To bring your Filipina girlfriend to Australia the first visa is normally a Visitor visa. It will allow her a three month stay in Australia. She can also apply to extend the visitor visa while she is in Australia or apply for a permanent Partner visa while she is here. For Filipino women it is possible to bring them to Australia to stay permanently this way.
From Visitor to Permenent Stay
Once you Bring your Filipina Girlfriend to Australia you can keep her here by applying for another visa. This can be done provided there is no condition on her current visa preventing application in Australia. So, check her Visitor visa for condition 8503 – no further stay.
If there is no condition 8503 on her Visitor visa she can apply for a new visa while she stays in Australia. This way you don’t need her to return to the Philippines – apply for a new visa – and the bring your Filipina girlfriend to Australia again
I have written a detailed article about extending a visitor visa in Australia.
Eventually you will run out of time on the Visitor visa and you will need to apply for a permanent visa. This could be:
- Marriage Visa for your Filipina wife
- De Facto visa for your Filipina girlfriend; or
When you apply for either of these visas you will get a Bridging visa alloing her to stay in Australia. This way she can remain in Australia permanently.
Bring your Filipina Girlfriend to Australia with a De facto visa
The de facto visa is for unmarried couples that live together. If your Filipina girlfriend has a visitor visa then – provided you meet the mininmum requirements for a de facto visa – you can apply while she is in Australia.
Applicants for de facto visa in Australia are allowed to remain in Australia to wait for their visa to be decided. This means no more visitor visa applications or flights to and from the Philippines.
Bring your Filipina Girlfriend to Australia with a Marriage visa
Married couples can apply for a Partner visa. If your Filipina wife has a visitor visa then she can stay in Australia with a Partner visa application. Provided you meet the minimum requirements for a Partner visa – you can apply while she is in Australia.
Again, applying while she holds a visitor visa means that she gets to stay in Australia while you wait for her Partner visa.
