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In the following statement, I am confused with the meaning of "whether" in the second sentence. Could you please advise which one is the meaning of this statement? a or b?

The statement:

"For the grant of the permanent Partner visa, you can be either in or outside Australia. This is the case whether you lodged your original application in or outside Australia."

The meaning:

a) You can be either in or outside Australia for the grant of visa and it is not important where you have lodged your application.

b) If you have lodged your application in Australia, you have to be in Australia for the grant of visa and if you have lodged your application outside Australia, you have to be outside Australia for the grant of visa.

Many thanks,

Kourosh

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  • It doesn't really matter what this sentence means. If you're talking about an Australian 801 visa, then the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection says that you must be in Australia to apply. Check with an official of the DIBP or a knowledgeable attorney to be sure.
    – deadrat
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 2:56
  • @deadrat This link shows there are 3 sub-categories for spouse and partner visa. For 309/100 and 300, you are not in Australia. Unless you are in Australia, you cannot apply for 801. It matters what that sentence means.
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 5:24
  • @Rathony Let me repeat. For Kourosh's purposes (which I expect have nothing to do with English usage), it doesn't matter in the slightest what this sentence means or how fluent English speakers explain what it means. The only thing that matter, the only thing that matters, is what the Australian authorities require of him. This is the wrong place to try to find that out. Unless, of course, you're employed by the DIBP, in which case I take back what I just said.
    – deadrat
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 7:15
  • @deadrat Why would you judge it has nothing to do with English usage? The OP is asking about the specific usage of whether in the sentence and he is confused with the English word. You don't have to be employed by the DIBP to know it. You need an experience.
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 7:34

2 Answers 2

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I'm gonna go ahead and rephrase the sentence in a way that might make more sense by simply swapping. Whether you lodged your original application in or outside Australia, you can be granted a permanent Partner visa inside or outside of Australia.

The meaning is quite similar to your option A, without regards to the actual laws in place.

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  • +1 for answering the question about English usage, not about Australian regulations. This is not a forum for discussing laws.
    – Brian Hitchcock
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 7:04
  • @BrianHitchcock Would you care to explain why answering "It means no matter where you applied for the visa, it will be issued to you regardless of your current location." with detailed info. on the rules (which is quite readily obtainable in the internet)" is not "answering the question about English usage"?
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 9:24
  • @deadrat Who gives you the right to judge whether someone's answer is so a wash or not? Would you be happy if you were Le Sunstrike? I have seen some answers posted by yourself for off-topic questions. Would you have been happy if I had commented, "-1 for answering an off-topic question"? I think basic etiquettes should be followed in this kind of community. (I flagged your comment as rude or offensive.)
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 9:30
  • @Rathony My comment (which you apparently have managed to get removed) was essentially "+1 for the warning, -1 for answering a legal question"). That means that my opinion was a wash (i.e., it had no effect) because +1 and -1 equals zero. The word "wash" wasn't about Le Sunstrike's answer at all, but even though you misunderstood it, you went ahead and whined to the authorities anyway. Well played! Who gives me the right to downvote any answer? (Which I remind you, I didn't actually do.) Why, that would be the site rules themselves.
    – deadrat
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 19:36
  • @Rathony I am not Le Sunstrike, so I can't say what would happen if I were Le Sunstrike. Speaking as deadrat, only drive-by downvotes bother me. There are people whose comments can make me unhappy. None of them posts to this site (or any other, for that matter). The irony of your demanding "basic etiquettes [sic]" is not lost on me either.
    – deadrat
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 19:43
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The permanent Partner visa is a visa issued to a non-Australian spouse of an Austrialian citizen.

If an Australian husband/wife is residing outside Australia, they wouldn't want to go to Australia to get the visa.

whether you lodged your original application in or outside Australia.

It means no matter where you applied for the visa, it will be issued to you regardless of your current location. When you are in Australia, you apply for 820/801 and when you are not, you apply for 309/100 or 300.

There are 3 sub-categories as follows:

The subclass 820/801 visa is for people lodging an application in Australia. Generally applicants will apply for the temporary stage first and then after two years, if the relationship is still genuine and continuing, permanent residency may be granted.

The subclass 309/100 visa has the same requirements as an 820/801 visa except the applicant must be offshore at the time the application is lodged and also at the time a decision is made.

The subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa must be applied for offshore and allows visa holders to enter Australia and get married within 9 months of the visa being granted. After this time, applicants will then have to apply for the temporary partner visa before going on to permanent residency.

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