Sponsoring a Partner From Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Yes, you can sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines if you are an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you are aged 18 or over, and the Department of Home Affairs is satisfied that your relationship with your Vincentian spouse, de facto partner or fiancé is genuine and continuing. To sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, couples use the offshore Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 partner visa, the onshore Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 partner visa where the partner is lawfully in Australia and able to apply there, or the Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa for an engaged couple.

This guide is written for a particular kind of couple who want to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Many people from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and many of the Australians who meet them, work away from home for months at a time: as seafarers on merchant vessels, as crew on cruise ships and private yachts, or on offshore and fly-in fly-out rotations. A relationship conducted between contracts looks different on paper from one where two people share a flat and a bank account. The law allows for that. But the evidence has to be presented in a way that a case officer can follow. The sections below explain how the Department approaches periods apart, how to prove a shared household when one partner is at sea, which work records help most, and which police certificates a crew member needs. For the full legal framework, see the complete guide to partner visas in Australia and the guide to the role of a partner visa sponsor.

Can you sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines if they work at sea?

Yes. A partner's work at sea, or on any long rotation, does not prevent an Australian from being able to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, because the law asks whether the relationship is genuine and continuing and whether any separation is temporary, not whether the couple are together every day.

There is no separate partner visa for Vincentian citizens, and no special rule for Australians who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A Vincentian partner applies under the same provisions in Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 as any other applicant, and must meet the same relationship, health, character and sponsorship criteria. The difference for a seafaring couple lies in the evidence. Their time together comes in blocks between contracts. Their household may be a home that one partner keeps while the other is away. Their finances may run through wage allotments and transfers rather than a joint account.

The relationship can be:

• Married. A married relationship under section 5F of the Migration Act 1958, based on a marriage valid and recognised in Australia.
• De facto. A de facto relationship under section 5CB of the Migration Act 1958, usually of at least 12 months before the application, unless an exception applies.
• Engaged. An intended marriage, for the Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa, where the couple have met in person as adults.

The answers on who can sponsor a partner visa and on the partner visa requirements set out the basic rules.

Who is eligible to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

To sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the sponsor must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, aged 18 or over, who is in the claimed relationship with the applicant and is not prevented by the sponsorship limitations.

The guide on partner visa sponsor eligibility explains each category, and the separate guides for an Australian citizen partner visa sponsor and a permanent resident partner visa sponsor list the proof of status each must give. The guide on the partner visa sponsor requirements brings these together.

When the Australian sponsor is the one who works away

Sometimes it is the Australian sponsor who works at sea, offshore or on a remote rotation. That does not stop the sponsor from being able to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. An Australian citizen who works overseas or at sea can still sponsor, but should be ready to show an intention to live with the partner in Australia. A permanent resident who spends long periods outside Australia must also keep a valid travel facility on their permanent visa, or obtain a resident return visa. The guides on a partner visa sponsor living overseas and on a partner visa sponsor returning to Australia explain the issues, and the guide on a partner visa sponsor's resident return visa covers the travel facility point.

How the sponsorship is lodged

The applicant lodges the visa application online through ImmiAccount. The sponsor then lodges the online sponsorship, using the applicant's transaction reference number. Anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines while at sea needs reliable internet access and a plan for lodging the sponsorship promptly. The guides on partner visa Form 40SP and on a partner visa sponsorship that was not lodged explain why this step matters.

Sponsorship approval is a time of decision criterion for the Subclass 309, Subclass 820 and Subclass 300 visas. It is decided as part of the visa decision, with no separate notice to the sponsor, and the visa cannot be granted without it. The sponsor also undertakes to support the applicant with accommodation and financial assistance, as reasonably necessary, for the first two years. The guide on the partner visa sponsor's obligations explains what that means.

Which visa should you use to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

The correct visa depends on where the partner is when the application is lodged and the legal form of the relationship. Most couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines use the offshore Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 visa, engaged couples who want to marry in Australia use the Subclass 300 visa, and the onshore Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 visa is available only if the partner is in Australia and can make a valid application there.

Subclass 309 and Subclass 100

The Subclass 309 partner visa requires the applicant to be outside Australia when the application is made. A seafarer can lodge from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, from another country, or while working outside Australia, provided they can complete the online application and respond to requests. The one application covers the temporary Subclass 309 and the permanent Subclass 100. The guides on the offshore partner visa and on partner visa offshore lodgement explain the process.

