to sponsor partner from the Gambia was divorced overseas, the foreign divorce document must be provided, with an English translation if it is not in English. Where a former spouse has died, a death certificate is needed. The guide on partner visa sponsor documents and the FAQ on what documents the sponsor provides list the usual sponsor evidence. The guide on a partner visa after divorce explains how the Department looks at recent divorces more broadly.

Sponsors with several earlier marriages

Some people who sponsor partner from the Gambia have been married more than once. Each marriage must be accounted for, with its own proof of ending. The Tribunal considered a sponsor's multiple marriages, together with shared finances and joint travel to visit family, in HUANG (MIGRATION) [2026] ARTA 1553, and remitted the matter to the Department. A history of earlier marriages is not a reason for refusal. It does mean the evidence of how each one ended, and of the current relationship, must be complete and consistent.

Proving the Gambian partner's previous marriages ended

When you sponsor partner from the Gambia, the Gambian partner must also prove that every earlier marriage ended before the marriage relied on. In the Gambia, the document depends on the type of marriage that ended. A Muslim divorce is evidenced by a divorce certificate from the Cadi Court that dealt with it. A civil divorce is issued by the High Court of the Gambia.

These details come from official foreign government guidance. The United States Department of State civil documents guidance for the Gambia states that Cadi Court divorce documents carry a QR code, that civil divorces are issued by the High Court, and that certified copies are not available. The United Kingdom Home Office country document profile also identifies the Cadi Court as the issuing authority for Islamic marriages. To sponsor partner from the Gambia without delay, the original divorce document should be located early, and a clear colour scan should be prepared for upload.

If the Gambian partner was previously married under customary practice, which can arise for couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia, and the marriage was not documented, the position is more difficult. A Form 888 statement from people with direct knowledge, and a detailed explanation in the relationship statement, may be needed. The FAQ on what to do if you cannot get a birth or marriage certificate and the guide on missing partner visa documents explain the Department's general approach to documents that cannot be obtained.

Why the dates must match

Couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia must make sure the dates on divorce documents, marriage certificates, the relationship statement and the application forms line up. If a divorce date in a Cadi Court document falls after the date of the marriage to the sponsor, the Department will notice. The FAQ on different names or dates in documents explains how to deal with discrepancies honestly before lodgement.

Islamic and civil marriage documents from the Gambia

A couple who wants to sponsor partner from the Gambia as spouses must provide a marriage certificate. In the Gambia, a civil marriage is conducted and recorded through the Registrar General's Department of the Ministry of Justice, and an Islamic marriage is documented by the Cadi Court.

The Ministry of Justice marriage registry page states that civil marriages are conducted by the Registrar of Marriages, and that a completed civil marriage form must be submitted at least two weeks before the proposed marriage date. The same office authenticates Muslim and church marriage certificates presented by the cadi or pastor, and authenticates customary marriage certificates. The United States Department of State guidance confirms that both civil and religious marriage certificates are available, and that the Cadi Court registrar issues Muslim marriage certificates.

Which certificate should you provide?

To sponsor partner from the Gambia as spouses, provide the certificate that was actually issued for your marriage. If you married in an Islamic ceremony, the Cadi Court certificate is the primary document. An authentication from the Registrar General's Department, where one has been obtained, is useful supporting evidence. If you married in a civil ceremony, provide the civil marriage certificate. The FAQ on religious and cultural marriages and the partner visa and the guide on the partner visa marriage certificate explain what the Department looks for.

Is a marriage certificate enough?

No. A marriage certificate proves the legal marriage, but the Department still assesses whether the relationship is genuine and continuing. The FAQ on whether a marriage certificate is enough for a spouse visa explains why. This matters for couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia after a short courtship, because the marriage certificate often comes early in the relationship.

Unregistered and proxy ceremonies

The United Kingdom Home Office profile lists proxy marriages among the marriage types recognised in the Gambia. Australian recognition of a proxy marriage depends on the law of the place of the ceremony and the facts. An Islamic ceremony that was never documented by the Cadi Court may also raise questions. The FAQs on proxy and online marriages and unregistered marriages explain the risks. Couples in this position should obtain advice before relying on the ceremony.

