Partner Visa for Australia: Police Checks and Medicals – When Should You Arrange Them?

When applying for an Australian Partner Visa, preparing the right documents at the right time can help avoid unnecessary delays.

In this update, Timea Pocze-Graf, Head of Migration at Taylor Hampton, explains when Partner Visa applicants should consider arranging police checks and health examinations, how long they generally remain valid, and why keeping your application decision-ready is important.

This information is relevant to applicants for both onshore Partner Visas (subclasses 820/801) and offshore Partner Visas (subclasses 309/100).

Why Does Timing Matter?

Australian Partner Visa applications can take a considerable amount of time to process. During this period, the Department of Home Affairs must be satisfied that applicants meet a range of requirements, including relevant character and health requirements.

Police certificates and health examinations can therefore be important parts of a Partner Visa application.

However, timing matters. If documents are obtained too early, they may no longer be current by the time the Department assesses the application. On the other hand, waiting until the Department requests information can potentially delay a decision if the application is otherwise ready to be finalised.

For this reason, we generally recommend preparing a Partner Visa application with the aim of making it as complete and decision-ready as possible.

Police Checks for Partner Visa Applicants

As part of the character assessment, Partner Visa applicants may need to provide police certificates for Australia and other countries in which they have lived.

Generally, applicants may be asked to provide police certificates for each country where they have spent a total of 12 months or more during the last 10 years since turning 16.

For time spent in Australia, the Department generally requires an Australian Federal Police (AFP) National Police Check for immigration purposes rather than a state or territory police certificate.

The exact police certificates required will depend on the applicant's individual circumstances and residence history.

Should You Wait for the Department to Request Police Checks?

Not necessarily.

Where police certificates are required and can reasonably be obtained, providing them as part of a well-prepared application can reduce the likelihood of the Department needing to request this information later.

If a case officer is in a position to assess the application, having the relevant evidence available can help avoid preventable delays.

However, police certificates generally have a limited validity period for migration purposes. If processing continues beyond their validity, the Department may request updated certificates.

This is why the timing should be considered in the context of the individual application rather than automatically obtaining documents months before they may be needed.

What About the Australian Sponsor?

Character requirements can also apply to the Australian sponsor.

Depending on the circumstances, the sponsor may need to provide Australian and/or overseas police certificates as part of the sponsorship assessment.

This is another reason we recommend looking at the Partner Visa application and sponsorship together rather than treating them as completely separate processes.

Will You Need New Police Checks for the Permanent Partner Visa Stage?

Partner Visas generally involve a temporary/provisional stage followed by consideration for the permanent Partner Visa.

For offshore applicants, this is generally the subclass 309 followed by subclass 100, while onshore applicants generally progress from subclass 820 to subclass 801. You can read more in our guide to what happens two years after you apply for an Australian Partner Visa.

When the permanent stage is assessed, further or updated police certificates may be required depending on the applicant's circumstances, where they have lived since the earlier visa was granted, and whether previously submitted certificates remain acceptable.

You should therefore check the requirements applicable to you when your permanent-stage assessment approaches rather than assuming that police certificates provided for the first stage will automatically be sufficient.

When Should You Arrange Your Health Examinations?

Partner Visa applicants may also be required to undertake health examinations to satisfy Australia's health requirement.

After lodging an application, applicants should check their ImmiAccount to determine whether health examinations are required and follow the instructions provided by the Department.

Applicants who are required to undertake health examinations will generally need a HAP ID, which is used when arranging the examination.

If you are in Australia, immigration health examinations are generally arranged through Bupa Medical Visa Services. If you are outside Australia, examinations must generally be completed with an approved panel physician or clinic.

The examinations required can vary depending on factors including your age, medical history, intended activities in Australia and individual circumstances.

How Long Are Health Examination Results Valid?

Health examination results are generally valid for 12 months, although the Department determines whether existing results can be used for a particular application.

This is important for Partner Visa applicants because processing can extend beyond the validity of an earlier health assessment.

If your health results are no longer acceptable by the time your application is assessed, you may be asked to undertake further examinations.

For this reason, completing health examinations as early as possible is not necessarily the best strategy in every case.

The aim should be to complete them at an appropriate stage so that your application can be ready for assessment without unnecessarily increasing the possibility of having to repeat them.

Can You Complete Health Examinations Before Lodging?

In some circumstances, applicants may be able to undertake health examinations before lodging their visa application through the Department's My Health Declarations service, where the intended visa subclass is available through that service.

However, this should be considered carefully.

Because health examination results are generally valid for a limited period, completing them too far in advance could mean that further examinations are required if the visa application is not decided within that period.

For many Partner Visa applicants, it can therefore be preferable to lodge the application and then follow the health examination instructions provided through ImmiAccount.

What About Children and Other Family Members?

Family circumstances need to be accurately disclosed in a Partner Visa application, but this does not necessarily mean that every family member must be included as a migrating applicant.

For example, a child may already be an Australian citizen or may be a non-migrating family member.

Whether a family member needs to undertake health examinations will depend on the particular visa requirements and the family's individual circumstances.

It is therefore important to distinguish between declaring family members and including family members as visa applicants.

Our Approach: Keep the Application Decision-Ready

One of the most important principles we follow when preparing Partner Visa applications is to make the application as complete and decision-ready as reasonably possible.

This means looking beyond simply completing the online application form.

A well-prepared Partner Visa application should consider:

• the required identity and civil documents;
• relationship evidence;
• financial aspects of the relationship;
• the nature of the household;
• social aspects of the relationship;
• evidence of the couple's commitment to each other;
• character documentation;
• health requirements;
• sponsor documentation; and
• any changes in circumstances or updated evidence that should be provided while the application is processing.

The Department may request further information at any stage, and providing a complete application does not guarantee faster processing or a particular outcome. However, ensuring that relevant evidence is available can help avoid unnecessary delays caused by missing documentation.

Already Lodged Your Partner Visa?

If you have already submitted your Partner Visa application, it can still be worthwhile reviewing the application while it is being processed.

Circumstances can change significantly during the Partner Visa process. Couples may move home, marry, have children, become pregnant, change employment, travel, combine their finances further or accumulate additional evidence demonstrating the ongoing nature of their relationship.

Relevant changes and additional evidence can be uploaded to the application where appropriate.

If your application has been processing for some time, a professional review can also help identify whether important documents are missing, whether evidence should be updated, and whether the application is in a position to be decided if it is allocated for assessment.

Planning Ahead Can Make a Significant Difference

Police checks and health examinations are only two elements of a Partner Visa application, but getting their timing right forms part of a broader application strategy.

There is no single timetable that will be appropriate for every couple.

The best approach depends on your circumstances, where you have lived, whether you are applying onshore or offshore, the stage of your application and your future plans.

If you are preparing a new Partner Visa application — or you have already lodged and would like to make sure your application remains complete and up to date — obtaining professional advice from a registered migration agent can help you understand what is required and when you should provide it.

Need Help with Your Australian Partner Visa?

If you would like personalised assistance with an Australian Partner Visa application, including reviewing an already-lodged application, preparing relationship evidence, police checks, health requirements or updating your application while it is being processed, please contact us.

Timea Pocze-Graf
Head of Migration
Taylor Hampton
Email: Timea.Poczegraf@taylorhampton.co.uk
Phone: +44 20 7427 5290

Disclaimer

This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Australian immigration law, policy, procedures and processing arrangements can change, and the requirements applicable to an individual will depend on their particular circumstances.

You should obtain advice relevant to your circumstances before making decisions regarding an Australian visa application.