Partner visa lawyers helping Melbourne couples.
You do not need to be in Brisbane to work with a partner visa lawyer. Salvo Migration supports couples in Melbourne by phone or video, with a clear pathway, evidence plan and fixed-fee scope before you decide whether to engage us.
Three Melbourne-specific questions to check early.
Partner visas are decided under federal migration law, but a couple's Victorian records and day-to-day arrangements can affect how the relationship is documented. These are common starting points—not substitutes for checking the visa criteria.
Is the relationship registered in Victoria?
Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria currently allows eligible adult couples to register a domestic relationship where at least one partner lives in Victoria. Registration can be relevant to the usual 12-month de facto issue, but it does not by itself prove a genuine and continuing relationship or satisfy every visa requirement.
Do your Victorian records tell one story?
Rental records, utilities, bank activity, insurance, government correspondence and other address evidence may each cover different periods. We map those records against the couple's actual living arrangements instead of treating one shared Melbourne address as the whole relationship case.
Is one partner outside Australia?
A Melbourne sponsor does not automatically make the onshore 820/801 pathway available. The applicant's location, current visa position and relationship status help determine whether 820/801, 309/100 or subclass 300 should be considered before documents are prepared.
Check the current Victorian relationship registration rules and Home Affairs subclass 820 criteria. Both sources were checked 15 July 2026.
Need the nationwide overview? Compare pathways, legal support and locations in our Australian partner visa lawyers guide.
Lawyer-led help without interstate travel.
Salvo Migration assists couples across Melbourne and Victoria by phone and video from its Brisbane office. We identify the proposed pathway, map the relationship evidence and prepare the agreed legal work remotely.
Pathway and eligibility review
Consider whether the onshore, offshore or prospective marriage pathway fits the circumstances and identify issues needing individual advice.
Relationship evidence plan
Organise genuine evidence across the financial, household, social and commitment aspects of the relationship.
Applicant and sponsor preparation
Clarify responsibilities and keep forms, statements and supporting documents consistent with the couple's actual history.
Complexity assessed early
Current visa status, previous refusals, schedule 3, character issues or a possible section 48 bar may require individual legal advice.
Every partner visa pathway, handled by lawyers.
Partner Visa 820/801
For eligible couples applying in Australia — begin with the temporary stage and progress to permanent assessment.
Learn more → Offshore✈️Partner Visa 309/100
For partners applying from outside Australia — the temporary 309 brings your partner here while the permanent 100 processes.
Learn more → Engaged💍Prospective Marriage 300
Travel to Australia and marry within the visa period — then move onto the partner visa pathway.
Learn more →Onshore, offshore or planning to marry?
820 and 801 onshore
For eligible applicants applying in Australia. Current visa status, timing and location requirements should be checked before lodgement.
Explore 820/801 →309 and 100 offshore
For eligible applicants applying outside Australia, with coordinated evidence from both the applicant and Australian sponsor.
Explore 309/100 →Subclass 300 prospective marriage
For eligible engaged couples intending to marry in Australia within the visa period, followed by a separate partner visa application if its requirements are met.
Explore subclass 300 →Requirements and visa settings can change. Check the current Department of Home Affairs partner visa overview.
Migration agent or lawyer: verify the person, registration and service.
People searching for a partner visa agent may be looking for either a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner. Both can provide immigration assistance, but their professional registration and the scope they offer should be checked before appointment.
Registered migration agent
Confirm the individual appears on the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority register and that the registration is current. Check what preparation, advice and representation the quoted service actually includes.
Australian legal practitioner
A lawyer may provide immigration assistance in connection with legal practice and is checked through a state or territory legal-profession register. Salvo's Melbourne service is delivered by its Brisbane-based lawyers, whose Queensland records are linked below; no Victorian office or practitioner status is implied.
Home Affairs explains the permitted professional categories in its current who can help with your application guidance.
Remote partner visa support from an Australian legal team.
