Each day feels like a window is closing for Nadine Chamas, who wants to start a family but is facing indefinite separation from her husband, Aboudi Alsaidy, in Lebanon.
asserted
who → feel → Lebanon
The 44-year-old's doctors had advised her to remain in Australia if she planned to become pregnant due to her medical condition.
asserted
she → advise → condition
However, Mr Alsaidy has been waiting for a partner visa so that they could be reunited in Australia.
uncertain
they → wait → Australia
"That stress of undergoing complex fertility planning while constantly worrying about my husband's safety in a conflict zone, it's an unbearable emotional weight," she said.
asserted
she → undergo → zone
They are among couples urging the federal government to hear their stories and reconsider its decision to prioritise partner visa applicants living in Australia over those who applied offshore.
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who → urge → those
After they married in June last year, Ms Chamas hoped to stay with her husband in Lebanon, but they had to change plans when war erupted in the Middle East early this year.
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war → marry → East
"That's when we decided we needed to be in a safe place together," Ms Chamas, who is an Australian citizen, said.
asserted
who → decide → place
She returned to her home city Melbourne and her husband applied for a partner visa in March.
asserted
husband → return → March
They are now waiting for the outcome of an Australian visitor visa application submitted last month.
asserted
They → wait → application
In a submission to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke this week, a group of partner visa applicants and their Australian sponsors have urged him to explain his decision in July to deprioritise the processing of offshore partner visa applications.
asserted
group → urge → applications
Applicants face waits of more than three years for subclass 309 visas, with 90 per cent of cases processed in up to 39 months, compared to 29 months for onshore partner visa applicants.
asserted
cent → face → applicants
The Australian sponsors are no less Australian," the submission says.
asserted
submission → say → ?
"Yet one group receives more favourable administrative treatment, while the other carries the greater human burden of separation."
Sasha Bellamy, who helped write and coordinate the submission, said the minister's decision to prioritise onshore over offshore applications was "fundamentally unfair".
asserted
decision → receive → applications
She was motivated to act partly because she had been separated from her own partner for a year as he awaited a partner visa in Belgium, and she felt she could use her experience as a lawyer to put the submission together.
uncertain
she → motivate → submission
"I don't believe there has been enough transparency on the why or how, the modelling under which such a big decision has been made that's had massive human consequences."
asserted
that → believe → consequences
A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson told the ABC while offshore partner visa applications would have lower priority, they would still be processed and granted "in accordance with the planning levels and priorities set by the government".
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they → tell → government
"An onshore-focused program will support timely transitions to permanent residency for migrants already living, working and contributing to Australia, and further reduces the program's impact on net overseas migration.
asserted
program → focus → migration
"
'Go back to video calls'
Emily Hill-Ogbonnaya's husband Nick applied for a partner visa from Nigeria in March last year and was later able to secure a 12-month visitor visa in December.
When she became pregnant, wait times were shorter and the couple did not expect to face a prolonged separation if Mr Ogbonnaya's partner visa didn't arrive before their baby's due date in January.
asserted
visa → go → January
"Suddenly in the last month or so, they've [wait times] just jumped so much since this new ministerial direction has come in," Ms Hill-Ogbonnaya said.
"
asserted
Ogbonnaya → jump → month
He might not be back until mid-2028 if they don't give him another visitor visa."
uncertain
they → give → visa
Ms Hill-Ogbonnaya has a six-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and is concerned about how she would take Mr Ogbonnaya's departure.
"
asserted
she → have → departure
That's going to be so destabilising for her to just have one of the most important people in her life just disappear and go back to video calls."
asserted
one → go → calls
Another Australian sponsor of a partner visa applicant, David Elms, is working long hours to be able to visit his wife and daughter in the Philippines every few months while they wait for a decision after lodging in June last year.
asserted
they → work → June
The uncertainty combined with the additional financial pressure from travel and other costs has impacted his health.
"
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uncertainty → combine → health
I always try to remain positive, but it does affect you.
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it → try → you
You get these little bouts of depression here and there," he said.
asserted
he → get → depression
Mr Elms said because he was the sole provider for his wife and daughter, he believed their chances of proving strong ties to the Philippines and securing a visitor visa to Australia were low.
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chances → say → Australia
He said it seemed there was "no hope" the partner visa would be granted soon after the government's decision to deprioritise overseas applications.
asserted
visa → say → applications
"Hopefully someone who has some power or control over things might be able to look at it and maybe change things.
uncertain
who → have → things
'More Australians fall in love with people overseas'
asserted
Australians → fall → people
Department of Home Affairs data shows the number of onshore and offshore partner visa applications increased from 52,479 in 2019–20 to 68,105 in 2024–25.
asserted
number → show → 2024–25
In his National Press Club address last week, Mr Burke acknowledged demand for partner visas had grown.
asserted
demand → acknowledge → visas
"We do have a situation now where more Australians fall in love with people overseas than they used to," he said.
asserted
he → have → people
Mr Burke said planned changes imposing a "no further stay" requirement on visitor visas would lead to more being issued to offshore partner visa applicants wanting to spend time with their spouses in Australia.
asserted
more → say → Australia
"The practice that we've had of people being able to, from visitor visas, automatically transfer on to bridging visas has meant a whole lot of these visas don't get issued at all,"he said.
asserted
lot → have → visas
Department of Home Affairs documents show 10,000 offshore applications had been on hand for more than 12 months in March, while a further 2,500 had been on hand for more than two years.
asserted
2,500 → show → years
The Home Affairs Department spokesperson said migration laws did not allow capping but provided "scope in administering migration programs to consider planning levels and prioritise processing accordingly".
asserted
laws → say → processing
They allowed the minister to "consider visa applications in such order as he or she considers appropriate", the spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → allow → order
"All visa programs, regardless of whether there is a planning level in place, are subject to limited resourcing which can result in delays in application assessment, especially in programs with high demand."
asserted
which → be → demand
Australian National University Migration Hub director Alan Gamlen said the "planning levels" worked as an effective cap.
asserted
levels → say → cap
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia