Multiple pathways
Thoughts we have here:
-Unsure of student visa to 820/801 visa process and transition; don't want to jeopardise degree attainment. We understand 820 has full working and study rights though.
-Likelihood of Bridging Visa A becoming active for applicant after graduation is high given 820 processing times; potentially harder to enter the job market.
-Potential PR for applicant earlier: e.g. by 2022 (2+2 years from grant of 190 visa for permanent residency for sponsor).
My apology PrettyIsotonic, but I could not find any question in your post. So I guess the section that says "Thoughts we have here" is the question part. If I am mistaken, please feel free to correct me.
Reading your story, reminded me my own story and struggles we had to evaluate and come up with the best decision. I had three pathways: 1. Partner 2.Skilled 3. State Sponsor.
Unfortunately, we chose partner as the immigration website mislead us. If we could go back on time, we would undo it. We are great partners and we love each other. It is just the nature of the visa that causes us uncertainty, missing career and financial opportunities, and the stress it brought with itself.
The transition of student visa to 820 is pretty straight forward. I had a student visa when we applied for 820/801.
The student visa stays valid until its expiration date. If decision is made by then, 820 will be granted and student visa will be cancelled. Otherwise, a bridging visa will be issued and it carries all the rights and conditions of the last visa your partner holds. In either cases, the only thing your partner needs to do is to update the university and things stays the same. His insurance is another thing to consider, since he/she has overseas student insurance. You must apply for medicare instead.
Absolutely. Bridging visa is the worse visa one can have (including me) to join workforce. Even with the work experience and qualifications I have from the past, getting a full time job in the professional field was a big challenge. As one HR told me "the visa is highly risky and the HR job is to reduce risk". I got rejected by many just because of the bridging visa. Still with 820 many hiring agents ask "When will you get your PR" and they reject me on the answer. In addition to that, my partner and I got rejected by banks for joint home loan even I hold 820; worse, when my partner applied for single home loan after the rejections, bank reduced the loan amount dramatically just because of I exist as a partner.
If your partner is lucky, then he/she may get the PR earlier than 2+2. But there are many cases that pass way beyond 2+2. Unfortunately, partner visa is a battle field of politicians at the moment and things can go bad at any time.
Please don't think I am negative about it, but looking at your situation, I think you have better options to consider. For example, looking at visa 190, I am sure you are aware that you can include your partner in the application, and he/she can have the same right once you get your PR (he/she gets the PR as well). Or if your partner qualification is in SOL, skilled immigration may help him to get his PR even faster. Or state sponsor, etc. I think you better consult with an immigration agent (better, multiple agents) to choose the best pathway that gets you PR faster than 2+2.
Good luck
