Whether you're a citizen or permanent resident who wants to marry someone out of the country, or you're a student from abroad attempting to obtain a visa to study in Australia, immigration lawyers in your area can offer you a number of services to meet your needs:
Partner Visas -- Immigration lawyers can help you obtain a partner visa, whether your partner is of the opposite gender, or of the same-sex. There are a number of partner visas you can obtain, but the most common are partner temporary visas and prospective marriage visas. Partner temporary visas allow your non-Australian spouse or de facto partner to enter the country from abroad, or if your spouse or de facto partner is already in the country, lets them remain in Australia.
To obtain this visa, you must be a citizen or permanent resident. You can transfer a partner temporary visa into a permanent visa after two years. If you're not married, but you want to bring the person you intend to marry into the country, an immigration lawyer can help you obtain a prospective marriage visa. This visa allows your partner to enter the country so that you can marry within nine months.
Student Visas -- If you are applying for a student visa to attend a university in Australia, an immigration lawyer can put together your application package with all the relevant details necessary to obtain the visa. Student visas can be tricky because the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) must ensure that you will not overstay your visa after the eligible period. In addition, each country is assigned what is known as an 'assessment level,' which calculates the risk of student applicants based on historical data related to visa compliance.
There are three assessment levels, with level 1 designated as the lowest risk and level 3, the highest risk. If you are a student applying from a level 2 or level 3 country, an immigration lawyer can help you bolster your application by ensuring that you have the necessary financial documents and sponsors to strengthen your petition.
Visa Overstays -- If your visa has expired, but you are still in the country, the DIBP considers you to be have 'overstayed' your visa, which is not only illegal, but is punishable by fines and deportation. An immigration lawyer can help you file a court claim to remain in the country, by arguing that through compelling circumstances or unique and exceptional circumstances, you qualify to have your visa extended or renewed.
In some instances, you may be taking care of an Australian citizen who is infirm, or you may be eligible for a protection visa, which is granted when returning to your native country represents a clear risk of injury or death.
Share12 June 2015
My name is Jeanette Kennan. I have been a high school legal studies teacher for many years. As such, I am fascinated by legal cases I come across in the media. Family and friends often consult me about minor matters related to the law and although no expert, I can often point them in the right direction. It occurred to me that there may be other people out there who are not aware of basic legal issues. After all, you probably don't think about legal matters related to death, accidents or crimes until you find yourself in a crisis situation. This blog is designed to give you some introductory information about a range of legal topics. Hopefully, it will help you to be prepared and informed should a legal concern arise. I really appreciate you breaking in to my humble little site. Please enjoy.