bessiedoll

Yep I believe you can move that date if you give them a call on that number. Must say you did manage to get a test date pretty quickly( us folks in Victoria are having to wait ages )

I wonder why it is taking so long for you?

Hi Guys

I submitted my application on Sunday, received an email today to say that my appointment and test is on 14th July. Is it possible to get the date moved forward? or do i have to just stick with that date? if it is possible, do i just ring immigration ( 131 881) or is there another number that i need to call?

I'm just worried because it states on the form " have known this person for _ year(s)" do they just leave that part blank?

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I have now got to the section where I need to get my photo endorsed, and the 1195 form signed. It states the person on the list of professions, who can sign the form etc. has to have known me for 1 year minimum. Does that also apply to a JP? I didn't think a JP had to know someone to sign anything for them.

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Next question. I have got to the point where I need to get my photo endorsed, and the 1195 form endorsed. It states the person on the list of professions has to have known me for 1 year minimum. Does that also apply to a JP? I was going to get my GP to do it but I have only known him for 10 months. I didn't think a JP had to know someone to sign anything for them.

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Hi Guys

I am trying to fill in my citizenship application online, and i am a bit confused by one of the sections (im sure there will be more along the way)

Proof of identity, full birth certificate,

1) It asks for the document identifier.. any ideas what this is? on my UK birth certificate i have a VC number in the top right hand corner, an entry number, and that is pretty much the only numbers apart from my date of birth.

Thanks in advance for any advice i can get

Hi everybody. Last week my permanent residence section of the partner visa was approved ?????. Since first lodging my visa application I have been married and therefore changed my name on all of my documents, drivers license, medicare, tax office etc etc. But, I still have my old name on my passport, and for this reason I kept all of my visa documentation in my old name. I will be eligible to apply for citizenship next year, and I want to apply for it in my married name. how can I change my name with immigration without changing the name on my passport? I don't want to have to get a new uk passport when I can get an australian passport after I get citizenship? Any advice will be much appreciated.

We usually budget an average £100 a day for holidays and that's for the 3 of us - that includes food and excursions. Everyone is different though, I'm never happy just lounging around so we do 'something' most days but we tend to eat fairly cheaply, picnics rather than fancy restaurants & try to go self-catering when we can, even if it's just a kitchenette in a hotel room.

 

If your trip is mainly about catching up with family and friends you could probably half that.

 

I'm assuming any car hire is paid in advance?

yes we have already paid for car hire. i have never been one for fancy meals out, so we will also be having a picnic whenever we go anywhere. my partner has never been to my home town, so i cant wait to show him everything.. everyday will be filled with something. and luckily there is half term in the middle so we will be able to take my niece and nephews out with us all the time too. i am also looking for any 2 4 1 deals on day trips etc, just to keep costs down a bit. i keep thinking my biggest expense will be buying things to bring back, but i probably wont have time to do much shopping, so i probably have nothing to worry about. plus there will be days when we dont spend any money at all. thanks for you advice. xx

Hi guys.

i am going back home to England for 16 days in May, just me and my partner for a holiday/ honeymoon. i am really struggling to work out how much spending money we will need. i have never been on holiday to England before. living there and holidaying there are 2 totally different things, so i wouldnt know where to start with how much spending money to take.

these are are plans, hopefully someone can give me a rough idea of how much we will need.

Staying with my parents the whole time, so no need to pay for accommodation.

will be having most meals at home.

occasional lunches and dinners out.

maybe 2 nights out.

a few day trips (i worked out the cost to be 250GBP for all of them)

petrol

1 day in London when we arrive then driving north that night.

maybe a weeks shopping to replace what we eat at home.

buying things we cant get here (clothes etc)

i know no one can give me an exact amount, but i just want to know if anyone else has done a similar holiday, and how much they needed. i just dont want to end up not having enough money, and having to use credit cards, which will cost a fortune in extra charges.

Thanks is advance

xx

Hi,

 

Did you get a bridging visa when you applied to allow you to stay? I'm here on a working holiday visa, but my partner has permanent residency, so I would apply at the end of my 12 months, but can I stay whilst they decide?

 

Also would you know if I need to have been in a defacto relationship for 12 months in Australia, or would any time outside of Australia count towards that?

 

TIA!

Hi, yes i got a bridging visa when my working holiday visa expired. it automatically changed when the Working Holiday Visa expired because i had submitted the other application. apply before the end of the 12 months, otherwise they will not grant a bridging visa, it only applies if you have another application in progress when the current visa expires.

our relationship was only 9 months in Australia by the time we applied, but 2 years in total. We registered our relationship though, and that waived the 12 month requirement. if that is available in your state i would look into that just to be sure.

here is some information from the booklet about it.

12-month relationship requirement for de facto partners

About the 12-month relationship requirement for de facto partners

To be eligible for a Partner visa on the basis of a de facto relationship at the time you apply, you and your

partner must be aged 18 years or over and:

• have been in the relationship for at least the entire 12 months before the date you lodged your

Partner visa application; or

• meet one of the provisions set out below.

Note: Periods of ‘dating’ do not count towards the 12-month relationship requirement.

For detailed information on eligibility requirements for a Partner visa on the ground of being in a de facto

relationship, see page 35.

