Sponsor Eligibility
You must meet the following requirements to be eligible to sponsor an applicant for this visa.
Eligibility criteria
To be an eligible sponsor you must be all of the following:
- an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who wishes to sponsor the visa applicant as your partner to Australia
- in a married or de-facto spouse relationship with your partner
- generally aged 18 years or over.
If you are 16 or 17 years of age, your parent or guardian must be your spouse's sponsor.
New Zealand citizen eligibility
If you are an eligible New Zealand citizen who is sponsoring their partner, you must meet health and character requirements. The department will contact you to advise if you need to undertake health examinations and character checks.
See:
Health requirements
Character and penal clearance requirements
When you may not be eligible
You may not be able to sponsor your partner if any one of the following applies:
- you are not an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- you have previously sponsored two other partners for migration to Australia (including sponsorships you may have withdrawn where your former partner obtained permanent residence on family violence grounds)
- you have sponsored another partner within the last five (5) years
- you were sponsored for a partner visa as a partner yourself within the last five (5) years
- you are the holder of a Woman at Risk visa (Subclass 204).
If you have previously sponsored or been sponsored, you may still be permitted to sponsor your partner in compelling circumstances, such as:
- if your previous partner has died or abandoned the relationship leaving young children
- if your relationship with your current partner is long standing (ie, five (5) years or more)
- if you and your current partner have dependent children of your relationship.
Before lodging an application, please read all related eligibility requirements.
See: Other eligibility