Partner visa applicants can lodge the forms, Statutory Declaration and relationship evidence that Immigration requires to process their permanent partner visa application (subclass 801 or 100), two years after their original partner visa applications (subclasses 820 & 801 or 309 &100) were lodged.
When lodging the documents for processing of the permanent partner visa aplication, the question often arises of whether new police checks are needed for the applicant and for their sponsor.
For the sponsor, the answer is no – new police checks are normally not required.
For the applicant, the answer is, it depends! It depends on the person’s individual situation.
Visa applicants need to provide an overseas police certificate from any country, including their home country, where they spent a total of 12 months or more (cumulatively) since the grant of their temporary (subclass 820 or 309) partner visa. Occasionally, this is an applicant’s situation and an overseas police clearace is required.
Additionally, Immigration may ask an appicant to provide a new Australian police certificate if their previous certificate has expired. For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.
So, you may or may not be asked for a new Australian Police Certificate.
Notwithstanding that, I generally advise applicants to provide a new Australian Police Certificate of their own free will and before they are (potentially) asked for it.
Why? – because it avoids delays in processing the permanent partner visa application.
Feel free to contact me if you would like to book a consultation for more information about anything mentioned here.
Regards.
Ross McDougall.
Immigration Lawyer & Solicitor.
This information is correct on May 14th, 2026. But keep in mind that immigration law changes from time to time.
