What price can you put on love? Many have been asking that question over the past week as the government increased the cost of applying for a partner visa by 25% overnight on July 1.

As a result, most partner visas now attract an A$11,700 price tag. While the price of visa applications increased across the board, partner visas went up significantly.

So what is involved in a partner visa application, and can the government really justify the price increase? Or is that simply the going rate for loving an Australian?

How do partner visas work?

The partner visa framework in Australia can be divided into two types of visas.

Firstly, there is the prospective marriage visa. This must be applied for initially offshore, allowing a fiancé to come to Australia, get married and then apply for a partner visa.

Secondly, there is the partner visa which can be applied for onshore or offshore and is for married/de facto relationships.

The couple must then prove the relationship is not a “tick-box” exercise. The Department of Home Affairs scrutinises the relationship to assess whether it’s ongoing and genuine.

To do this, they break the relationship down into four pillars aimed at demonstrating commitment. They are:

nature of the household

commitment to a shared life.

For example, to prove the financial or social aspect of their relationship, a couple would need to provide months (or years) of bank........

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