Spouse Visa Update

You might not know this, but Ministerial Direction 117 has completely changed the game for family visas in Australia, especially if you're applying from overseas. The new order says onshore applicants, like those on the 820 spouse visa, get processed first. Onshore applicants, and this includes the 309 and 300 prospective marriage visa. And now, at the back of the line and not just a little bit behind, effectively locked out. This applies to everyone already in the queue and every new application going forward. And let me break it down. In the official numbers that we have, 2024 to 25, there were 68,100 applications, but only 43,400 visas granted. Right now, over 115,000 people are waiting. Over 115,000. The kicker is the department's only planning to process 41,500 visas this year. From the FOI data, we know 60 to 65% of those are onshore, and that's about 40,800, which leaves just 700 spots for offshore applicants. But there's roughly 45,000 offshore applicants in the system. So unless you have a compelling and compassionate case, like a long term relationship or a child together, your application is stuck. And if your partner can't get into Australia on a tourist, student or working holiday visa, you're offshore spouses are being completely shut out for the foreseeable future. This isn't just unfair, it's an atrocious policy, an outrageous decision by the minister, and it's ruining lives. Have a great day!