If Gold Migration was handling your partner visa application, your matter doesn’t stop because your firm has. Deadlines keep running and Home Affairs keeps issuing correspondence. Matilda Migration is a lawyer-credentialled migration practice, and we’re ready to step in to protect your application.

See if we can help.

Your application hasn’t stopped

A visa application doesn’t lapse because a firm closes. What changes is who Home Affairs believes is authorised to act and receive correspondence on your behalf.

Until that’s updated, notices, requests for further information and decision letters may continue to be directed to a representative who is no longer monitoring them. A missed request can mean a decision made on incomplete evidence. A missed decision letter can quietly start the clock on a review deadline. This is why it’s important to act now, not in a few weeks.

Matilda Tip: The most useful thing you can do today is locate your ImmiAccount login. It holds the live status of your application, any outstanding requests and the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) a new lawyer will need first.

What this means if you’re on a partner visa

Partner visas are one of the most common matters Gold Migration handled, and they’re our specialty too: onshore (subclass 820/801) and offshore (309/100), as well as prospective marriage (subclass 300) and same-sex partner pathways.

If your partner visa application is pending, here’s what to know:

• Your bridging visa, if you hold one, stays in effect while your application is active. A firm closing does not affect your bridging visa status.
• What it does affect is whether Home Affairs can reach someone able to act if more information is needed.
• If you’re awaiting a stage two assessment (the move from temporary to permanent residency) your evidence may need reviewing to confirm your relationship evidence is current before Home Affairs proceeds.

We can pick up your matter from wherever it currently sits and make sure nothing falls through the gap.

What to do now

You don’t need to untangle this alone. Three practical steps protect your application:

1. Find your ImmiAccount login. If your application was lodged online, you can import it into your own ImmiAccount using your Transaction Reference Number (TRN) — shown on the lodgement receipt from Home Affairs, which Gold should have given you. Once imported, you’ll see its live status and any outstanding requests. (For partner visa applications, importing can need help from Home Affairs Tech Support, or we can do it for you.)
2. Request your file and correspondence from Gold. Because Home Affairs sends correspondence to your migration agent rather than to you directly, you may not have these yourself. Your new lawyer can request your full file — the lodgement receipt, any requests for information and any decision letters — from Gold on your behalf.
3. Speak to a new representative. Once you engage a new representative, such as Matilda Migration, they handle the formal change: lodging Form 956 with Home Affairs to end the previous appointment and register their own, and requesting your file from your former firm. You don’t need to retrieve your file yourself first. Engaging the new representative is the correct first step.

Matilda Tip: Changing representatives does not restart your application or reset any deadlines. Your application continues from exactly where it is now, which is why moving sooner is better than later.

Why Matilda?

Matilda Migration is lawyer-credentialled, led by a Principal Lawyer and supported by qualified lawyers and registered migration agents. That’s a genuine difference in a market where many providers are migration agents only, which is important when your application needs careful legal handling at a sensitive moment.

• Partner visa specialists. Partner visas are core to what we do.
• Over 85 five-star reviews. A track record built on getting applications decision-ready.
• Transparent and human. We’ll tell you plainly where your matter stands and what it needs. No jargon, no pressure.

We can’t take on every matter, and we’ll be honest with you if we’re not the right fit. The quickest way to find out where you stand is to check your eligibility.

See if we can help.

Can we help? Here's how to start

Take our two-minute Partner Visa eligibility quiz. Then book a no-obligation consultation with one of our immigration lawyers, and bring your application details so we can get straight to it: your ImmiAccount login, any correspondence from Home Affairs (acknowledgements, requests for information, or decision letters) and where your application is currently up to.

FAQ

Has Gold Migration definitely closed?

Gold Migration has ceased operating. Your application with Home Affairs, however, remains active and continues on its existing timeline.

Will I lose my place in the queue or have to start again?

No. Changing representatives does not restart your application or reset any deadlines. Your matter continues from where it is now.

Does my bridging visa still apply?

If you hold a bridging visa tied to a pending application, it remains in effect while that application is active. A firm closing does not change your bridging visa status.

How do I get my file from Gold Migration?

Once you engage a new lawyer, they can request your file from Gold on your behalf. You don't need to chase it down yourself first. Because the firm has closed, this can sometimes take longer or involve conditions around any outstanding fees, but your new lawyer will manage that and keep your matter moving in the meantime.

What does it cost to find out if you can help?

Telling us about your matter and an initial consultation are at no cost and no obligation. We'll be upfront about fees before you commit to anything.

What if my matter isn’t a partner visa?

Partner visas are our focus, but we also handle employer-sponsored and other matters. Tell us about your matter and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.

Protect your application — let’s talk

You’ve already done the hard part by getting your application underway. Don't let a change of firm put it at risk. Tell us about your matter and, if we can help, we'll arrange a no-obligation consultation to map out your next steps.

See if we can help.