'More falling in love overseas' but thousands face long wait to reunite
Australians who want to build their lives with partners or spouses from overseas say they are worried visa wait times will continue to grow.
Nadine Chamas, 44, and her husband Aboudi Alsaidy face the prospect of indefinite separation as she seeks to start a family in Australia. Following the outbreak of war in Lebanon, the couple had to relocate to safety and now await the outcome of their partner visa application. A group of partner visa applicants and their sponsors has urged Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to reconsider his decision to prioritize onshore partner visa applicants.
They argue that the current wait times – over three years for offshore applicants compared to 29 months for onshore – are fundamentally unfair, impacting the lives of genuine relationships. The Australian sponsors highlighted the minister's decision to deprioritize offshore applications as potentially devastating, with one applicant fearing her husband might not return until mid-2028.
The Home Affairs Department maintains that offshore applications will still be processed but will have lower priority, focusing on timely transitions to permanent residency for those already living in Australia. Despite increased applications, the department acknowledged the growing number of Australians falling in love overseas, yet the minister has introduced new measures that could affect the processing of these visas.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