Waiver of the 12-month relationship requirement

The 12-month relationship requirement at time of application lodgement does not apply if:

• you can establish that there are compelling and compassionate circumstances for the grant of the

visa, such as you have children with your partner or cohabitation was not permissible under the law

of the country where you resided for the 12 months before you applied;

• your partner is, or was, the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa, and before that permanent

humanitarian visa was granted, you were in a relationship with your partner that satisfies the

requirements of a de facto relationship according to the Migration Regulations, and the department

was informed of this before the permanent humanitarian visa was granted; or

• at the time of application for the visa the de facto relationship was registered under a law of a state

or territory prescribed in the Acts Interpretation (Registered Relationship) Regulations 2008 as a

kind of relationship prescribed in those regulations. Relationship registration is not available in all

Australian states or territories and eligibility for registration also differs depending on the state or

territory. Prospective applicants considering registration of their relationship should check with the

relevant state or territory Births, Deaths and Marriages agency for further information.

If you feel that there are compelling and compassionate circumstances that may mean the 12-month

requirement does not apply, you should provide a statement with your application that outlines and

explains the reasons for your request.

For further information on the 12-month relationship requirement, see Fact sheet 35 One-Year

Relationship Requirement, which is available from the department’s website

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/, from your nearest office of the department or Australian mission

hope this helps

xx

It's common sense not to do medical and police check until requested as they are only valid for a year. Given on shore currently runs at 13 months plus, doing them when applying means a good chance they will run out before visa grant. Don't need an agent to work that one out.

 

Yes agents can be great but honestly, a bit of reading and common sense goes a long way too.

when i submitted my application, the processing time was 6-9 months and in the migration hand book it said "If possible, you should visit Medibank Health Solutions for your medical examinations before you lodge your Partner visa application. If you live in a regional area, contact a Medibank Health Solutions office to find out details of an approved doctor. For more information on Medibank Health Solutions, go to http://www.medibankhealth.com.auYour local office of the department will provide you with forms and further instructions"

this was also advised to me by an agent. as i have some common sense, i decided to do it myself.

2 medicals & police checks? Was there a particular reason? And was there a reason why there was lots of stress, or just the usual visa application pressure!?

stress was just the usual visa process, and the processing time being changed 3 times whilst mine was in progress. and 2 medicals and police checks because the first ones expired before the visa was processed.

I think agents have their place. If you have issues with health or character - or if you aren't good with forms or perhaps have English as a second language. Or if you haven't got the first idea of a strategy and want some ideas about how to emigrate.

 

I think agents don't help their cause by signing people up to a full package rather than splitting up their services and charging high fees for the real value (knowledge of cases) add bits and modest fees for the simple bits (form filling).

i agree they are useful if there is a complicated case, but if it is straight forward, i cant see any reason to use them. i have heard so many horror stories about agents ripping people off and doing things wrong.

Well, after 16 months, 2 medicals, 2 police checks, lots of stress and lots of money, my visa has finally been approved

i dont think i have ever been so happy in my entire life

:jiggy::biggrin::jiggy::biggrin::jiggy::biggrin:

would be interested to see how long it took other people, or how long it has taken so far?

Hi!

 

So. My fiancé is Australian and I'm English, and in May we'll be applying for our de facto visa. I'd love some advice from anyone who's been through this process, here's a breakdown of our situation.

 

We met when I was on my 1st year working holiday visa, after I'd completed my regional work. In July 2013 I decided to stay in Aus to be with him and activated my 2nd year visa. May is our 1 year anniversary - so I'm right that we can apply for our visa after this time - according to the 12 month relationship requirement.

 

Everything was going fine until I called Immigration and the lady said "You have to have lived together for 12 months, not just have been in a relationship 12 months" - is this true?!?! We didn't move in together until August 2013! We have a joint 1 year lease on our 1 bedroom apartment so it's pretty clear it's just the two of us together.

 

Can anyone help clarify that point first of all!?

 

Here's the rest of the evidence we've got to go with everything....

 

- Rent receipts and lease from August 2013

- Joint travel to Thailand and the UK (to meet my family)

- Photos with our mutual friends, photos of us all over and photos of us with each others families

- Joint bank accounts

- Joint savings

- Joint household bills accounts

- 2 x joint party invitations

- We're engaged!? The date is soon to be set and we'll at least have our "save the date" cards to add to our application

- We're registering our relationship with the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry

- We will have our marriage license by the time we apply

- Mutual friends on facebook and instagram

- Linked profiles on facebook and instagram

- Reference letters from our families

 

 

..... Along with all the forms we need to fill out, the police checks, the medicals etc, is there anything we're missing?

 

We really want to do this without going through migration agents etc, so any help on here is greatly appreciated!!!!

 

Thanks

my partner and i had only been living together for 9 months when we applied for my de-facto visa, and i was not even on his tenancy agreement, as i moved into his house, so i couldn't be put on, we registered our relationship before i submitted my visa application, and on Tuesday my visa was approved, so thats proof enough that you dont need to be living together for 12 months (providing you are able to register your relationship)

i didnt use migration agents, in my opinion they are a waste of money, you can quite easily do it yourself

good luck xx

Thanks for that pom queen. I read all of that before and that's what made me so confused. Also having read that a lot of the agent that give you the letter are scams and sell your details on afterwards, I'm not too keen on that idea.

hi guys.

we are going home to england in a couple of months, and on the return journey we have a 25 hour stop in Vietnam. i have booked a hotel, just so we dont have to sit in the airport for all that time, and so we can maybe explore a little bit. i didnt realise at the time how confusing the visa process is for Vietnam. does any one know what i have to do because i have trawled the internet for weeks and weeks, trying to find the answer, and i still cant make sense of it. i even spoke to a travel agent and she didn't have a clue either. has anyone done this recently? or does anyone just know what i need to do?