Australia Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Why the mammoth application fee for Australian partner visa?

16K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  kmarees1986 
#1 · (Edited)
Why is the Australian partner visa so expensive?

Hello everyone,

If you've been researching Australian partner visas, you will have probably already found that the application fee alone is AU$1995 for an offshore application which could result in permanent residency.

I am wondering if anyone has ideas on the reason for its exhorbitant expense.

Here is a comparison of application fees for partner visas in the other top tier countries, from step 1 to permanent residency. Extra costs not considered (i.e. police and medical checks, etc.)

(I'll post links to these as soon as I'm allowed - still a newbie)

  • USA
    Permanent residency for a spouse outside of US
    2 forms (I-130 + DS-130), filing fees: US$420 + US$140
    Total: US$560 = approx. AU$540

    Source: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

  • Canada
    Application for permanent residency by a spouse
    Processing fees: sponsor CA$75, principal applicant CA$475
    Right of permanent residence (principal applicant only): CA$490
    Total: CA$1040 = approx. AU$990

    Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

  • UK
    Application for residency by family of British citizens or settled persons
    Application fee: GBP 810
    Total: approx. AU$1230

    Source: United Kingdom Border Agency

  • NZ
    Application for a resident visa under the family category
    Application fee: NZ$1350
    Migrant levy if and when approved: NZ$310
    Total: NZ$1660 = approx. AU$1280

    Source: Immigration New Zealand

  • Australia
    Application for partner temporary and permanent visa
    Application fee: AU$1995 :eek:

    Source: Department of Immigration and Citizenship of Australia

When I first started researching requirements for Australian partner visas four years ago, I was shocked to learn that an application could cost so much (and back then the fee was something like $1750). A recent article on this site also stated that partner visa fees will be raised even further in July of this year (2012)!!

I understand that every government has the prerogative to set fees as it wishes, but what could be the reasons it costs so much in Australia specifically as compared to other countires in similar standing? Am I the only one in awe of the mammoth cost required to be with the person closest to your heart in this country?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
A - With much higher salaries than in any country mentioned it cost DIMIA more to process application.
B - Only Canada provides similar benefits to permanent residents (free Medicare etc) fees are appropriate. at the same time Aus benefits provided from day 1 are double those of Canada.
C - Australia tries to ensure only financially viable people apply

IMHO not an advice.
 
#4 ·
I understand it might put you a bit off. But if you planning to be next to a person you really love it shouldn't matter. You lucky to find love, not many have done so well :)
All the best mate in your move
 
#6 ·
Yes, I think you're both right, it doesn't matter if it's someone you love but at the same time it's an awful lot of money to lose. That's exactly the reason I've been thinking through our chances for the last four years! I think we have almost decided to apply, but there is still a lot of uncertainty which of course makes everyone nervous.

I was a child immigrant with my parents myself a couple of decades ago and comparing what things were like back then for migrants to now... it's just that the fee in itself sometimes makes me think that Australia is still the lucky country - but only if one has already been lucky.
 
#9 ·
Yeah. Ages ago it was almost free :). My parents migrated to Germany and it costed them the train ticket only :). Now the German Blue card is almost impossible to get.
 
#11 ·
Funny you say that, because I have a German family friend who, twenty years ago, applied to an Australian embassy for entrance to Australia based on his marriage to his Australian wife, and was granted permanent residency on the spot with no or minimal fees :)

Here is the link to the article stating that fees will go up again this year. The reason given - so that Australian taxes are no longer subsidising these applications - is valid and will win a lot of approval, but how much will we then be expected to pay? $3000? $4000?

Currently, the application fees charged to people wanting to come to Australia do not cover the cost to the Commonwealth of processing the applications. The changes are projected to generate about $613 million over the next four years in revenue.
This makes me think that the current fee of two grand (ok, ok, short five dollars) doesn't pay the salaries of those who process them, as was suggested earlier.

If fees rise even higher I think many people will take one look and decide 'Australia doesn't want me'. Perhaps that's the idea.
 
#10 ·
G'day to you

When my husband and I applied in early 2010 the fee was $1705 for just the application fee, cose we had to lodge offshore it also cost about $100 to send it there as you are not allowed to lodge here in australia for them to internally courier to the other embassy. No it must be posted. The could scan the documents which in my opinon makes more sense cose then everyone has access in immigration but they are not so advanced yet, in some other govt agencies this is what they do so it elivates to a degree documents being lost and everyone can access the documents regards of the size.

