Australia Offers Permanent Residency for Family Violence Victims

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has published guidance detailing categories of temporary visa holders who may qualify for permanent residence due to experiences of family violence. The eligible groups include individuals holding or having applied for a Temporary Partner (subclass 820) visa, those with a Provisional Partner (subclass 309) visa who entered Australia after lodging their application, and holders of a Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa.

For the latter, applicants must be physically present in Australia when applying. If the Prospective Marriage visa has ceased, two conditions apply: the individual must not hold a substantive visa and must have applied for a Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801).

Additionally, dependent children may qualify for a permanent visa if their parent holds a Partner visa and has applied under the family violence provisions, provided they have also applied for the Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa. These provisions aim to protect victims of domestic violence from vulnerable immigration situations.