Onshore Partner Visa-Urgent Advice Needed

Hello everyone,

I need some urgent advice about the onshore De Facto Partnership Visa. I am a Canadian citizen and I moved to Australia through a WHV which I purposely received to be with my current partner whom I met overseas. We didn't want a long distance relationship so he proposed that I move here and live with him. From day one he picked me up the airport and I started living at his house. For the first period I lived with him from December 2014 to July 2015. During that time we didn't have any solid proof of living together, except letters sent to both of us at the same address. My name was not on the house lease or utility bills but I had transferred money to his bank account every month for rent/bills etc and I was the one to usually do grocery shopping.

I did my regional work July-October 2015 and moved back with him in mid October after I was granted a 2nd WHV, and have lived with him ever since. I have lived with him in two different houses, the first one December 2014-April 2016 (only his name was on this lease),and the second one April 2016-present (both of our names are on this one year lease). We plan to apply for the De Facto Visa in November 2016, right before my 2nd WHV expires in December. I am a bit worried whether the proof we have collected so far will make for a solid case. These are main documents we have so far:

-A Certificate of registered Relationship from the Victorian Government

-A joint bank account from June 2015 (so it will be over a year by the time we apply)

-Eletricity/Gas bills from November 2015 (it will be a year by the time we apply)

-A letter from the house rental agency stating that I have lived in the first house with my partner from December 2014-April 2016, also stating that we have applied for my name to be added to the lease but the owner has refused and has just let me live there without wanting to renew the contract

-Joint (one year) lease on current rented property

-Joint car insurance since June 2016

-Internet bills under both names since June 2016

-Flight tickets to Bali with both our names and hotel bookings

-Pictures, gifts, individual bank statements that show our transactions between each other

-Personal messages history and other details to prove the social context of our relationship.

Based on this information, do you think the proof we have so far makes for a good case? I am starting to get really stressed out as I feel like we might be lacking a bit of proof on the social context. I need some urgent advice in regards to any other proof that we may add/collect for our case before we apply.

Thank you in advance.

There are several threads about partner visas that can give you some suggestions for additional evidence if you think you need it. If you are applying in 4 months, I'm not sure why this question is urgent.

Thanks a lot. Yep I have checked out some of the threads here but most of them were covering things which I am already aware of and for that reason I thought I might receive some additional advice from this helpful community here. Correct, I am applying in 3-4 months and for that reason I need to urgently start collecting the right proof for the social context of relationship as 3-4 months can go by so fast and proof for visas as such needs some time to be collected Thanks again for your time.

There are several threads about partner visas that can give you some suggestions for additional evidence if you think you need it. If you are applying in 4 months, I'm not sure why this question is urgent.

Social context I'd not bother with things like personal message history. CO won't be interested in that sort of thing.

Social context I take to mean doing things together socially, so say sharing interests and hobbies or if not sharing the same ones, supporting each others interests. Also just simple things like when you write your supporting statement to include things you like to do together, ie going to the cinema, gigs, hiking, cycling, socialising with friends, going on holiday together. Does not mean you have to include tickets from when you went to the cinema or a music gig. That would be going too far. The holiday booking together is fine to include.

Also can't recall but does the social context include the aspects of your relationship in the household part? Ie how you share the household tasks, who does what etc. Your supporting statements can be short and sweet but also longer, depends what you want to say. I wrote a couple of pages A4 typed, hubby wrote 5 pages handwritten A4.

The actual evidence they want to see is from the things you have listed as having, rental agreements, bills, bank statements/accounts and even better if it shows transfers between your accounts, wills, insurance policies naming you both. The registering your relationship is a good one as it pretty much waives the 12 month de facto period iirc.

I'd honestly not include all the little details like personal messages, gifts, masses of photos of the two of you, those things really are overkill and not needed. Don't include them. If you must include photos, make it half a dozen max. Your CO does not need 50 photos of you and your partner

Nor does your CO need pictures and videos of you both "doing it" - it may be urban myth but it has been said by people who have worked in Immigration that such offerings have been presented in the past (to much hilarity and mirth, I believe). Keep the personal minimal!

Not wanting to disagree with anyone who has already posted, but........every case is different.

my husband and I are now trying to make a new life for ourselves back in the UK after his PR was refused. The main reason for refusal was that he did not want to move 100% until he had PR and so was working half the year at home, and half the year in Australia, while living with me in my existing house. We didn't want to get a place together until he was here on PR and then we planned to set up home somewhere together; all plans we had shared with Immigration. This was not considered to be a genuine relationship as we were not living under the same roof in oz for the entire year, in spite of us having the address as our registered base for every part of our lives, and we both used to come and go from there between oz and England. We were also told that we had not provided sufficient proof of a shared social life - in spite of a large mountain of invites to events together in both countries, photos taken with friends and family, facebook excerpts with comments from friends. We were asked for more tickets for gigs, more flight itineraries - and even boardiing passes, proof of hotel stays together.

That was on top of a decade's worth of financial ties, wills, insurance etc.

Please don't dismiss the importance of the social side, even our agent was stunned at their extra requests.

Adding to the above, when my daughter and partner applied for the 2nd stage of the partner visa, they were specifically asked for at least 10 photos over the 2 years taken with other people who had to be named as well as the occasion plus all the usual other requirements. It was unusual apparently.

