Additional Information - Subclass 461
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Married to a New Zealand Citizen
• It is commonplace in some communities for a traditional wedding ceremony to take place up to several months subsequent to a couple becoming legally married. Many applicants, particularly those who have not previously been in a spousal relationship, do not consider themselves married nor live together with their spouse until after their traditional wedding. We advise these applicants to lodge their application for Subclass 461 after their traditional wedding, as it may be difficult for them to provide adequately evidence their relationship prior to having started living as a married couple.
• It is commonplace within some communities for couples to enter into arranged marriages. If you are applying for Subclass 461 on the basis of an arranged marriage, it is important to note that you are required to provide evidence that your relationship is "genuine and continuing". The Partner Migration Booklet (287KB PDF file) provides a list of acceptable examples of evidence of a "genuine and ongoing" relationship.
• It is commonplace in the South Pacific that an applicant and sponsor may not be known to an Australian citizen or permanent resident who has adequate personal knowledge of their relationship. It is also commonplace that an applicant or sponsor may not have access to a person appropriately qualified to witness a statutory declaration. If you are in this situation, you may alternatively provide signed written statements from non-Australian citizens/permanent resident persons who have a personal knowledge of your relationship in lieu of the Form 888 - Statutory declaration by a supporting witness relating to a partner visa application (81KB PDF file)
Authorisation for a Third Party
• If you wish for your partner/sponsor to be able to receive information from us about your application, you need to authorise them to do so by completing Form 956 - Advice by a migration agent/exempt person of providing immigration assistance (119KB PDF file)