On 05 September 2021, the Department of Home Affairs have released a statement regarding Partner visa processing in the program years 2020-21 and 2021-22. In these program years, the partner visa has 72,300 places for each year, constituting 94% of the Family stream program, much higher compared to the previous average of around 80% as well as just 39,799 places for Partners in 2019-20.
The Department stated, “This increase is designed to provide greater certainty to Australians and their immediate family members during the COVID-19 pandemic, and contribute to addressing processing times for Partner visa applications.” It was further provided that the Family stream visa places constituted approximately 50% of the total Migration Program ceiling in the last two years, ensuring more visas are delivered in this stream to support family migration in Australia. The Department also mentions that “more Partner visa places have been delivered in 2020-21 than in any program year in at least 25 years.”
