Australian Partner Visa help

[RHSK143]

Hey I haven't been on here for AGES!!!

A lot has happened I am now in Australia with my Partner Reece on a working holiday visa, I had a look at getting the second year one however getting a job has been tough so I can't get one

One of the other options is the Australian Partner Visa (I'm sorry if this has come up in another thread but there are so many I thought I would just start another one) which is quite confusing at what needs to be included as Reece is my sponsor and will be paying I can't lodge it online I have to lodge it in person or post which is fine however I have some questions on the Visa as the website can be really unclear and confusing haha

*What documents do we actually need? (Passports, birth certificates etc)

*Do we need to include pictures of us?

*Do we need to put the forms and documents in a folder/Envelope?

*Do I need to apply for a Bridging Visa before my working holiday one has ended? (Even though I have read that when applying for the partner visa you automatically apply for a bridging visa however I have to wait to lodge it til my visa has ended because we need to have the full 12 months)

*How many bank statements/payslip will we need to put in?
The only part of the visa I'm worried about is the financial bit as I haven't had a proper job so haven't been able to join in with Reece paying rent. I have been told by someone who has gone through the same type of Visa (The UK partner one) we only need to show we can survive on Reece's wage however I'm not sure how different the Visas are. We also don't have a joint bank account or anything like that.

I'm sorry if any of that seems confusing I tried to make it as simple as possible

I'm thankful for everyone who helps me with this

[Dezface]

I'll answer to the best of my ability but I'm no expert. I've applied, but it hasn't been granted yet.

*What documents do we actually need? (Passports, birth certificates etc)
There is a checklist on the application. It will tell you exactly what you need. All official documents will need to be certified, for both people.

*Do we need to include pictures of us?
Yes. Various ones showing different aspects of your life together. Places you've been, you with each others family, etc...I think the general guidelines are to include a good assortment without over killing it. I think we submitted about 40, which is on the lower end of the spectrum.

*Do we need to put the forms and documents in a folder/Envelope? This is confusing because immigration says not to but not like you can just hand in a stack of papers, especially if you apply in person. We put ours in a thin binder.

*Do I need to apply for a Bridging Visa before my working holiday one has ended? You will get a bridging visa when you apply for the partner visa. You can't apply for a bridging visa on its own. If you're waiting to meet the requirement for 12 months, you will have to apply on the LAST day of your visa. If that's the day you were first living together. What I mean is-my partner and I were together in the US for a bit before flying to Melbourne together. Therefore, we had to wait 12 months from the date he landed in LA, not when we landed in Melbourne. Gave us some wiggle room. If you are applying on the last day of your visa, you will need to turn the visa in in person, so as to ensure you get your bridging visa in a timely manner. You do not want to be without a visa at any time. It's illegal and will make you an overstayer, which will make getting your partner visa very difficult. But it has to be exactly 12 months you've been together or it could be denied.

*How many bank statements/payslip will we need to put in?
This I'm not sure about as I honestly don't remember. I think we just did tax statements from my partner showing income. I also included a bank statement from myself to show I'm integrated into Australian life.

When does your WHV expire? A lot of this stuff take loads of time to gather. Plus all the police checks, medicals, etc...You CAN submit it without some of the stuff but having a "decision ready" application is preferred. What state are you in?

Australiaforum.com has a lot of valuable information too. Check on the immigration/visa board. I'm short on time so my answers have been brief. If you want to know anything else, feel free to PM me. You can also ring immigration and ask questions. They're surprisingly pretty helpful. Although we always call and ask the same question a few different times to be sure we're being told the correct answer I wouldn't ask them about information that's readily available though, they might get snarky!

[Zephii]

Hey

The amount of stuff you need for the partner visa is honestly nothing short of amazing. But you can do it. It's best to break the whole thing down into little steps and take them one at a time so you don't lose your shit and end up in the news for killing someone.

