Australian nationals who want to come to the UK as the spouse or partner of a British citizen, or someone settled in the UK, must first complete and submit a UK family visa application.

Any other non-EU nationals living in Australia will need to follow the same process.

Stage 1 – UK family visa application

The first stage is to visit the gov.uk website where you will have to complete a lengthy UK family visa application form asking detailed questions about your background and current circumstances. Take your time completing this as it is important for the application to be factually correct and consistent with the evidence you will provide for assessment. Once the form is completed and confirmed, you’ll be directed to pay the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (compulsory charge for access to NHS in the UK for the duration of the visa). The date both payments are paid is the official application submission date.

There are two types of service available. The standard service costs AUD 3648 and provides a decision within four months. The settlement priority service costs AUD 4636 and provides a decision within 30 working days.

Stage 2 – Biometrics meeting

After you submit your UK family visa application on the UKVI website, you will also be given a 16-digit Unique Application Number (UAN) and you will be redirected to a confirmation page asking you to complete the ‘next steps’ of submission. It is at this point where you will be required to register with VFS Global and book your appointment.

There are seven visa application centres in Australia, located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra. Some operate Monday to Friday whereas others are only twice a week.

Stage 3 – Evidence submission

There are three ways to submit your documents, regardless of your choice of biometrics location.

• Free option - Self-upload scanned copies to VFS online portal
  This is generally the preferred method for submitting supporting evidence as it eliminates the need to have paper copies of all of the evidence with the applicant in Australia. It also ensures that the applicant is satisfied that all of the evidence has been uploaded in the correct format.
• AUD 130 - Scanning service at appointment
  With this service you would bring paper copies of all of your supporting evidence to your appointment, to be scanned by a member of staff at the appointment centre. Whilst this may sound like the easiest option, it will involve spending more time at the VAC and lacks the ability to see what has been scanned. Any incorrect or incomplete submissions can lead to a refusal.
• GBP 100 – Scan documents in the UK
  The sponsoring partner or agent can either post the documents to Birmingham or take them to one of the scanning hubs in Edinburgh, London or Birmingham to have everything scanned there.  A specified sorting and formatting method must be followed and “Neither VFS Global nor UK Visas and Immigration shall be liable in any way for any direct or indirect loss, costs or expenses arising from delay to a visa application processing or a rejection of a visa application because of a failure by the customer to comply with these document submission instructions.”

Your passport will be retained by the VAC until a decision is made on your application. If you need to retain your passport for travelling or other purposes, then you are required to pay AUD 140 for this service. Once a decision is made, the passport will be endorsed with entry clearance vignette valid for entry to the UK within three months. Your full visa duration will subsequently be accessible once you have moved to the UK.

Help required

Our immigration solicitors have assisted with many applications for family visas from Australia and we have a wealth of experience navigating the tricky submission procedures. If you would like help completing your UK family visa application from Australia, please do not hesitate to contact our family migration team, headed by Amna Ashraf, for expert advice and assistance.

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