In answer to the op, my daughter plus partner, who met on her first day in Sydney on her WHV!!! registered their relationship with the NSW's government, after about 6 months of living together, and then applied for the partner visa about 3 months later, just before her WHV ran out, with lots of proof, and had no problems, even though they had only lived together for 9 months

Not wanting to disagree with anyone who has already posted, but........every case is different.

my husband and I are now trying to make a new life for ourselves back in the UK after his PR was refused. The main reason for refusal was that he did not want to move 100% until he had PR and so was working half the year at home, and half the year in Australia, while living with me in my existing house. We didn't want to get a place together until he was here on PR and then we planned to set up home somewhere together; all plans we had shared with Immigration. This was not considered to be a genuine relationship as we were not living under the same roof in oz for the entire year, in spite of us having the address as our registered base for every part of our lives, and we both used to come and go from there between oz and England. We were also told that we had not provided sufficient proof of a shared social life - in spite of a large mountain of invites to events together in both countries, photos taken with friends and family, facebook excerpts with comments from friends. We were asked for more tickets for gigs, more flight itineraries - and even boardiing passes, proof of hotel stays together.

That was on top of a decade's worth of financial ties, wills, insurance etc.

 

Please don't dismiss the importance of the social side, even our agent was stunned at their extra requests.

I did wonder the outcome of your application. Your living situation was highly unusual thats for sure.

Looking at the OP's post, they do appear to have been living together for a continual period of time and have registered their relationship in Victoria. The registering of the relationship waives the 12 month de facto iirc and they are currently living together so I'd be hopeful they would have a positive outcome on their application.

OP, if you are in any doubt, consult a reputable migration agent to run you case past them before you lodge.

Thanks a lot, I appreciate your advice

I wasn't sure about private messages either, I wasn't sure whether the COs would want to go that far into one's privatcy. I have spoken to a few people however who have applied for the 820 partnership visa and have sent some of their private messages and so I have been torn, thinking that either its going too far or its making your case stronger.

The aspects of the relationship in the household part are not included in the social context, but rather in the "nature of household" part.

Thanks again for your advice here. As you may already know this whole preparation thing does get very stressful and different people have included/not included different things so its good to get advice. Thanks again.

Social context I'd not bother with things like personal message history. CO won't be interested in that sort of thing.

 

Social context I take to mean doing things together socially, so say sharing interests and hobbies or if not sharing the same ones, supporting each others interests. Also just simple things like when you write your supporting statement to include things you like to do together, ie going to the cinema, gigs, hiking, cycling, socialising with friends, going on holiday together. Does not mean you have to include tickets from when you went to the cinema or a music gig. That would be going too far. The holiday booking together is fine to include.

 

Also can't recall but does the social context include the aspects of your relationship in the household part? Ie how you share the household tasks, who does what etc. Your supporting statements can be short and sweet but also longer, depends what you want to say. I wrote a couple of pages A4 typed, hubby wrote 5 pages handwritten A4.

 

The actual evidence they want to see is from the things you have listed as having, rental agreements, bills, bank statements/accounts and even better if it shows transfers between your accounts, wills, insurance policies naming you both. The registering your relationship is a good one as it pretty much waives the 12 month de facto period iirc.

 

I'd honestly not include all the little details like personal messages, gifts, masses of photos of the two of you, those things really are overkill and not needed. Don't include them. If you must include photos, make it half a dozen max. Your CO does not need 50 photos of you and your partner

Thanks for the advice. Of course pictures of sexual context would be taking it way too far. I was just speaking to someone however who had applied for a 820 visa with his partner and they had provided some personal messages that proved

their sexual relationship. I have also been reading some people writing in forum threads stating that they did include some things of that nature. I personally think that would be taking it to far and if a couple has enough proof from the financial and social context i think thats unecessary.

Nor does your CO need pictures and videos of you both "doing it" - it may be urban myth but it has been said by people who have worked in Immigration that such offerings have been presented in the past (to much hilarity and mirth, I believe). Keep the personal minimal!

It is. Naughty personal messages are not the kind of evidence they are asking for.

If they want personal messages they will ask for them same as they would for any further evidence/information. And you'll be giveb ample time to provide them if this is the casem

Thanks so much for sharing that. They can get very strict sometimes. It just surprises me that his visa was refused when you had plenty of financial evidence and proof from your social context. The problem with my partner and I is that we only have two good common friends that we usually go out with on the weekends. Our weekends mostly consist of going out for breakfast/lunch and going to the movies sometimes either just the two of us our with our other two friends who are a couple as well. We are not crazy about concerts and stuff. We are flying to Bali together in August and that will be our first and only trip so far. Being on a Working Holiday Visa I am not able to find a very well paid job and trying to save for the parternship visa has sort of hindered us from having a proper social life. Also, most of our pictures are selfies of us, we have one picture with his mother for christmas (the three of us), and two pictures with other friends. We are both working hard during the week and we have very chilled/relaxed weekends. Do you think it would help if I just explain this on the statement I write, simply because I am a bit stressed about lacking social context proof.

Not wanting to disagree with anyone who has already posted, but........every case is different.

my husband and I are now trying to make a new life for ourselves back in the UK after his PR was refused. The main reason for refusal was that he did not want to move 100% until he had PR and so was working half the year at home, and half the year in Australia, while living with me in my existing house. We didn't want to get a place together until he was here on PR and then we planned to set up home somewhere together; all plans we had shared with Immigration. This was not considered to be a genuine relationship as we were not living under the same roof in oz for the entire year, in spite of us having the address as our registered base for every part of our lives, and we both used to come and go from there between oz and England. We were also told that we had not provided sufficient proof of a shared social life - in spite of a large mountain of invites to events together in both countries, photos taken with friends and family, facebook excerpts with comments from friends. We were asked for more tickets for gigs, more flight itineraries - and even boardiing passes, proof of hotel stays together.

That was on top of a decade's worth of financial ties, wills, insurance etc.

 

Please don't dismiss the importance of the social side, even our agent was stunned at their extra requests.

I think it would be good covered in your supporting statement. That is the place where you have the opportunity to write about your relationship, so do so. Explain away you are homebirds and chill out at home more than go out. My husband and I both wrote about all that in our statements.