Four subclasses, what each costs, current processing times, and the evidence the Department expects.
The onshore partner visa. Who is eligible, the $11,710 charge, processing times and evidence.
Lodged from outside Australia. Eligibility, the $11,710 charge, processing times and evidence.
The Prospective Marriage visa. The $11,710 charge, the nine month window to marry, and the evidence.
For partners of New Zealand citizens. Cost, the five year validity, evidence, and paper lodgement.
Which visa applies, the evidence expected, and how to apply when you could not be open at home.
When criteria 3001, 3003 and 3004 apply, what counts as compelling reasons, and the Waensila principle.
Who can access them, the evidence required, the 2024 changes, and continuing your visa after leaving.
The two sponsorship limit, the five year rule, criminal record bars, and the regulation 1.20J waiver.
28 calendar days to apply to the ART. Success rates, deadlines by subclass, and what to do first.
Who qualifies, the refugee and complementary protection tests, the $50 charge, and the interview.
Eligibility, the refugee and complementary protection tests, the $50 charge, and how to apply.
Section 36(2)(aa). The five types of significant harm, the real risk test, and the exclusions.
What the delegate asks, how the interpreter works, what happens on the day, and how to prepare.
The particular social group ground, the S395 discretion principle, and how these claims are proved.
Converts, minorities and apostasy claims, how genuineness of belief is tested, and what evidence works.
28 days to apply to the ART. Time limits, success rates, and what happens if the Tribunal affirms.
Appeal deadlines by visa type, what the Tribunal does, why appeals fail, and what happens if you are late.
NOICC responses, the grounds for cancellation, review rights, and what happens if you do nothing.
The 35 day limit under section 477, what jurisdictional error means, and which court hears it.
Sponsorship, Skills in Demand nominations, labour agreements, DAMAs, and permanent residence pathways.
Urgent Visa Lodgements
My Migration Lawyers lodges urgent partner visa, protection visa and Tribunal review applications before your deadline, and we have lodged visas within 2 hours of a first consultation. If your visa is about to expire, or you face a refusal, a cancellation notice or a Home Affairs letter, send us your deadline today.
Deadline due today or tomorrow? Call 1300 040 300 Now
The My Migration Lawyers Difference
Affordable fees
Competitive professional fees make experienced legal representation more accessible.
Instalment payment options
Pay professional fees in manageable instalments throughout your matter.
Experienced lawyers
Experienced representation for visa applications, refusals, cancellations and judicial reviews.
Complex matter capability
Experienced representation when complications, refusals, cancellations or judicial reviews arise.
Two-day
cooling-off period
You receive a two-business-day cooling-off period after signing the costs agreement.
Urgent lodgements
What is an urgent visa lodgement?
An urgent visa lodgement is a visa application, review application or response to Home Affairs that must be lodged before a fixed legal deadline, usually within days. If the deadline passes, you can become unlawful, lose a bridging visa, have your application decided without your evidence or lose your right to review.
You are not alone
Left it to the last minute? You are not the only one.
Most people who contact us urgently did not plan to leave it this late. Life got in the way. The reasons we hear most are:
the visa expiry or deadline did not feel urgent until it was days away
they tried to do it themselves and it was harder than expected
they were counting on another visa, job offer or sponsorship that fell through
they were saving for the application charge or waiting on documents
they misread the date on VEVO or on a letter
their previous agent or lawyer did not act in time
Whatever the reason, while your deadline has not passed there is still time to act, and you do not need everything ready to lodge. Send us your deadline today.
Urgent lodgement
Tell Us Your Deadline Today
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Your situation
Which urgent situation are you in?
Choose the one that matches your situation. Each page explains your deadline, what happens if you miss it and how we lodge in time.
Urgent ART Refusal Application
Your visa has been refused. The deadline to apply to the Tribunal is short and strict. Miss it and your review rights are gone.
Urgent Partner Visa Lodgement
Your visa is about to expire and you want to stay with your partner. Lodge before it ends so you get a bridging visa and stay lawful.
Urgent Protection Visa Lodgement
Your visa is about to expire and you cannot safely return home. Lodge while you still hold a visa so you get a bridging visa while it is decided.
Overstayed or Unlawful
Your visa has already expired. Options can still exist, but extra criteria apply and they narrow the longer you wait. Act now to become lawful again.
Urgent ART Hearing
Your hearing is your main chance to give evidence and answer the Tribunal member's concerns. Submissions and evidence must be ready well before the date.
Section 56 Request
Home Affairs has asked for more information by a set date. If nothing arrives in time, the Department can decide your application on what it already has.
Section 57 Natural Justice Letter
The Department is putting adverse information to you before it decides. This is your chance to answer it, and often your last before a decision.
Urgent NOICC Response
A Notice of Intention to Consider Cancellation gives you a short time to explain why your visa should stay. Your response may be your only chance.
