Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa Granted in 4 Months Despite Prior Visitor Visa Refusal
Case Summary
A client's fiancée, a citizen of a high-risk country, had previously had a visitor visa refused. We assisted the couple to prepare a decision-ready Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa application that directly addressed the prior refusal, resulting in a grant within four months — well ahead of the typical 12–17 month processing time.
Background
Our client's fiancée was a citizen of a country flagged as high-risk for immigration purposes. The couple had met online in early 2017 and met in person a few months later before becoming engaged. The fiancée's earlier attempt to obtain a visitor visa to travel to Australia had been refused on the grounds she did not meet the genuine temporary entrant requirement. Given the couple had only known each other a short time and had not resided together, an onshore partner visa was not a viable option. We advised the couple to apply for a Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa instead.
Challenges
- Fiancée was from a high-risk country with heightened scrutiny on visa applications
- Prior visitor visa refusal created an adverse immigration record to address
- Couple had only known each other for a relatively short period and had not cohabited
- Standard processing time for Subclass 300 visas was 12–17 months
Outcome
The visa was granted in early January 2018, less than four months after lodgement in late September 2017 — significantly ahead of the standard processing time.
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