Apply for a Partner Visa and don't want to continue study on a student visa

Many students who come here to study and end up falling in love. Eventually they decide to apply for a Partner Visa, be it same sex or different sex relationship. It doesn't matter if the relationship is a marriage or de facto one. It makes no difference really.

Lots of students have a long term student visa and some wish not to continue their study after they have lodged their Partner Visa. That is because the tuition fees for overseas students can be expensive for some.

Many people plan to pause or postpone their study while they wait for their Partner Visa to be granted, but don't know how that will affect their Partner Visa application or their legal status in Australia. They can still continue their study, but it will be cheaper once they have become an Australian permanent resident or Australian citizen. Australian citizens can access study assistance, called HECS (Australian government keep changing its name). HECS allows you to study now and pay later.

By right, students still need to continue their study until either their student visa expires or the result of their Partner Visa comes out. Whichever happens first. Well....what happens when they've decided not to continue their study as I mentioned above?

• The education institute will inform the Department of Immigration.
• The Department of Immigration will then cancel your student visa. It will also cancel your Bridging Visa A as well (I will write about Bridging Visa in a separate post).
• Then you will become an unlawful non-citizen. Just a fancy word for illegal overstay.

Fear not, once you have become an unlawful non-citizen, then you can lodge your application for Bridging Visa E, to legalize your visa status. It is FREE.

This Bridging Visa E will allow you to stay and wait for your result from your Partner Visa. There are pros and cons for this Bridging Visa E.

Pros:

• You no longer have to study and pay expensive tuition fees.
• Although Bridging Visa E does not allow you to work. You can lodge in an application together with a nice and simple letter asking for permission to work, given that you have reason for financial hardship. It can be done quite easily at no cost.

Con/s:

• You are not allowed to travel out. You cannot apply for Bridging Visa B to travel, unlike Bridging Visa A. If you can bear living in the country for at least 12 months and wait for result of your Partner Visa, I personally think that it is worth the wait.

That is a bit of information about student visas and Partner Visas. I hope that you find this post informative.

Whatever path you choose to follow. Please think about its pros and cons carefully. Each path you choose will have its own consequences.