Translations of Gambian documents

Any document used to sponsor partner from the Gambia that is not in English must be accompanied by an accurate English translation. Where a Gambian certificate is wholly in English, no translation is needed. Where any part is in Arabic or another language, including a stamp or endorsement that matters, that part should be translated.

In Australia, translations are commonly prepared by a translator accredited by NAATI. Outside Australia, the Department accepts translations from translators who provide their full name, address, telephone number and qualifications. The guide on partner visa evidence translation and the FAQ on translating a marriage certificate explain the practical steps.

Same-sex couples who want to sponsor partner from the Gambia

Same-sex couples can sponsor partner from the Gambia under Australian law, but the relationship cannot be based on a Gambian marriage. The United Kingdom Home Office profile states that civil partnerships and same-sex marriages are not recognised in the Gambia, and Australian Government travel advice states that same-sex relationships are illegal there.

A same-sex couple who wants to sponsor partner from the Gambia will usually apply as de facto partners, or will marry in Australia or in a country where the marriage is lawful. Registration of the relationship in an Australian State or Territory can satisfy the 12 month exception. Evidence must be gathered with care for the Gambian partner's safety. The firm's page on LGBTI partner visas and the FAQ on same-sex de facto visas explain the options, and the FAQ on registering a relationship while the partner is overseas explains registration.

Identity documents from the Gambia

To sponsor partner from the Gambia, the Gambian partner's identity must be established with a valid passport, a birth certificate and a national identity card. The Department compares names, dates of birth and places of birth across every document.

The United Kingdom Home Office profile states that the Gambia runs a mandatory national identity card scheme, that births must be registered within set periods with late registration allowed, and that corrections are recorded as marginal notes on the original record. The United States Department of State guidance states that newer Gambian birth certificates carry a QR code instead of the older red seal.

For couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia, a late registered birth certificate is not a problem in itself, but the Department may ask why it was registered late and may give more weight to other identity documents. Where a name is spelled differently on different documents, the explanation should be given at lodgement. The FAQ on a partner visa with a different identity explains the risks when identity details conflict.

The Gambian police certificate

The Gambian police certificate is called a Certificate of Character. It is issued by the Gambia Police Force, with the Justice Department named as an alternative issuing point in Canadian Government guidance. The applicant applies in person in the Gambia with a national identity card or passport, and may be asked for a birth certificate.

According to the Canadian Government guidance, a person outside the Gambia applies through a Gambian embassy or consulate, and the certificate must then be legalised by that embassy or consulate. The United States Department of State guidance states that the Gambia Police Force keeps criminal records at a central Criminal Records Office, and warns that the process can take a long time where the applicant is not in the Gambia.

The Department of Home Affairs generally requires a police certificate from each country where the applicant has spent 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since turning 16. When you sponsor partner from the Gambia and your partner has always lived in the Gambia, that means the Certificate of Character. A partner who has lived in Senegal, the United Kingdom or elsewhere will need certificates from those countries too. The guide to overseas police certificates for partner visas and the guide to expired police checks explain timing. The partner visa character requirements apply to every applicant.

Where visa services are handled for Gambian applicants

There is no Australian embassy, high commission or consulate in the Gambia. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade lists Abuja, Nigeria, as the location of Australia's mission for the Gambia, and the Australian High Commission in Abuja states that it cannot answer visa or immigration enquiries.

This has practical effects when you sponsor partner from the Gambia:

• Lodgement is online. To sponsor partner from the Gambia, the partner visa application and the sponsorship are lodged online through ImmiAccount. Nobody needs to attend an embassy to lodge. The guide on the partner visa online application explains how the two applications link.
• Biometrics may require travel. If the Department asks the Gambian partner to provide fingerprints and a photograph, the request names an approved collection location, which may be outside the Gambia. The guide on partner visa biometrics explains the process.
• Health examinations are done with a panel physician named by the Department, and the location should be confirmed when the request arrives. The guide on partner visa health requirements explains what is checked.
• Interviews are usually by telephone or video. The guide on the partner visa telephone interview explains how to prepare.

Can a Gambian partner visit Australia before the partner visa?

