yodes

I did mine about 6 weeks after getting married. But if you get the prospective marriage visa you have to apply within 9 months of receiving the visa.

Hi there. It worked at well in the end but took a lot of waiting, stress and a few tears. As we didn't meet the requirements for a partner visa, our only option was to apply for a prospective marriage visa, which we were both happy to do. It took 8 months to approve after the application was logged and then I moved back to australia a month after that. We we then had to get married with 9 months of the visa being granted and then also had to apply for the temporary partner visa which then last 2 years. I'm due to apply for residency in about 3 weeks. its a huge commitment but it was worth it in the end. There are a few different visas you can apply for when you have a 3 year exclusion ban. Worth speaking to a visa company even if you don't want to use one for some advice. The company we used were rubbish in the end and I just applied by myself. They ask for a lot of information, which can be a bit long winded but it doesn't hurt to send too much info. Hope this helps. Good luck

I'm on a partner visa married to an Australian citizen. My residency doesn't come through until April 2015. Will that just be attached to my new passport?

Its a UK passport. I am a British citizen living in Melbourne.

Hello all I have left myself in a bit of a situation. I am due to fly back to the uk on the 24th of april to see my dad who has been sick. I have sent off for my passport to be renewed recently but I don't think it will arrive back here in time. What options do I have. I am travelling with my wife and 6 month old son who will be meeting my parents for the 1st time. I really can not miss this flight. Any help really appreciated many thanks carl

Thanks lebourvellec, we did pay by credit card so maybe ill be able to get some help from them. We have since lodged the application ourselves. We applied for a prospective marriage visa as i was given a 3 year ban in october due to breaking work conditions of my current visa. We lodged the visa in feb 2012 and i had my medicals done in march 2012. I contacted Australia house and they said due to restrictions on the amount of people that can be accepted for each visa i would not get a reply to until around the end of july. so just having to sit and wait it out at the moment.

OK sorry ill remember for the future

DO NOT USE <please PM for name of agent> Endless headaches.

I was wondering if anyone can help. Me and my partner enlisted the help of a migration agent to help us complete our application. After the 1st couple of months we noticed that the service we were being provided was getting increasingly worse and our case worker, who is based in south africa even though im based in the UK and used a UK company an my partner is based in Australia, was very difficult to contact. She did not seem to understand the reason we got the agent on board was to make the process easier for us and instead of making the information simpler for us to understand insisted and copy and pasting the information either straight from the internet or a script and not adding and personal touch. After making a few complaints we were simply finding that we being ignored and that the people who had promised us so much at the start were not concerned by our disappointment, and that our case worker in south africa was either too busy to managed our case as we needed or was not qualified enough. After having several discussions with the agent and our complaints being ignored again we decided enough was enough and that we would sent the application directly to Australia House in London ourselves. We made that decision in Feb 2012 and to this day we have only been contacted once by our case worker by email to ask if we had sent her the documents ready for her to post the application. We have since found out from another couple who used there services that we made the right decision, because they had the same problems with this agent and it took almost 2 years to get there application aproved and in that time had to have there medicals done twice as the 1st set had expired. Now is the tricky part. We are trying to get some advice on getting a refund of our money. We both know this is going to be a long process and most likely unsuccessful but would be much happier knowing that we tried and failed rather than them to think they have made easy money by just waiting for us to get tired of them. We have contacted MARA who said they are basically powerless as they are not based in Australia so are not governed by there rules and have also tried the UK immigration ombudsman who said that they could not help as im not seeking entry to the UK. Has anyone been through this before and can you point me in the right direction, or give me any info or contacts that might put us on the right track. many thanks carl

That is really awful news. I had the same problem with service from the agent me and my partner used. In the end we just said enough was enough and sent the application directly through to Australia house in London. They were great at the start really helpful and keen and then all of a sudden the service became really bad, they gave us a case worker based in South Africa who was very difficult to contact and our complaints to them fell on deaf ears. We are currently seeking legal advice on the best way to try and get our money back. It seems MARA cannot help us as they are not based in Australia they are not governed by there rules and also the UK immigration ombudsman can not help as im not seeking immigration to the uk.

We have complained numerous times to them, and on thursday after things still havent improved after several weeks we have finally had enough. We have paid the full amount for there services, obviously we have received some help from them but not what we would deem sufficient or even specialist considering the majority of the information we have been given is basicallly copy and pasted straight from the internet and is given no personal touch that we expect from our case worker. We obviously had to sign agreement to use there services but as we havent sent off the forms yet are they technically appointed to our case? The only contact has been between us and them, but i just wondered where i stand because i dont want to send off the forms saying ive had no help, when we have had some help even though we have decided to end the contract before we actually send off the application.

Hi All Me and my partner are at the final stages of applying for our prospective marriage visa. We have paid for the services of a migration agent, however we are both extermely unhappy with there performance and after weeks of being constantly ignored which keeps delaying are application we have decided that we want to finish the application on our own. As we have received some advice on the best way to put together our application from an agent over the past couple of months do we still need to declare on our application forms that we have had help even if we decided to sent the application in directly ourselves? Will it jeopardise our application at all? Will the agent be within there rights to tell the immigration department that they have helped us along the way? Are we putting ourselves at risk of failure? Its been a very frustrating month, especially the last few weeks and we just want to get the application in, as the waiting time at the moment another 6 months thanks

ive just read some information that says If you have a visa which is cancelled other than because of your criminal conduct, then you are not excluded from being granted a permanent or conditional temporary visa (see below) unless you were ‘removed’ from Australia previously (see above). However, you will not be granted a temporary visa for a period of 3 years from the date of cancellation (unless waived – see below) if: • your visa was cancelled because you gave the Department of Immigration incorrect information or bogus documents • your visa was cancelled because you worked without permission or breached a work, study or other condition on your visa • your Student visa was cancelled because the Minister was satisfied that you were not a student and were not likely to be a student or because you breached any of the conditions (except the condition to notify of change of address or condition not to change education providers) • your Student visa was automatically cancelled because you breached your conditions relating to attendance or satisfactory academic performance under section 137J • your temporary Business visa (including an ETA) was cancelled because the Department of Immigration was satisfied that you did not have, or ceased to have, the intention to stay in Australia temporarily • your temporary Tourist / Visitor visa (including an ETA) was cancelled because the Department of Immigration was satisfied that you did not have, or ceased to have, the intention to stay in Australia temporarily for tourism or visiting purposes, or • your visa was cancelled because the Department of Immigration reasonably suspected that the holder committed an offence under s 232A, s 233, s 233A, s 234 or s 236 of the Migration Act 1958 (eg a people smuggling type offence, harbouring or fraud). If your visa is cancelled on any other grounds (except for criminal conduct), and provided you leave Australia within 28 days of having your visa cancelled, you will not face this exclusion period. What is a conditional temporary visa? A conditional temporary visa is a temporary substantive visa which will lead to the grant of a permanent visa if the relevant conditions or criteria are satisfied. This includes: • temporary Partner visa • Prospective Marriage visa.

at the end of the day i made the mistake and got caught out but its hard to think that we might have to be apart for so long when i was just trying to make things a little easier. the immigration were pretty certain that we could get the ban waived due to our relationship so im hoping that is the case. her coming to the uk was going to be a last resort because she has just got a promotion and pay rise, built a brand new house that we wont be able to afford if she quits her job and we also have a dog although im sure her parents would help to look after him