[Mish]

The onshore partner visa is the 820/801 visa, but to apply for an extension it is a subclass 600 visa: Visitor e600 Visa Online Applications

Firstly, you need to check if her tourist visa has a no further stay clause on it, if it does then you cannot apply for an extension on the tourist or any other tourist visa within Australia.

Secondly, if she does not have a no further stay clause and you apply for a tourist visa extension she will be given a bridging visa, if it is refused she will have a specific time to leave Australia. DO NOT apply for an onshore partner visa if she is on a bridging visa as if you do you need to meet schedule 3 and it is very hard to do that.

 

[Mish]

When you lodge the extension, which is essentially a new visa, she is given a bridging visa that allows her to stay in Australia while waiting for the decision on the visa application.

 

[Mish]

Further to the discussion my girlfriend may be pregnant. We'll find out in 2 days time.
Does this have any influence on perhaps an early application for the partner visa ?

Not to be offensive to you and your partner, but from a case officer prospective, a pregnancy just proves that you slept together once.

A pregnancy as well as a marriage certificate are all just pieces of paper that build a picture to if the relationship is genuine or not. Immigration will be looking to see if you have enough evidence for all 4 categories based on marriage, so they will look at things like financial and household. Financial and household are usually demonstrated by joint bank accounts and joint bills.

Being pregnant does not speed up the application as immigration does not prioritise applications.

There have been applications that have been refused even with a pregnancy/baby because the case officer did not believe that the relationship was genuine and ongoing and exclusive of all others.

There have also been cases where immigration have also asked for a DNA test to show the father (Australian) was the father of the baby.