Seriously though, everything you need is on the immigration website. You will find a checklist that tells you the massive amount of content you need. This checklist is priceless. But that aside I'll attempt to answer your questions from memory. If you can't find the checklist, let me know and I will go find it for you.

You need a lot of documents, a lot of proof. Certified copies of Passports, full birth certificates (they much show your parent's names), any change of name documents you have, statutory declarations from at least two supporting people in your lives who have met and know both of you. You may also need a certified copy of those people's passport/photo ID. You both need to write out your "history" together. Your personal love story Include as much detail as you can, they want to see your relationship is genuine. You'll need a police check and a medical - the medical needs to be done by a specific immi-approved doctor (you can find lists of these doctors on the website and in the booklets) and will be sent out by them, they don't give it to you, so try to line that up within a reasonable time of posting your application.
Yes you need pictures of you. Preferably pictures of you with other people, (the people who write your stat decs is nice to have,) photos of you with family and friends so the gov can see you're actively part of each others lives. Write on the back of each photo who is in it, where you were, and if it was a special event etc. Choose 5-10 good pictures.

Yes, all the forms and documents need to go in an envelope. (By this I mean one from Auspost lol. We mailed our application) It's best to send everything as one package if you can manage, but if you can't that's fine too.

You don't need to apply for the bridging visa.

Bank statements - one for each account you have is fine. Open a shared account if you can, even if you put hardly anything in there. It's great to have things in both your names, can make the world of difference. Now, you don't actually have to have the statements that show your transactions. You can get a statement of account that shows only that you have an account with that bank and how much is in it. It'll cost you about $10, ask at the desk.

I think three payslips is a good number.

The gov expect your sponsor to be earning quite a bit, or for one of you to have substantial savings (enough to survive unemployed for 6 months). They absolutely don't want you going on centerlink benefits. There isn't a set number they look for (or if there is, they don't tell you) but if you can manage 5-10 grand in savings on top of his wage you will get through. Make sure you print your bank statement before you withdraw the massive fee for the visa

If money is an issue what some dishonest/smart people do is borrow a large sum from a friend or relative, stick it in their account, get a statement of account that doesn't show transactions, and then give the money back.

I'm sorry if I forgot something.

Also, it can take quite some time to gather all the documents, get them certified, etc etc. Give yourself plenty of time to do the visa. It's a massive task, don't underestimate how long it will take you. (It took us three months the first time we did it, because we were pretty clueless)
Feel free to PM me with questions if you need to.

[RHSK143]

Thank you Dezface that's pretty helpful and my working holiday visa ends 14th of June this year and I know there is a lot to do, it's freaking me out a bit aswell because not sure if we will have enough time

[RHSK143]

Thank you Zephii, I have seen the checklist but I was looking for a more detailed/broken down list of what people have put in to their applications as I can get quite confused sometimes haha however I have managed to get some stuff sorted out already

[Zephii]

It is very confusing! But you can totally do it. Best of luck

[Dinamalhas]

Hi! I am actually curious about the Partner Visa as well and would like to know how it's going for you! Like everyone else has said, the immigration site has TONS of info for everything you need to apply (SO much stuff!!), but I'm wondering more about the whole 'living together' requirement. I'm not sure if the UK and USA visas are the same, but for the USA one, you have to prove that you have been living together for 12 months, or that you have registered your relationship (de facto). Has this been an issue for you at all? And do you have to have joint bank accounts to apply for the Partner Visa?
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like you have to be practically married to get this visa! It's been a bit of a struggle for my boyfriend and I to find that fine line of not moving TOO fast, but that is a little impossible with LDRs, huh?! So we've had discussions about the Partner Visa, but it is such a huge commitment and we are not quite ready for it. That may sound terrible, and we may just change our minds if we get desperate but for now, we are kind of in limbo as I am on a 12 month work and holiday visa. Not sure what to do yet, but keeping this Partner Visa on the table and getting more info.
So how has the process been? And what have some of your timelines looked like as far as moving to Australia? i.e. which visas have you gotten and how long have you been there before applying for this one?

