Queensland
A refused applicant has 28 days after notification to ask the ART for review, and the $3,727 fee that applies from 1 July 2026 must be paid before that deadline.
Queensland registration needs you or your partner to live in Queensland, so the first step for any Brisbane or Gold Coast couple is to bring the refusal letter, the court order or the relationship dates to a partner visa lawyer.
These rules come from the Queensland Government civil partnership registration page, the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), Migration Act 1958 s 347, and ART Form M1 and its fees page. The review period is 14 days if the applicant was in immigration detention when notified; review rights and the correct applicant also need to be established.
Queensland facts card
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Administrative Review Tribunal counter for migration reviews in Brisbane | Level 6, 295 Ann Street, Brisbane QLD; weekdays 8:30am–5pm; post GPO Box 9955, Brisbane QLD 4001; reviews@art.gov.au; ordinarily 28 days; fee $3,727 from 1 July 2026 |
| Gold Coast | No ART counter listed on Form M1 and no Federal Circuit and Family Court location; Brisbane provides the relevant counter and migration registry |
| Queensland civil partnership register | $170; 10-day cooling-off; you or your partner lives in Queensland; official certificate $58.10 |
| Queensland protection order | Domestic violence order (DVO), under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld); police issue a police protection notice, not a court |
| Federal Circuit and Family Court migration registry | Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 119 North Quay, Brisbane |
Sources: ART Form M1 and fees page; Federal Circuit and Family Court locations; Queensland Government civil partnership page; Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld); Home Affairs’ Where to get help page.
Brisbane or Gold Coast: Check the notice date before seeking legal advice. The site’s enquiry form is addressed to Australian Migration Lawyers; it does not preserve an ART deadline.
Partner visa lawyer Brisbane: what changes in Queensland
A lawyer can review eligibility, relationship dates, evidence consistency and deadlines. The local differences below matter alongside the federal partner visa rules.
| Queensland attribute | Brisbane and Gold Coast value | What it does to a partner visa | Law or source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ART counter | Ann Street, Brisbane; none listed on the Gold Coast | Provides a place to hand in a review application | ART Form M1 |
| Court registry | Harry Gibbs building, Brisbane; no Gold Coast location | Provides the Queensland migration registry | FCFCOA locations |
| Register | Civil partnership; $170; 10-day cooling-off | Removes the 12-month de facto requirement, not other relationship criteria | Civil Partnerships Act 2011 (Qld); Registered Relationships Regulations 2019 s 5; Migration Regulations reg 2.03A(5) |
| Protection order | DVO | Can establish judicially determined family violence if the court-order conditions are met | Migration Regulations reg 1.23 |
Queensland’s 10-day cooling-off is the shortest among the five states with prescribed relationship registers. The NSW and Victorian government pages, South Australian Law Handbook and Tasmania’s Relationships Act 2003 each specify 28 days.
The ART in Brisbane
The Administrative Review Tribunal in Brisbane takes migration reviews at Level 6, 295 Ann Street, weekdays 8:30am–5pm, or by email to reviews@art.gov.au or post to GPO Box 9955, Brisbane QLD 4001, according to ART Form M1, information 05/26.
The ART replaced the AAT on 14 October 2024 under the ART transitional legislation. For reviewable migration decisions, Migration Act 1958 s 347(3) and (5) sets 28 days after notification, or 14 days in detention, with no extension.
The ART fees page, applying Migration Regulations reg 4.13, sets the fee at $3,727 from 1 July 2026. Before the deadline, pay the full fee or 50% with a financial-hardship reduction request.
The ART’s 2025–26 caseload statistics record 205 subclass 309 refusals set aside among 314 finalised reviews (65%), with 881 on hand at 30 June 2026. These national figures are not Brisbane-specific or an individual outcome prediction.
For the steps to appeal visa refusal Australia, start with the refusal notice and identify who can apply.
Partner visa help on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is in Queensland, so couples use the same $170 civil partnership register, and DVO rules as Brisbane, according to the Queensland Government registration page.
The Federal Circuit and Family Court’s locations list has no Gold Coast venue: Queensland locations are Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Maroochydore, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Townsville. Its Brisbane migration registry is at the Harry Gibbs building, 119 North Quay. ART Form M1 also lists no Gold Coast counter: hand in reviews at Ann Street or send them by email or post. Court filing is ordinarily electronic through eLodgment, according to the Court’s migration application instructions.