Condition 8503 No Further Stay
Your visa has condition 8503 and you need to stay, such as with your partner. A waiver must be granted before most new visas can be lodged.
Health Waiver Needed
A medical condition could stop your visa, or Home Affairs has asked you to address the health requirement by a set date. Your submission must arrive in time.
Character Concerns
A criminal record, charge or character notice could lead to refusal or cancellation. Character deadlines are short, so your response must be ready in time.
Change Your Lawyer or Agent
Worried about how your case is being handled? We review your file, tell you where it stands and can take over part-way through.
Why MML
Why choose My Migration Lawyers for an urgent lodgement?
Why MML
Why choose My Migration Lawyers for an urgent lodgement?
We are a migration law firm built around the three areas where deadlines decide outcomes: partner visas, protection visas, and refusals and cancellations.
Lodged within 2 hours of a first consultation
When your deadline is today or tomorrow, we move the same day. We have lodged visa applications within 2 hours of a first consultation, and within one to two days where more documents were needed.
Valid the first time
An invalid application gives you no bridging visa and no protection. Before we lodge, we check every trap that can make an application invalid or fail: condition 8503, the section 48 bar, Schedule 3, lodging from the wrong country, the wrong form and failed payment.
Partner, protection and refusal law is all we do
We do not split our time across work, skilled or business visas. The rules that decide your deadline are the rules we work with every day.
Instruct us from anywhere in Australia
Consultations are by video and documents are signed and sent electronically, so you can instruct us from anywhere without losing time travelling to an office.
How fast we lodge
How fast can you lodge an urgent visa application?
We can lodge as soon as the requirements for a valid application are met. We have lodged visa applications within 2 hours of the first consultation, and within one to two days where more documents were needed. Relationship evidence, statements and supporting documents can usually be added after lodgement, so you do not need a complete file to lodge on time.
Deadlines
What happens if you miss an immigration deadline?
Missing an immigration deadline can have consequences that cannot be undone, and they depend on which deadline you miss.
Next 24 hours
What should you do in the next 24 hours?
Find your exact deadline, keep every document and send us the details before you do anything else.
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Find the date
Check the letter from Home Affairs or the Tribunal, your visa grant notice or your VEVO record.
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Do not travel without advice
Leaving Australia can end a bridging visa and affect an application in progress.
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Keep every document
Save the letter, the email it came in and any attachments. The date a letter was sent can change your deadline.
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Send us the details
Use the form and include the deadline date and what you received.
What to send
What do you need to send us to lodge urgently?
To lodge urgently we need only what you already have to hand: the letter or notice, your passport and your current visa details.
The letter, notice or decision you received, including the email it came in
Your passport, and your partner's passport or citizenship document for a partner visa
Your current visa details, or the date your last visa ended
A short summary of your situation in your own words
If you do not have the letter yet, tell us what it said and when it arrived.
Common questions
Urgent visa lodgement questions
Which law firm handles urgent visa lodgements in Australia?
My Migration Lawyers handles urgent visa lodgements for people anywhere in Australia, with consultations by video. We lodge urgent partner visa, protection visa and Tribunal review applications, and respond to section 56, section 57 and cancellation notices before their deadlines.
Can I lodge a visa on the day my current visa expires?
You can lodge on the day your visa expires, as long as a valid application is lodged before your visa ends. Leaving it to the final day is risky, because a failed payment or missing information can make the application invalid or late.
What if my visa has already expired?
If your visa has already expired, you are an unlawful non-citizen and should get advice straight away. You may still be able to apply for some visas, but extra criteria can apply and you may need a Bridging visa E to stay lawful while your options are sorted out. See Unlawful Non-Citizen and Overstayed Visa Lawyers.
Can a Tribunal deadline be extended?
Treat the Tribunal deadline in your decision letter as fixed. Time limits for reviewing migration and protection decisions are set by law and are strictly applied, so apply before the date even if your evidence is not ready. See Urgent ART Visa Refusal Applications.
What is the difference between a section 56 request and a section 57 letter?
A section 56 request asks you for more information, while a section 57 letter puts adverse information to you that could lead to refusal and asks for your response. Both set a deadline. See the full answer.
Can you take over from my current lawyer or agent?
We can take over from your current lawyer or agent at any stage. We review your file, tell you where your case stands and take over the matter if you choose to change. See Change Your Migration Lawyer or Agent.
About the Reviewer
Who Reviewed This Page
Weiwei Zhang is an Australian lawyer practising exclusively in Australian migration law and is the Principal Lawyer at My Migration Lawyers. She reviews the firm's published legal guidance for accuracy.
Weiwei Zhang
Principal Lawyer
Weiwei Zhang
Principal Lawyer
Weiwei Zhang is an Australian lawyer practising exclusively in Australian migration law and is the Principal Lawyer at My Migration Lawyers. She reviews the firm's published legal guidance for accuracy.
Last Reviewed
16 September 2026
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