Subclass 820 and Subclass 801

The Subclass 820 partner visa requires the applicant to be in Australia when the application is made. A Vincentian partner who is in Australia as a visitor, a student or a worker may be able to apply onshore, but visa conditions such as 8503 and the Schedule 3 criteria can prevent or complicate that. A partner who arrives in Australia as a member of a ship's crew holds a visa granted for that purpose, and should get advice before assuming that an onshore partner visa application is possible. The comparison of onshore and offshore partner visas and the answer on condition 8503 and partner visas explain the risks.

Subclass 300

The Subclass 300 visa lets a fiancé enter Australia, marry the sponsor within the visa period and then apply onshore for the Subclass 820 visa. The couple must have met in person since both turned 18. For a seafarer, the wedding date must fit around contracts, because the marriage must take place within the visa period. The answer on the Prospective Marriage visa requirements explains the criteria, and the answer on changing the wedding date on a Prospective Marriage visa deals with a common problem for crew.

Cost and time

The government charge for a partner visa starts from AUD 11,710 for the main applicant, for both the onshore and offshore combined applications, as published by the Department and checked on 13 October 2026. The guide to partner visa costs explains the charges for additional applicants. As published by the Department on 29 September 2026, 50 per cent of Subclass 309 applications were finalised in 21 months and 90 per cent in 32 months. A seafarer may complete several contracts while waiting, so couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines must keep the evidence up to date throughout. The guide to partner visa processing times explains what affects the timing.

Do sponsorship limitations and sponsor police checks apply?

Yes. The sponsorship limitations in regulation 1.20J and the sponsor police check rules in regulation 1.20KC apply to everyone who wants to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and either can prevent the sponsorship from being approved.

Under regulation 1.20J, a sponsor generally cannot sponsor more than two partners in a lifetime, or a new partner within five years of the last sponsorship, unless there are compelling circumstances. A sponsor who was granted a partner visa as a sponsored partner within the last five years faces a similar limit. The commercial page on partner visa sponsorship limitations and the guide on when a sponsor cannot sponsor a partner visa explain the rules.

Under regulation 1.20KC, the Department may ask the sponsor for Australian and foreign police checks. A sponsor convicted of a relevant offence, with a significant criminal record for it, may have the sponsorship refused unless it is reasonable to approve it, and a sponsor who does not provide requested checks in a reasonable time can also be refused. An Australian sponsor who has worked abroad, including in a crew base overseas, may need a foreign police check. The guide on the partner visa sponsor police check explains the process, and the guide on a partner visa sponsor police check not provided explains what happens when a request is missed, which is a real risk for a sponsor who is at sea when the request arrives.

Does living apart for work end the relationship when you sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

No. Living apart because one partner works at sea or on rotation does not end a married or de facto relationship, provided the separation is temporary and the couple remain committed to a shared life. Couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines should still expect the Department to look closely at how the relationship works across those periods.

The de facto test

Section 5CB of the Migration Act 1958 requires a de facto couple to live together, or not live separately and apart on a permanent basis. Department policy, following the Full Federal Court in SZOXP v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2015] FCAFC 69, states that a case officer cannot find this requirement unmet solely because the couple were not living together when the application was made or decided. The couple must satisfy the case officer that any separation is temporary and that they will live together in the future. For a seafarer, a contract with a fixed end date and a planned return to the shared home is direct evidence that the separation is temporary, and it is often the single most useful document when couples sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The married test

For married couples, Department policy on spouse relationships states that physical separation for work or other reasons does not necessarily mean that the parties have separated. A legal separation requires an intention by one party that the relationship has ended, acted on in a way inconsistent with its continuation. A spouse who leaves for a nine-month contract and returns home at the end of it has not separated. The answers on what counts as living together for a partner visa and on a lawyer for couples living apart for work explain how these tests are applied.

Why the Department still asks questions

A case officer cannot refuse an application to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines simply because the couple live apart. But the case officer must still be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and continuing. Periods apart reduce the household and financial evidence a couple can show, so the case officer will look for other evidence: contact during contracts, support sent home, and how the couple spend their time when they are together. The guides on a partner visa when living apart for work, on a partner visa temporary separation and on partner visa intermittent cohabitation explain what the Department looks for.