Salvo Migration's office is in Brisbane. We assist Melbourne clients by phone and video and do not claim to have a Melbourne office. Appointment times are confirmed in local time, including when daylight-saving differences apply.
The same Brisbane-based team serves couples remotely in Hobart and Adelaide. These guides describe service coverage; they do not imply Salvo has offices in those cities.
See who is responsible for the lawyer-led service.
Salvo Migration serves Melbourne remotely from its Brisbane legal practice. Because the practice and lawyers are based in Queensland, their current solicitor records are checked through the Queensland Law Society—not a Melbourne office listing.
Martin Salvo
Principal Migration Lawyer, focused on Australian partner visa applications, complex assessments, refusals and review pathways.
Verify Martin on the QLS register →Rachel Hamada
Practice Manager and Senior Lawyer within Salvo Migration's lawyer-led partner visa team.
Verify Rachel on the QLS register →Verify the legal practice
The official practice record identifies Salvo Migration at Level 5, 320 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City. Melbourne appointments are delivered remotely; no Victorian office is claimed.
Verify Salvo Migration on the QLS register →Build the evidence around the relationship you actually have.
A convincing application is not created by collecting every document with both names on it. The records need to explain how the couple shares finances, a household, social recognition and long-term commitment across the relevant period.
Living together—or explaining periods apart
A lease may help, but so can consistent address records, household expenses and a clear explanation of moves or temporary separation. If work, study, family obligations or overseas travel kept you apart, the chronology should match the supporting records.
Shared finances beyond a joint account
Useful evidence may show how rent or mortgage costs, groceries, transport, insurance, travel and larger commitments are actually managed. The aim is not to manufacture equal spending; it is to document the couple's real financial arrangements accurately.
Social recognition with context
Statements, invitations, travel and photographs are more useful when dates, people and events can be understood. A smaller, chronological selection can explain the relationship more clearly than hundreds of unexplained screenshots.
One consistent relationship history
Applicant and sponsor forms, personal statements and third-party evidence should describe the same key milestones. We look for gaps or contradictions before lodgement, while the couple can still confirm dates and locate better records.
Evidence you can inspect
Review published visa approvals and, when you choose, load current Google reviews before deciding whether Salvo Migration is right for you.
Published approval examples
See recent published outcomes with pathway and grant-date context. Personal details are redacted.
Inspect published approvals →Current Google reviews
Load the review source when you want to inspect recent client feedback.
Past outcomes and client reviews do not predict or guarantee the outcome of another application. Every matter is assessed on its own facts and decided by the Department of Home Affairs.
No Visa, No Fee — for eligible matters.*
If your application is not approved and certain conditions are met, we'll refund our professional fees. Eligibility and conditions are confirmed in writing before engagement.
Book your free strategy call →*Applies to eligible partner visa applications where guarantee conditions are met.
Common questions, answered by lawyers.
How long does a partner visa take?
Processing times vary depending on the visa type and complexity of your case — current times change with the pathway, application and Department caseload. Check Home Affairs before relying on an estimate.
Can I apply in a de facto relationship?
The 12-month rule generally concerns the duration of the de facto relationship immediately before application, not simply a lease period; registered relationships and other exceptions can apply. We assess the facts before you rely on an exception.
What if my application is refused?
Review rights and deadlines depend on the decision, the applicant's circumstances and where they were when the application was made. Get the decision checked promptly and read our partner visa refusal guidance.
Is the first Melbourne partner visa call free?
Yes. The initial strategy call covers the proposed pathway, professional fees and next steps. Detailed legal advice or document review may require a separately agreed scope.
Can I include my children in the application?
Yes, dependent children can be included. You'll need to provide evidence of their dependency and meet specific requirements.
Do we need to meet you in person?
No. Salvo Migration does not claim a Melbourne office. Melbourne clients work with the Brisbane-based team by phone or video and exchange documents through the agreed channels.
Make Melbourne home — together.
Book your free strategy call: eligibility, pathway, fees and next steps for your partner visa in Melbourne.
Prefer to talk now? 1300 644 788