Hi Wendy
For the long stay tourist visa, DIAC require payment by debit or credit card ar by a Bank draft for pounds sterling. The card mandate is here:
dima_fees - Australian High Commission
Are you in a position to arrange one or the other?
As far as proving funds is concerned, if you are unable or unwilling to provide satisfactory evidence of your solvency, then you are unlikely to be granted a long stay tourist visa. They need to be reassured that you will be able to support yourself in Oz, for the duration of your permiited stay - without working - even if things between you and your Man go belly up and he ceases to provide financial support. They are not going to bother to come round to look for the stash under your mattress, I can assure you of that. Their attitude tends to be, "Our way or no way."
Listen, honey. If you are not careful you will end up submitting an application which will raise eyebrows within DIAC. The higher the eyebrows get raised, the bigger the problems are likely to be.
They are already suspicious of situations where someone is going to be staying with A Squeeze whom the visa applicant has not known for long in terms of time physically spent together etc, because so many of these budding romances collapse once the visa applicant gets to Australia. DIAC get to sort out the fall-out, often by having to deport the visitor because the financial side goes tits up as well once the relationship falls apart.
That is the bottom line, lovey.
I saw this thread this morning but did not have time to reply. However, I made the time to make a quick call to Ian Harrop Assoiates, who are a firm of Registered Migration Agents in the UK, on your behalf. Their website is here:
Registered Australian Migration Agents, UK - Ian Harrop and Associates
Ian Harrop is Australian, extremely sympathetic to people's predicaments, and generally a heck of a nice guy. He can be contacted easily via the Burford number. They are willing for Ian to have a chat with you on the phone (for free) and for him to provide you with a free initial assessment of your chances of getting this visa. (They will do this for anyone it transpires. Some will, some won't, so I wanted to know what Ian's policy is on this before suggesting the notion to you.)
I'm not going to ask you any potentially deeply personal questions. That is Ian's job, not mine. If I were you, I would talk with him. Be honest with him, lassie. Answer his questions truthfully and do not be tempted to try to wriggle. That is the only way you will get some decent-quality advice in this situation where those of us on the forum cannot probe you for more of the facts..
Good luck, hon. I hope it will all work out well for you both. Let us know how you get on.
Hugz
Gill
xxx