How do you prove a shared household when one partner is at sea?

A shared household is proved by showing that the couple have one home that both treat as theirs, even if one of them is away for long periods, and that they live together in it whenever both are ashore. For couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the household is often the hardest aspect to prove, so it deserves careful attention.

The home base

Most seafarers have a home base: an address they return to between contracts, where their belongings are kept and where their mail goes. If the couple share that home, the evidence should show it. Useful documents include:

• Lease or ownership. A lease or title in both names, or a lease in one name with evidence that the other lives there between contracts.
• Address records. Bank statements, employer records, seafarer documents and government correspondence that list the same address for both partners.
• Household bills. Utility, internet or insurance accounts in either name at the shared address, paid by either partner or from money sent home.
• The crew member's next of kin. Employment records that name the partner as next of kin or emergency contact, at the shared address.

The guides on partner visa household evidence and on the nature of the household, and the answer on household evidence for a partner visa, explain the range of documents that help.

When there is no shared home yet

Many couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have not yet set up a joint home. The Australian partner may live in Australia, and the Vincentian partner may return to family in Saint Vincent or another island between contracts. That is not fatal, but it must be explained. Evidence of time spent living together during leave periods, holiday rentals booked together, and staying with each other's families, all help. Clear plans for a shared home in Australia are also important. The guides on a partner visa without a joint lease and on partner visa informal living arrangements, and the answer on living together overseas for 12 months, explain the options.

Sharing household responsibility from a distance

The nature of the household also includes the sharing of household responsibility, and couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines can usually show it even while apart. Money sent home to pay the rent, decisions about repairs made over the phone, and arrangements for children or elderly parents made jointly all show a shared household. The relationship statements should describe how the household runs when one partner is away, and the documents should support that description.

Which work records prove the relationship when you sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

The most useful work records are those that explain when the partner was away and when they were home, and those that show money being shared. For couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines where one partner is a seafarer or rotation worker, employment documents are not just background. They are core relationship evidence.

Records that explain the gaps

A case officer who sees a gap of eight months in the photographs needs to know why. The answer is usually in the employment records:

• Employment contracts. Each contract, showing the vessel or worksite, the start date and the end date.
• Sign-on and sign-off records. Records from the employer or manning agency showing when the partner joined and left each vessel.
• Seafarer's records. The seafarer's identity and discharge records, which record service on each ship.
• Leave and roster records. For offshore or fly-in fly-out work, the roster showing time on and time off.
• Travel records. Flights home at the end of each contract, ideally to the shared home or to meet the other partner.

Laid out as a timeline, these records turn the gaps into a predictable pattern: away, home, away, home. A relationship that fits around that pattern looks exactly as a genuine relationship of this kind should look. The guide on the partner visa relationship timeline and the answer on explaining gaps in relationship evidence show how to build it.

Records that prove financial sharing

Many seafarers arrange for part of their wages to be paid directly to a family member at home, often called an allotment. An allotment to the partner, or to an account used for the shared household, is strong evidence of the financial aspects of the relationship. Other useful records include transfers sent from ports, payment of the partner's expenses, joint savings for a home or wedding, and the partner's access to the seafarer's account while they are away. The guides on partner visa financial evidence and on a partner visa with separate finances, and the answer on money transfers as relationship evidence, explain how this evidence is weighed.

Contact while at sea

When couples sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, contact at sea can be limited by connectivity, time zones and work hours. That should be explained, not hidden. Crew internet logs, messages sent in port, and calls when the ship is in range show contact in the conditions that actually existed. Representative samples are enough. The answers on messages, emails and call records and on social media evidence explain what to include.

How does the 12-month de facto rule work with rotations and contracts?

A de facto couple must generally have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months immediately before the application, and time spent apart on contracts can count toward that period if the relationship continued and the couple were committed to a shared life throughout.

The difficulty for couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not usually the time apart. It is proving when the de facto relationship started. A couple who met on board a ship, spent one leave period together and then moved straight into a long-distance relationship may find that the Department dates the de facto relationship from a later point than they do. Evidence of commitment from early in the relationship, such as introducing each other to family, planning the next leave together and sharing money, helps establish the starting point.