The cost is a revenue raiser. No other reasonable explaination.

Wait til you get to the cost of the medical, that will blow your mind, again another revenue raiser.

Every step along the way is revenue raising, I'm speaking from experience.

cheers

Hello everyone,

If you've been researching Australian partner visas, you will have probably already found that the application fee alone is AU$1995 for an offshore application which could result in permanent residency.

I am wondering if anyone has ideas on the reason for its exhorbitant expense.

Here is a comparison of application fees for partner visas in the other top tier countries, from step 1 to permanent residency. Extra costs not considered (i.e. police and medical checks, etc.)

(I'll post links to these as soon as I'm allowed - still a newbie)

  • USA
    Permanent residency for a spouse outside of US
    2 forms (I-130 + DS-130), filing fees: US$420 + US$140
    Total: US$560 = approx. AU$540

    Source: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

  • Canada
    Application for permanent residency by a spouse
    Processing fees: sponsor CA$75, principal applicant CA$475
    Right of permanent residence (principal applicant only): CA$490
    Total: CA$1040 = approx. AU$990

    Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

  • UK
    Application for residency by family of British citizens or settled persons
    Application fee: GBP 810
    Total: approx. AU$1230

    Source: United Kingdom Border Agency

  • NZ
    Application for a resident visa under the family category
    Application fee: NZ$1350
    Migrant levy if and when approved: NZ$310
    Total: NZ$1660 = approx. AU$1280

    Source: Immigration New Zealand

  • Australia
    Application for partner temporary and permanent visa
    Application fee: AU$1995 :eek:

    Source: Department of Immigration and Citizenship of Australia

When I first started researching requirements for Australian partner visas four years ago, I was shocked to learn that an application could cost so much (and back then the fee was something like $1750). A recent article on this site also stated that partner visa fees will be raised even further in July of this year (2012)!!

I understand that every government has the prerogative to set fees as it wishes, but what could be the reasons it costs so much in Australia specifically as compared to other countires in similar standing? Am I the only one in awe of the mammoth cost required to be with the person closest to your heart in this country?
 
#12 ·
Call me a cynic if you will but for me it's nothing more than another one of the many revenue raisers our government has. When you have a monopoly you can do what you like and for us it's take it or leave it. Take our passports for example, they're the dearest in the world (as far as I know) and if you don't like it then that's too bad because you certainly can't get one from anyone else.
 
#15 ·
I have always just assumed that they work out the visa fees based on the entire immigration system as a whole and charge different applicants an amount that they can probably afford. I don't think they spent $3995 processing my application. I think a significant portion of that went to supplement other types of migration - covering the costs of processing refugees, for example. I actually have no real idea whether or not this is the case but I sort of like that idea. It seems fair that as an immigrant who generates enough income to save $3995 that I should be expected to offset the cost for immigrants who may have risked their lives and spent their life savings to travel here from war torn or impoverished countries.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I like that idea, it is a nice one. But what happens when you actually can't afford it? I was eighteen years old when I met my husband, still in university and with nary a cent to my name. He was one of his country's poor, struggling to earn a living wage let alone have a savings account. Since he couldn't join me in Australia (high-risk country - no chance for ETA or WHV, poor - no chance for student visa or skilled visa) I moved to be with him. That made two of us struggling to earn a living wage. When we applied it was $1995 - took us a while (oh, about four and a half years) to figure out how to make that money. If it had been $2700, like it is now? We'd still be in his country, struggling to make ends meet, and I'd still be facing daily abuse because I'm a foreigner in his country. The Australian government missed out on four or five years of my taxes because they made it almost impossible to apply in the first place. But I was young and able - we made it in the end. I can't imagine what it would be like to be living on a disabled pension and faced with a massive $2700 or $3995 just to be able to be with your life partner. It's not exactly pocket change.
 
#17 ·
The fee's are defiantly expensive! Especially the onshore 820 visa....but like they have said before....i don't consider Australia to be a 'cheap' country by any means. I live in Switzerland at the moment and it's cheaper here (cost of living in terms of rent, electricity bills etc) than it is for me in Australia!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top