Long Queue, High Price: Why 120,000 Partner Visa Applicants Are Still Waiting in Australia

News · 2026-08-21 · 4 min read

Hoping to join your husband or wife in Australia one day? The partner visa program is under real pressure right now. The backlog is getting close to 120,000 applications. Typical processing times are now as long as 15 months. Many couples did everything correctly, and they are still stuck waiting. Skills and simple cases do not seem to help.

One couple's story

Dr Andrea Margulis is a good example. She is a Harvard-trained pharmacoepidemiologist with a rare specialisation. She is also married to an Australian citizen. Australia's migration policy says it wants applicants just like her.

But nearly a year after she lodged her partner visa application, she and her husband are still waiting. They have already paid over $11,000 in fees. They have also answered multiple rounds of requests for more information.

Her case is not strange or difficult. It is a fairly simple application from a couple who are genuinely married. Sadly, long delays like this are now normal, not rare.

A very expensive visa

Many people do not notice how much this visa costs. Australia's partner visa application fee is over $9,300. That is the highest in the world. It is also more than double what the UK charges for a similar visa.

This visa exists to bring spouses and families together. Yet people pay this high price and then wait for months, not weeks. That is hard to accept. The government's own backlog figures show that applicants pay a premium, but they do not get the service in a reasonable time.

Bigger problems caused by the backlog

A line of almost 120,000 people is a problem with the whole system. It affects many people in different ways:

Couples lose hope. Some applicants choose to stay in third countries instead of waiting with no end date.
Australian citizens live apart from their spouses for much longer than most people think is fair for a partner visa.
Public trust in the migration system falls when well-known, sympathetic cases show that processing is failing.
Highly skilled applicants wait at the same speed as everyone else. This goes against the stated aim of attracting skilled migrants.

Changes that could help

A backlog this big will not go away just by asking staff to work faster with the same resources. Deeper changes are needed, such as:

more departmental resources set aside only for partner visa processing
a check on whether the current fee levels are fair for the service people really get
timelines for applicants that are clearer and easier to predict, instead of waiting with no end
simpler evidence rules when a couple already has strong, clear proof of a genuine relationship

The bigger picture

Australia says it wants skilled migrants. It also says it supports family reunification. But its partner visa system keeps qualified applicants and their Australian partners waiting for well over a year. They pay the highest cost in the world, and they get no clear end date. The backlog and the fees must be fixed together. Until then, cases like Dr Margulis and Mr Munro's will keep appearing. They will keep raising hard questions about whether the system matches what the policy promises.

Tips for Indonesian couples

If a partner visa is part of your plan, prepare early. Collect strong proof of your relationship and keep it organised, so you can reply quickly if asked for more information. Get Indonesian documents, such as marriage papers, translated into English when the visa rules require it. If a police certificate is requested, apply for your SKCK from the Indonesian National Police in good time. Save for the fees, expect a long wait, and use only official government sources for current timelines.

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