The 12-month requirement does not apply if the relationship is registered under a law of an Australian State or Territory, or if there are compelling and compassionate circumstances, such as a dependent child of the relationship. The answers on when the 12-month de facto period starts, on time apart during the 12-month de facto period and on applying before 12 months of de facto relationship, and the guide to the de facto partner visa in Australia, explain the rules.

Marriage avoids the 12-month requirement entirely. Some couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines marry during a leave period for that reason, as well as for personal reasons. The marriage must, however, be valid and must not be entered into only to obtain a visa.

What other evidence should you prepare to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

Beyond the household, finances and work records, couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines need evidence of the social aspects of the relationship and the nature of the commitment, together with one relationship statement from each partner and Form 888 statements from witnesses.

The four aspects assessed under regulation 1.15A(3) for married couples, and regulation 1.09A(3) for de facto couples, are the financial aspects, the nature of the household, the social aspects and the nature of the commitment. They are matters the case officer weighs, not separate statements. The guide on the four aspects of a partner visa relationship explains them.

Social evidence

Social evidence shows that the couple present themselves to others as a couple, and it matters as much for those who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as for anyone else. For a crew couple, useful evidence includes crew members or officers who know them as partners, family events attended during leave, joint travel, and photographs with each other's families. Witnesses who have worked alongside one partner and met the other can give valuable Form 888 statements. The guides on partner visa social aspects and on Form 888 witness statements, and the answer on who can sign Form 888, explain how to choose witnesses.

Commitment

For couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, commitment is shown by the length of the relationship, the companionship and support the partners draw from each other, and whether they see it continuing long term. For a seafaring couple, plans to leave sea work, or to arrange contracts around life in Australia, are strong evidence of commitment. The guide on the nature of commitment explains the factors.

The relationship statements

Each partner gives one relationship statement in their own words. In a crew relationship, the statements should explain how and where the couple met, the pattern of contracts and leave, how they stayed in contact, how money and the home are managed, and what the plan is for life in Australia. The two statements must be consistent with each other and with the employment records. The guides on the relationship statement for a partner visa and on partner visa conflicting statements explain why consistency matters.

What police certificates does a seafarer from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines need?

A Vincentian partner needs a police certificate from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and from every other country where they have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For a seafarer, working out which countries count requires care, because time at sea, time in crew accommodation ashore and time living in a home port can look very different on paper.

The Vincentian police certificate

According to the Government of Canada's guidance on police certificates, a police certificate for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is issued by the Criminal Records Office at Police Headquarters in Kingstown. Applicants in the country apply in person with photo identification and photographs. Applicants outside the country can apply in person, by mail or through a representative, and must provide fingerprints taken by a recognised police authority. A seafarer who will be away when the certificate is needed should plan for this in advance, because an application to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines cannot be decided without it. The guide on partner visa overseas police certificates and the answer on the police check for a partner visa explain the general rules.

Crew bases, home ports and time ashore

A seafarer may have spent long periods ashore in another country between contracts, at a training centre, or living near a crew base or home port. If that time adds up to 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, a police certificate from that country is likely to be needed. Time spent aboard a vessel at sea is different from living in a country, but the position is not always simple when a ship is based in one port for a long period. The safest approach for anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is to list every country where the partner spent extended time ashore, with dates, and to resolve any doubt before lodgement rather than after a request. The answers on what to do if you cannot get a police certificate and on how long police certificates and health checks are valid deal with practical problems.

Form 80 and the travel history

A crew member's travel history can be long. Form 80, if requested, asks for residential and travel history in detail. The answers must be accurate and consistent with the passport, the seafarer's records and the police certificates provided. Inconsistent travel histories are a common source of requests for further information when couples sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The guide on Form 80 for a partner visa explains the form, and the guide on partner visa character requirements explains how character is assessed.

What civil documents are needed from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

To sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the applicant usually needs a passport, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate if married, evidence that any previous marriage has ended, police certificates and any change of name documents.

Birth and marriage certificates

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines states that marriage certificates are issued by the Civil Registry Department in Kingstown, and that overseas applicants may apply in writing to the Registrar. Certificates should be current certified copies, and the details should be checked against the passport. Any difference in names or dates should be explained before lodgement. The answers on different names or dates in documents and on what to do if you cannot get a birth or marriage certificate cover common problems, and the partner visa document checklist gives the general list.

