Writing Statements for DEFACTO

please help! I'm hoping to sponser my partner for defacto and we are about to write statements each of how we met etc, i really really dont know how to start it, i mean is it bridget jones type thing, we met when we were 15 and fell in love bla bla or do i write down facts and dates, im really not sure i dont wana start writing it like its my personal diary and they dont wana see that!!! im confused!can somebody start me off or give me an idea of how u started yours?

thanks guys! also what details do they want to know? how and where we met... then what?

hi carla.

start it off something like this, i first met (other halfs name) ........

then just carry as if you were telling ur friend how you met and ur relationship developed, add all the little details if you like,add also ur plans for the future you have discussed etc etc there are a few threads on here about this have a browse through , good luck, it will come to you once you get started, you won't be ablt to stop haha i think i wrote about7 pages in the end lol

add all the things you have done together

i broke mine down with sub headings, like jan 08

then wrote all about jan and the following months after that until may08 when my oh half came to uk

then did i new sub heading may 08 and wrote all about when my oh half was in uk

then a new sub heading july 08 when he went back to oz and following months after that, so significant evens, timmings in ur relationship

hope you can make understand of what i wrote hehe(get a bit manic when trying to explain something)

: )

Nadine

Hi Carla,

I did this about 18 months ago and I only really wrote a page of significant information. They aren't interested in a long story about "and he said this and she did this blah blah" both you and your partner need to write statements so as long as they back each other up thats all that they look for. My experience has gone very smoothly with immigration and I am currently in Australia on a Temporary Visa due to defacto relationship with my partner of four years... i will be granted permanent residency in June 2010... If you need any advice or tips please do not hesitate to contact me.

Good Luck :smile:

Amy

thanks both of you for that, I think I have got it right, I have just put date we got together and how we met (thru friend) then holidays, family holidays, reason we didnt live together at first and what we both want now, so I hope that'll be ok! thank you again, and Amy, I may take you up on that offer and be in contact soon! thanks x

ps, had u bothed lived with your other halfs for a year before applying? we have been together since we were kids (about 7 years now!) but only lived together since Feb coz we are young and had both been living with parents rent free (so why not!) then i moved into his family home in feb 09 when my parents went back to Oz. shall we wait till next feb to apply? or shall we just go for it coz we have been together so long? we are only paying his mum rent now out of a joint bank account so i hope that'll be enough!

ps, had u bothed lived with your other halfs for a year before applying? we have been together since we were kids (about 7 years now!) but only lived together since Feb coz we are young and had both been living with parents rent free (so why not!) then i moved into his family home in feb 09 when my parents went back to Oz. shall we wait till next feb to apply? or shall we just go for it coz we have been together so long? we are only paying his mum rent now out of a joint bank account so i hope that'll be enough!

Dating and being in a De Facto Relationship are two entirely different things according to DIAC, so I would think very seriously about applying before your 12month living together qualification is up. If you have enough evidence to show that you and your partner looked after each other emotionally, domestically and financially prior to actually living together, then perhaps you will have enough evidence to get approved, and I hope this is the case.

However you do mention that although you have been together for 7 years, you started dating when you were "kids" so I would just make sure that you have enough evidence to prove an adult relationship. (I don't think the count being a "steady couple" in high school the same as being in a De Facto relationship as an adult) Will you be submitting evidence showing you have a joint bank account and that, if you both work, you both contribute to things you do together and holidays you go on etc? You'll need things like rent statements (or a stat dec from his mum confirming rent), bills at the same address, joint bank account, and as much "joint" evidence as possible, eg joint doctors/dentists, gym memberships, car insurance etc etc.

As a general rule, they do require that couples meet the 12 month living together requirement, however they do have exceptions to this rule and if you and your OH can prove why you could not live together prior to Feb this year, or why you cannot wait until Feb next year to apply, and you have enough evidence to back this up, then you will hopefully be OK, have a nice CO and get approved. But, if possible, I would wait until you met the 12 month requirement mark as it is one of their main criteria and they *can* be quick strict on this.

Good Luck with whatever you do! :wubclub:

Hey there,

Yes, I think that's good advice from Bexta - make sure you can show that you were actually 'supporting' each other, emotionally, financially, etc, that you shared things for the 12 months, otherwise it's not actually considered a de facto relationship by 'the powers that be'.

I don't know if this will help, but with my statement I wrote four pages (okay, I'm a writer, I generally have a lot to say!). I started with how we met (dates, places, timeframes) and then went on to explain how things developed - eg. when did you realise you wanted to be with this person long term, what made you come to that conclusion? I guess mine was a bit 'Bridget Jones', as you say, talking about how I feel about my fiance and stuff that he's done for me, how we support each other. So for example, just before Christmas last year he was playing rugby and got knocked unconscious and ended up with concussion, which lasted like 6 weeks - during that time I looked after him etc. Similarly when he lost his job I took over the finances and supported him that way. For my birthday last year, he took me to Stockholm... etc etc

Does that help?? I don't know... it's a tough thing to do, especially if writing isn't your forte. But give it a go, do some bullet points to start with maybe, put them in time order and then expand on each one, writing about important moments in your relationship.

Best of luck!!! :smile:

thanks for that guys. Bexta - we are 22 an 23 now so for the last couple of years we have been more than just dating as kids but we did get together when we were 15. Mm I suppose, I mean we have only got a joint bank account a couple of months ago when we returned from Oz and same with the car insurance etc. We can do statements to say how we have supported each other, ie when my parents moved to Oz obviously that was really hard for me and I only had him and his family. we are just struggling with the financial side of it, we both work and contrivute to the weekly rent equally to his mum and the car insurance thing. Also I bought two flight tickets return heathrow to sydney off of my debit card in Decmeber o8, does that count? coz it was obviously for me and him but just paid for by me? and all our travel receipts and hotel bookings were paid off one debit card? thanks for your help so far

The important thing is to state everything in writing, dated and signed to provide to your CO. If you can get other people who are aware of the situation to write a stat dec and sign it as well stating these facts this can help. Don't leave out any details remember anything can help considering that each relationship they evaluate may have different circumstances that allow them to approve an application. Remember you are dealing with the government so in that perspective they want legal documents. As for your statement use the requirements like How and Where we Met as headlines and write the information with dates underneath. Remember this is regarding the future of you and your partner together so take it seriously and be honest about your relationship together.