Yes, but only with a visitor visa that must be applied for in advance. Gambian passport holders are not eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority or an eVisitor, so a Gambian partner who wants to visit Australia applies for a Subclass 600 Visitor visa, which is assessed on its own merits.

A visitor visa is not a shortcut for couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia. If a Subclass 600 visa is granted with condition 8503, the Gambian partner cannot lodge a Subclass 820 application in Australia unless the condition is waived. If the visitor visa ends, the partner may face the Schedule 3 criteria. The guides on a visitor visa during partner visa processing, a partner visa while on a tourist visa and the condition 8503 waiver explain each risk. A refused visitor visa must also be disclosed later, as explained in a partner visa after a visitor visa refusal.

Onshore or offshore?

For most couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia, the offshore Subclass 309 is the cleaner pathway, because it does not depend on a visitor visa being granted or on the Gambian partner staying lawfully in Australia. The onshore vs offshore partner visa comparison and the FAQ on Subclass 820 compared with Subclass 309 explain the trade offs. The Tribunal considered a case where a former representative advised that an onshore application was not possible, in Adu (Migration) [2025] ARTA 2913, which the Tribunal remitted. Pathway advice should be given on the actual visa history, not on assumptions.

Relationship evidence when you live in Australia and the Gambia

Couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia while living in different countries must still show all four aspects of the relationship. The Department assesses financial aspects, the nature of the household, social aspects and the nature of the commitment, under regulation 1.15A for spouses and the corresponding provisions for de facto partners. Living apart does not end the relationship, but it changes what the evidence looks like.

The Tribunal considered a couple who were validly married in the home country but had limited financial, household and social evidence while living in different countries, in Koroma (Migration) [2026] ARTA 200. The Tribunal remitted the matter. The reported issue reflects the challenge most couples face: each aspect must be addressed, even where the evidence is modest.

Financial aspects

When you sponsor partner from the Gambia, money transfers from Australia to the Gambia, contributions to rent or household costs in the Gambia, and plans for shared finances in Australia are relevant. Transfer receipts should show the sender and receiver names. The guide on partner visa financial evidence and the guide on joint bank account evidence explain what helps.

Nature of the household

When the couple has lived together during visits, accommodation records, shared addresses and photographs of daily life are relevant. When they have not lived together, the evidence explains why, and shows how they plan to live once the visa is granted. The guide on partner visa household evidence explains this aspect.

Social aspects

Social evidence is often a strength for couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia. Family recognition matters greatly in the Gambia, where marriages often involve both families. Evidence of the families' involvement, wedding photographs, and Form 888 statements from friends and relatives are all relevant. The guides on partner visa social evidence and Form 888 witness statements explain what makes these statements useful, and the FAQ on statements from overseas friends explains who can provide them.

Nature of the commitment

Regular communication, visits, knowledge of each other's lives and plans for the future show commitment. The guide on partner visa chat evidence, the guide on partner visa travel evidence and the guide on long distance relationships give practical guidance.

Couples who met online or on holiday in the Gambia

Many Australians meet a Gambian partner while travelling or through online platforms. A relationship that began this way can be genuine, and the Department assesses the evidence rather than how the couple met. Short courtships do attract closer scrutiny, so the evidence must show how the relationship developed.

Australian Government travel advice for the Gambia warns visitors about romance schemes. Decision makers are aware of that warning. Genuine couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia should therefore expect detailed questions and should answer them with specific, consistent evidence. The Tribunal considered a couple who married months after being introduced and days after first meeting in person, in Saadie (Migration) [2024] ARTA 862, and remitted the matter. Speed alone did not decide the case. The guides on a partner visa when you met online and the FAQ on marrying soon after meeting explain how to present a short courtship.

The relationship statement

There is one relationship statement for the partner visa used to sponsor partner from the Gambia. It tells the history of the relationship from first contact to the present, including any earlier invalid ceremony, earlier marriages and how they ended, and the couple's plans. The guide on writing the partner visa relationship statement explains its structure. Cultural differences between an Australian sponsor and a Gambian partner can be explained in the statement too, as discussed in partner visa cultural differences and partner visa religious differences.

