Ms Zainab (name changed) applied for her partner visa (subclass 309) from Pakistan in February 2019. She has been waiting for more than 16 months for an outcome.
Highlights:
- Partner visas are taking longer than usual to finalize during this pandemic
- The current timeline to finalize an offshore partner visa is 12 to 18 months
- Department of home affairs is waiving biometric requirements on compassionate grounds for visit visas
"The department has not contacted me since I applied. It has already been 16 months", she tells SBS Urdu. Ms Zainab afterwards applied for a family-sponsored visit visa which was also rejected by the department.
"I emailed four times to inquire about my 309 visa with the Australian High Commission in Islamabad but haven't got any response from them. During this pandemic, I am worried as it will slow down the process of the visa grant."
I emailed four times to inquire about my 309 visa with the Australian high commission in Islamabad but haven't got any response from them
Ms Zainab is concerned whether her application is even processing or not.
She says that she has uploaded all the documents and fulfilled all the medical requirements, but still waiting for a response. She further states that the delay in the visa process is depressing and is affecting her mental health.
"I also applied for the visit visa in March 2020 which was also refused", she added.
Ms Zainab's husband lives in Australia and he is also unable to visit her due to the current border restrictions.
Some applicants for partner visa may find it all too overwhelming during the process. Source: Photo by Travis Grossen on Unsplash
Mr Hussain (name changed) also applied for a spouse visa for his wife and daughter in July 2019. He was contacted by the immigration department in February 2020 requesting further information.
He tells SBS Urdu that he has responded to the request and provided them with additional information and is now waiting for a response.
"It has already been a year I have been waiting to meet my wife and daughter. My daughter is now one year old and I haven't seen her yet."
According to the Department of Home Affairs, global waiting times for offshore partner visa to be processed has risen to almost two years. Source: Getty Images
It has already been a year I have been waiting to meet my wife and daughter. My daughter is now one year old and I haven't seen her yet
He believes that the visa process for offshore partners of PR/ citizens must be less than six months as the current situation it is taking more than a year to grant a visa. "I cannot go to meet my family because of the border closure and they have not been granted visas what should I do?" says Mr Hussain.
Waseem Aman is a Sydney based migration agent and lawyer. He tells SBS Urdu that the current pandemic has affected the visa process and no one at the moment can provide us with a definite timeline.
Source: Supplied
"A lot of facilities overseas are closed or partially working which has impacted the verification process of Partner visas. It may take longer than anticipated to get a visa."
A lot of facilities overseas are closed or partially working which has impacted the verification process of partner visas
He says that while it's difficult to get a travel exemption with the current border restrictions one can try to get a visit visa (subclass 600) though it is quite difficult to get that too. This is the only option one can try at the moment.
He thinks that the visa process will get better once the pandemic situation gets better but till then there will be grants on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.
A Department of Home Affairs' spokesperson told SBS Urdu that currently the visa processes are impacted around the world due to the delay in the verification process.
Global processing times Source: Website department of home affairs
The spokesperson states that "COVID-19 has had an impact on the department’s visa operations including reduced availability of external services essential to visa assessments, such as health, character, and biometrics checks.
The department is aware of the potential for delays in providing requested checks and documents at this time, and officers will take this into account when assessing a visa application."
For people who wish to apply for visit visas, the department stated that "the requirement for a visitor visa applicant to provide biometrics can only be waived in exceptional circumstances including where the applicant has compelling reasons for travel and the biometrics collection centre in the applicant’s location is not operating."
Australian sponsors will go through a pre-assessment before they can apply for a partner visa. Source: Pexels
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