Marrying in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The Ministry of Legal Affairs of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines describes two ways to marry: by Governor General's licence, processed at the Chambers of the Attorney General, where the parties must be in the country for at least one day before applying; or through the High Court and Registry Department, which requires seven days' public notice. For a seafarer with a short leave period who wants to marry and then sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the timing of the licence matters. A marriage celebrated in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is recognised in Australia under Part VA of the Marriage Act 1961 if it was valid where it was celebrated, subject to the exceptions in section 88D, such as either party already being married. The guides on overseas marriages recognised in Australia and on the partner visa marriage certificate explain the recognition rules.

Health and other requirements

The applicant must meet the health requirement, public interest criterion 4020, the debts to the Commonwealth criterion and the Australian values statement. Health examinations and biometrics are done when the Department requests them, with panel physicians and at collection points nominated by the Department. A seafarer should check whether a request can be met in the country where they will be when it arrives, because a late health examination can hold up an application to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The guides on the partner visa medical examination and on partner visa biometrics explain these steps.

How do contracts affect the process after lodgement?

Contracts continue after lodgement, and the couple must keep the Department informed, respond to requests within the time given and keep the relationship evidence up to date until the decision.

When you sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the applicant is at sea, a section 56 request for information or a section 57 letter can arrive when the applicant has limited internet access. Deadlines still apply. Couples should arrange in advance who will monitor the ImmiAccount and email, and how documents will be obtained if a request arrives mid-contract. A change of address, employer or contact details should be notified. The guides on the Department's section 56 requests, on a section 56 extension and on a partner visa change of circumstances, and the answer on a missed section 56 deadline, explain the procedure.

When you sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Department may also interview the couple. Interviews often test whether each partner knows the other's work pattern, vessel, contract dates and plans. Consistent, detailed knowledge of each other's working life is good evidence in a crew relationship. The guides on partner visa interview questions and on the partner visa telephone interview explain what to expect.

What are the steps to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

The steps to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are: confirm the sponsor's eligibility, choose the visa, confirm the legal basis of the relationship, gather the Vincentian documents and police certificates, build a contract and leave timeline, organise the relationship evidence, lodge the visa application and the sponsorship, and respond to requests until the decision.

• Check the sponsor. Status, age, regulation 1.20J and regulation 1.20KC.
• Choose the visa. Subclass 309 and Subclass 100, Subclass 300, or Subclass 820 and Subclass 801 if an onshore application is genuinely available. The answer on which partner visa to apply for helps.
• Confirm the relationship basis. Married, de facto for 12 months, or engaged after meeting in person.
• Gather civil documents. Passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate and evidence that any earlier marriage has ended.
• Plan the police certificates. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, plus every country where the partner lived 12 months or more ashore.
• Build the timeline. Every contract, sign-on, sign-off and leave period, set against the couple's time together.
• Organise the evidence. Household, allotments and transfers, contact at sea, social evidence and future plans.
• Prepare the statements. One relationship statement from each partner and Form 888 statements.
• Lodge the application and the sponsorship. The applicant lodges online, then the sponsor lodges using the transaction reference number.
• Respond and update. Monitor the account while at sea, answer requests on time and add new evidence after each contract.

Following these steps in order is the most dependable way to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines without avoidable delay. The guides on how to apply for a partner visa and on partner visa evidence organisation explain each stage.

Why are partner visas refused for couples who live apart for work?

Partner visas for couples who live apart for work are usually refused because the Department is not satisfied that the relationship is genuine and continuing, or that a de facto relationship existed for 12 months before the application, often because the time apart was not explained with documents.

For couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the most common refusal risks are:

• Gaps without records. Long absences with no contracts, sign-on records or travel to explain them.
• No household evidence. No shared address, no shared bills and no explanation of where each partner lives between contracts.
• No financial link. Separate finances with no allotment, transfers or shared spending.
• Inconsistent accounts. The partners give different dates or details about contracts, leave or the first meeting.
• Police certificate gaps. A missing certificate for a country where the partner lived ashore for 12 months or more.
• Missed requests. A request that arrived while the applicant was at sea and was not answered in time.