What does it cost to sponsor partner from the Gambia?

At the time of writing, the Department of Home Affairs visa application charge for the main applicant for a partner visa, whether Subclass 309 and 100 or Subclass 820 and 801, is AUD 11,710 for the 2026 to 2027 financial year. Additional charges apply for dependent family members included in the application.

Couples who sponsor partner from the Gambia also face further costs for the Gambian Certificate of Character, translations where needed, health examinations, biometrics and travel to collection points. If a refusal is reviewed, the Administrative Review Tribunal application fee for a partner visa review is AUD 3,727 at the time of writing. The guides on partner visa cost and partner visa fee increases explain how charges are applied.

What if the partner visa is refused?

If the partner visa is refused when you sponsor partner from the Gambia, the refusal can usually be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal, but the time limits are short and strictly applied. For a Subclass 309 refusal, the Gambian partner, as the visa applicant, applies for review in their own name, and can do so from outside Australia. The time limit runs from when the refusal is taken to have been received. For an onshore Subclass 820 refusal, the application for review must be made within 28 days.

The FAQ on who applies for review of an offshore refusal, the guide on how to appeal a partner visa refusal and the firm's page on partner visa refusals explain the next steps. Where a refusal has just arrived, the firm's urgent visa refusal review page explains how urgent instructions work.

Common mistakes when you sponsor partner from the Gambia

The most damaging mistakes are about marriage history and timing, not paperwork. These are the mistakes to avoid:

• Assuming a separation ended the sponsor's marriage. Only a divorce order that has taken effect ends a marriage.
• Marrying in the Gambia in the month after an Australian divorce hearing. The order may not yet have taken effect.
• Leaving out an earlier Islamic marriage or ceremony. Every marriage, registered or not, should be disclosed and explained.
• Applying as spouses on an invalid marriage. Where section 88D(2)(a) applies, the application should usually be framed as a de facto relationship or delayed until a valid marriage.
• Relying on a visitor visa to switch onshore. Condition 8503 and the Schedule 3 criteria can block that plan.
• Leaving the police certificate too late. The Gambian Certificate of Character can take time, especially from outside the Gambia.
• Thin evidence of the four aspects. The guide on weak partner visa evidence and the guide on why partner visas get refused explain what decision makers look for.

How My Migration Lawyers helps you sponsor partner from the Gambia

My Migration Lawyers deals with complex partner visa cases, including matters where the marriage history of one or both partners decides how the application can be made. The firm acts for Australian sponsors in many matters involving partners from overseas, including partners from West Africa, and has the experience to handle the marriage validity, divorce and evidence questions that arise when Australians sponsor partner from the Gambia.

On these matters, the firm's work typically includes:

• Marriage history review. When clients sponsor partner from the Gambia, we map every marriage of both partners, with the date each one ended, against the date of the Gambian ceremony, and advise whether section 88D(2)(a) applies before anything is lodged.
• Pathway choice. We advise whether the application should rely on the marriage, on a de facto relationship, or on a Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa, and whether Subclass 309 or Subclass 820 is appropriate on the actual visa history.
• Document review. We review Cadi Court and Registrar General documents, High Court and Cadi Court divorce documents, birth certificates and identity documents for consistency, and identify discrepancies that should be explained at lodgement.
• Police certificate strategy. We plan the timing of the Gambian Certificate of Character and any other police certificates so that they are valid when the Department needs them.
• Relationship evidence across distance. We help the sponsor organise evidence of all four aspects, prepare the relationship statement, and gather Form 888 statements from people in Australia and the Gambia.
• Requests and review. We respond to Department requests for information and, where a refusal occurs, act on Administrative Review Tribunal applications.

Our Principal Lawyer, Weiwei Zhang, leads the firm's partner visa practice. You can read more about My Migration Lawyers, see the firm's partner visa lawyers page, and learn what we do for offshore partner visa matters and complex partner visa matters. Consultations are by video, so sponsors anywhere in Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, can obtain advice.

If you plan to sponsor partner from the Gambia, the right time to obtain advice is before the marriage, or at least before lodgement. Book a Consultation with My Migration Lawyers. You can also call 1300 040 300.