New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa

No, the 461 visa is not permanent. The visa is temporary and is valid for 5 years, but you can apply to extend the visa for another 5 years if you are still with your NZ partner.

The 461 visa is currently taking A LONG time to process. Especially from onshore. If you apply from onshore I would expect it to take around 2 years to process.

Yes, you can apply for the 461 visa from onshore or offshore.

Yes, if you apply for the 461 visa from onshore, you should be granted a bridging visa that will allow you to remain in Australia (provided you meet the requirements to lodge a valid application).

Yes, that is what the 461 visa is. It allows NZ citizens to sponsor their partners to live with them in Aus

Unfortunately, the 461 visa by itself does not leave to PR. However on the 461 visa, you could look to apply for different permanent visa options.

If you break up with your partner whilst holding a 461 visa, you should notify immigration. Your visa would be cancelled and you would need to either leave Australia or apply for another visa.

Generally speaking, if you are in Australia, you would need to lodge a paper application for a 461 visa.

When you hold a 461 visa, you would usually have full work rights

You can only apply for the 461 visa if you meet the requirements as a family member of an NZ citizen. Perhaps you could build up the evidence to meet the de facto requirement on another visa, like a student or working holiday visa.

To apply for the 461 visa, you will need a lot of documents. You will need to demonstrate you meet the de facto requirement, plus provide personal documentation such as – passports, passport photos, police clearances, birth certificates etc…It is recommended to chat with a registered migration agent to go through a full list of required documents.