The guides on why partner visas get refused and on a refusal for insufficient evidence, and the answer on challenging a refusal based on living apart, explain these grounds. The firm's partner visa refusals page explains how refused matters are handled.

Can a refused partner visa be reviewed at the ART?

Yes. A refusal of a Subclass 309, Subclass 820 or Subclass 300 visa can generally be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal, but the review application must be made within 28 days after the applicant is notified of the decision, or 7 working days if the applicant is in immigration detention.

The 28-day limit is set by section 347 of the Migration Act 1958, and the Tribunal cannot extend it. The ART application fee for review of a partner visa refusal is AUD 3,727. For a Subclass 309 refusal, the visa applicant applies in their own name and can do so from outside Australia, including while working overseas. For a Subclass 820 refusal, the applicant applies and must be in Australia. Because the Tribunal decides on the evidence before it at the time of its own decision, couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines can put contract records, leave rosters and allotment records before the Tribunal if they were missing earlier. The guides on the partner visa appeal deadline, partner visa ART fees and partner visa ART evidence, and the answer on who applies for review of an offshore refusal, explain the steps.

What have Tribunal decisions said about work, travel and periods apart?

Tribunal decisions show that international work and travel, periods of cohabitation and living in different countries are matters the Tribunal examines on the evidence, and that refusals involving these issues have been sent back to the Department for reconsideration.

In Varhelyi (Migration) [2024] AATA 320, a Subclass 820 matter, the issues recorded were the relationship for 12 months before the application was made, international travel and work, considerable documentary evidence and supporting statements, and a member of the family unit child. The Tribunal remitted the matter, which means it sent the matter back to the Department for reconsideration.

In HO (Migration) [2023] AATA 2247, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were a genuine spousal relationship, financial aspects, periods of cohabitation and social aspects. The Tribunal remitted the matter to the Department for reconsideration.

In Koroma (Migration) [2026] ARTA 200, a Subclass 309 matter, the issues recorded were a genuine and continuing relationship, a valid marriage in the home country, and limited financial, household and social aspects of the relationship while living in different countries. The Tribunal remitted the matter to the Department for reconsideration.

None of these decisions involved a Vincentian applicant or a seafarer as recorded, and none guarantees an outcome in another case. Each depended on its own evidence. They do show that couples who sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and are refused because of time apart can put a fuller documentary record before the Tribunal.

How My Migration Lawyers helps you sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

My Migration Lawyers acts for Australian sponsors whose partners work away for long periods, including seafarers, cruise and yacht crew and offshore rotation workers, and it is capable of handling a matter to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from the first assessment through to the decision and, where needed, Tribunal review. The firm deals with complex cases and acts in many partner visa matters where the couple's time together is broken up by work.

On a matter to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the firm's work typically includes:

• Checking the sponsor. Testing eligibility, regulation 1.20J and regulation 1.20KC, including the position of a sponsor who also works overseas or at sea.
• Choosing the pathway. Advising whether the Subclass 309, Subclass 300 or an onshore Subclass 820 application fits, and whether a crew member's visa allows an onshore application at all.
• Building the contract timeline. Setting every contract, sign-on, sign-off and leave period against the couple's time together, so the gaps explain themselves.
• Proving the household. Identifying the evidence that shows a shared home base and shared household responsibility while one partner is away.
• Presenting the financial link. Organising allotments, transfers and shared spending as evidence of the financial aspects.
• Planning police certificates. Working out which countries the partner lived in for 12 months or more ashore, and planning the Vincentian certificate around contracts.
• Presenting the statements. Each partner's relationship statement is their own account, reviewed and corrected by them, and the firm presents that account and the supporting evidence in the form the law requires.
• Managing requests at sea. Monitoring deadlines and coordinating responses to section 56 requests and section 57 letters when the applicant is away, and preparing an Administrative Review Tribunal review if a visa is refused.

The firm's partner visa lawyers work with sponsors across every Australian State and Territory and with partners overseas, by video, including partners who are working away. The guide to complex partner visa lawyer work and the answers on a partner visa lawyer for complex cases and on an offshore partner visa lawyer explain how the firm approaches this work. Matters are supervised by Weiwei Zhang, Principal Lawyer.

If you want to sponsor partner from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and your partner works at sea or on rotation, Book a Consultation with My Migration Lawyers, or call 1300 040 300.