[Jazi]

just wanted to add a tip to this thread as well .

DIAC (Aus immigration department) really don't like staples in paper. I found for a few sources that paperclips are the best option for attaching sections of paper together for the application...

Also, your pile of paper can end up being like a bazillion pages so it is quite useful to create a "table of contents" and "cover letter" for your application - makes it easier for you to order the information and for them when looking through the documents. You can also write any addition information like "waiting for requests of medical checks" and such in the cover letter.

[RHSK143]

Hi! I am actually curious about the Partner Visa as well and would like to know how it's going for you! Like everyone else has said, the immigration site has TONS of info for everything you need to apply (SO much stuff!!), but I'm wondering more about the whole 'living together' requirement. I'm not sure if the UK and USA visas are the same, but for the USA one, you have to prove that you have been living together for 12 months, or that you have registered your relationship (de facto). Has this been an issue for you at all? And do you have to have joint bank accounts to apply for the Partner Visa?
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like you have to be practically married to get this visa! It's been a bit of a struggle for my boyfriend and I to find that fine line of not moving TOO fast, but that is a little impossible with LDRs, huh?! So we've had discussions about the Partner Visa, but it is such a huge commitment and we are not quite ready for it. That may sound terrible, and we may just change our minds if we get desperate but for now, we are kind of in limbo as I am on a 12 month work and holiday visa. Not sure what to do yet, but keeping this Partner Visa on the table and getting more info.
So how has the process been? And what have some of your timelines looked like as far as moving to Australia? i.e. which visas have you gotten and how long have you been there before applying for this one?

Hey sorry about the delay I haven't checked this website as I've been busy sorting the visa out haha

My boyfriend and I met online and we were in a LDR too and it was way to stressful, my brother did a UK one for his girlfriend (Now wife) to move to the UK so I looked up the Australian Partner Visa and it said we had to be "together" for at least 12 months and we didn't have that as we had only got together for 4 weeks, he came to me (The UK) for 2 weeks and I went to Australia for another 2 so the Partner Visa was impossible for us to do back then so we decided I go over to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa to get the 12 months in. We didn't really know what we were going to do either, left it pretty late to decide we were going to do this partner one so it's taken us a couple of months to get things sorted, it's been a bit hectic but were getting there which is good.

So yes that 12 month thing applies for the Australian Partner Visa and in some states in Australia you need to get your De Facto relationship registered but thankfully I'm in WA and we don't need to do that which is a relief and you don't need to be "practically married" it just helps they want you to make them believe you have been in your relationship for that time and it will continue.

I've been in Australia for nearly a year so my Working Holiday one will expire next week and that's when I'm lodging the Visa so I need to hurry up. You don't need to send in all of the stuff at once but it helps, if you decide to just give yourself about 3 months or more to get things together and not have to hurry. You lodge the Visa application on the last day of your visa and you will get put on a bridging visa.

I'm not sure if this is what you meant so sorry if it wasn't

[RHSK143]

just wanted to add a tip to this thread as well .

DIAC (Aus immigration department) really don't like staples in paper. I found for a few sources that paperclips are the best option for attaching sections of paper together for the application...

Also, your pile of paper can end up being like a bazillion pages so it is quite useful to create a "table of contents" and "cover letter" for your application - makes it easier for you to order the information and for them when looking through the documents. You can also write any addition information like "waiting for requests of medical checks" and such in the cover letter.

Thanks for this, I've already read about the immigration hatred of staples haha so all good there and awesome I didn't know you could use paper clips I will have to get some. I was concerned about just putting millions of bits of paper in an envelope, it seemed odd to me so I brought a folder with those plastic wallets to make it easier but it turns out they also have a problem with plastic wallets so I'm going to use paper clips now