Queensland civil partnership register
$170 registers a civil partnership; an official certificate costs $58.10. The Queensland Government registration page, updated 1 October 2026, specifies a 10-day cooling-off and requires you or your partner to live in Queensland.
The Civil Partnerships Act 2011 (Qld) is prescribed by Acts Interpretation (Registered Relationships) Regulations 2019 s 5. A registered relationship therefore removes the 12-month requirement under Migration Regulations reg 2.03A(5). The genuine-relationship assessment under reg 1.09A still applies.
For interstate rules, see the register relationship guide. Bring relationship dates and registration documents to the consultation.
Domestic violence orders and the partner visa in Queensland
Yes, a Queensland DVO counts as judicially determined family violence when a court made it under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld), after the other partner had an opportunity to be heard, and part of the violence occurred during the relationship: Migration Regulations reg 1.23(4)–(5).
Queensland calls it a “domestic violence protection order”. Police issue a police protection notice; the regulation’s judicial-evidence test requires a court order made after the opportunity to be heard, so a police notice alone does not satisfy that test.
Home Affairs’ family violence evidence guidance says interim orders may meet the threshold “in some circumstances”; supply the final order when made. The statutory-declaration route under LIN 23/026 requires at least two evidence items of different types, alongside the applicant’s declaration.
What is often searched as a domestic violence visa means the family violence provisions within the partner visa pathway.
Judicial review in Brisbane
Judicial review of an ART decision for a Brisbane or Gold Coast applicant uses the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) migration registry at the Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 119 North Quay. The Court’s migration application instructions ordinarily require electronic filing through eLodgment.
Migration Act 1958 s 477 sets 35 days from the decision, with extensions available by court order. The Court’s fees schedule sets the full migration filing fee at $4,180 from 1 July 2026.
The Court’s migration overview describes the test as whether the decision was made “properly, following the correct legal procedures and applying the law correctly”. The Court cannot grant a visa or simply re-decide the facts.
Brisbane and Gold Coast partner visa questions
Is it hard to get a partner visa in Australia?
Most decided applications were granted, but that does not establish how difficult an individual application is. Home Affairs’ Migration Program report 2024–25 records 93.9% granted and 6.1% refused, counting decisions only, excluding withdrawals. These are national figures, not a Queensland grant rate or a lawyer’s success rate.
Can a Brisbane sponsor apply for review when their partner’s 309 is refused?
No. Under Migration Regulations reg 4.02(4)(saa) and (5)(raa), the 309 applicant applies, with applicant review rights since 4 April 2023 and the current rule since 25 November 2023. For a subclass 300 refusal, the sponsor applies under reg 4.02(5)(r).
Can a Gold Coast couple use the NSW register instead?
Only if at least one partner lives in NSW, according to the NSW Government relationship register page. The Queensland Government page instead requires you or your partner to live in Queensland.
Can a same-sex couple in Brisbane apply as de facto partners?
Yes. Migration Act s 5CB covers de facto relationships between people of the same or different sex. The 12-month rule and registered-relationship exception in Migration Regulations reg 2.03A apply in the same way.
Fees and consultations for Brisbane couples
A partner visa with Australian Migration Lawyers usually costs $14,000 plus GST, with the Home Affairs visa application charge ($11,710 base for most applicants) paid separately. This applies to Brisbane couples in the same way as elsewhere in Australia.
Ask for a written scope and quote, including whether permanent-stage work, requests for information or review work are included.
Queensland lawyers are regulated under the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), not the Uniform Law applying in NSW, Victoria and WA. Home Affairs’ Legal practitioners consumer guide, July 2021, names the Queensland Legal Services Commission for complaints.
See marriage visa lawyer cost for fee context and the partner visa lawyer guide for the legal work involved.
For a Brisbane or Gold Coast family-violence claim, ask a lawyer to check whether a police protection notice meets the judicial-evidence rule or whether a statutory declaration and two professional items are needed.
For a refusal, ask an Australian migration lawyer to check the ART applicant, 28-day deadline, $3,727 fee and evidence responsive to the refusal criterion.