kaoticturtle

Oops! Must have been writing at the same time as you :biggrin:

You definitely don't have to be married for the partner visa - you can apply for it as defacto partners. However, being a defacto partner essentially means you are like a married couple just without the paperwork. If you still see yourselves as bf and gf, then your lives may not be as entwined as they need to be for the visa on a defacto basis. It would be worth looking into the requirements though as if you do meet them it will be a much easier route for him to get back to Oz. There is an information booklet (booklet 1 I think) on the immigration website with a lot of details and a good outline of the evidence that you would need. Another thing to remember with the partner visa is that if your bf comes over on it and you split up within two years then he has to leave Australia within a very short period of time. From your post it sounds like you both want the opportunity to live together without visa and money stress before making any big decisions (and that is very sensible!) but if he wants to stay regardless then the partner visa would not allow him that for the first two years. If he learned a trade and came in on the basis of his own skills then if your relationship breaks down he wouldn't have to leave.

I was just thinking about this this morning! I used to go and see a lot of Scotland games when I lived in Edinburgh and love going to international rugby but it looks like I'll be watching from a TV somewhere - unless the lions are smashing it. I'm not really a fan of spending silly money to watch sports. Rugby lad, we've just come from Japan and things are definitely feeling cheaper there. We were finding that eating out at most places was around $10 or less and pretty good food too. We had a few "more expensive" meals and they were still only around $30 a head! Accommodation and transport are still fairly expensive in the big cities though.

My husband and I both have long legs so end up pretty cramped in an economy seat - him to the point of it being unbearable for the back to back flights to the UK. We definitely think its worth it to fly in premium, and have gone upper class with virgin before as well. Upper class is superb as we find we arrive at the other end in a much better state and we lose less time to jet lag and feeling knackered. We can't afford it all the time all though the air miles you get are good and can be used towards other flights which overall helps to cut costs. Premium economy seats with BA give you a wider seat and a bit more leg room. If the space makes a difference for you comfort wise, then its probably worth it. However, as mentioned above the service is pretty much the same as economy so don't expect much there! If you aren't too tall, or don't have long legs then you may not get the same benefit.

We didn't tip ours but we did provide lots of tea, coffee, juice and good quality biscuits plus easy to snack on meat and cheese. Apparently its not unusual to turn up to a house to pack and for there to be nothing so they were really pleased there was so much. The meat and cheese went down a treat in particular! We bought some really cheap mugs from asda so that they could pack our good ones and we could all still have a cuppa.

When did you start living together? You are right that you can't get a partner visa yet but I'm fairly sure you don't have to live together for the full 12 months to apply provided you can show you have strong reasons for not and that you have maintained the relationship throughout the separation. Not having a visa for Australia seems like a valid reason for not living together! You would have to be very careful to make sure you have the evidence needed through this time but I'm sure I've heard of people managing. While the offshore processing times are long, it may still be quicker than getting a new trade

Hi Andy We typed the statement up then hubby signed it and we put it in the pile to be witnessed by the notary public. We were getting a few done at the same time so it seemed the sensible option. I'm not sure the witnessing was strictly necessary though.

Joy... I did some of those test things as a graduate but haven't seen them used above that. I can't say I'm a big fan... I just googled "australian cv" and came up with several websites giving information on what employers are looking for plus I had a chat to some recruiters. The main things seemed to be that the length is much longer (2-4 pages is acceptable) and they generally look for more detail on what you were doing in a job. For my line of work it was also suggested that employers want to see information on what skills you have developed in each role (so what you have learned and how you taken advantage of each opportunity) as well as what you have achieved.

I'm just starting to look at applying for jobs in Oz as we arrive next week and I was wondering if there are any differences in the application processes or interviews when compared to the UK that I might need to be aware off? I'll be applying for professional roles in financial services, probably in Sydney, and I have rewritten my CV into a more Australian format. The sort of thing I'm thinking of are whether there are different things that tend to be asked at interviews, different hoops to jump though or in benefits packages etc. I remember reading somewhere that there is less impact from discrimination laws on interview questions so you can be asked some pretty intrusive personal questions -particularly if you're a late 20s, married woman without any children...yet... I have no idea if it was a joke or not so thought an open ended question just to see what useful gems I get from everyone here might be an idea! Thank you! :yes:

Thanks for this post! We've just been looking into health insurance and this thread, but your post in particular, has been really interesting and useful. We're going to need to take it out to avoid the tax levy once we're both working and I've been trying to read up on it. We didn't have any in the uk so its all a bit new and confusing.

Hi everyone! Hubby and I are due to arrive on Tuesday the 9th We're going to be quite busy visiting family at first so we're not sure if we will make it, but we will try and let you know for sure nearer the time. KT

We just did one per set of parents. For friends we got the individual friend to write it (none were in long term relationships though). I think we submitted 3 australian (two friends plus oh parents) plus 2 UK (one friend plus my parents). The aussies had all known my oh from before we were together, and the brits had known me from a lot earlier plus they had all met us as a couple soon after we got together. We figured given that we probably didnt need any more. I would say the main deciding factor between individual and couple statements would be if they would have different things to say? If they are just going to say the same things then I don't think it matters. Hope that helps!

Haha - nope, nothing tripped us up and we weren't interviewed after it was all in, the process was pretty straightforward if long. The only hiccup was with my police check as I sent it normal first class post rather than special delivery to my case officer. He didnt acknowledge reciept for ages and I was so worried it had been lost in the post that I ordered a reprint so I could send it again. The reprint arrived the same day the original arrived back with a received stamp on it. Typical!

Hi Andy My husband just wrote how he would meet the requirements that are signed off at the end of the forms. So, he explained that we would stay with his parents when we first arrive, that we had enough savings to live on for quite a while, that I knew about the australian job market and that i already speak fluent english so dont need lessons we also included two years of tax returns to demonstrate uk earnings (we were sure how it was relevant given we're leaving uk work but it was asked for somewhere). Another thing we did was get his mum to write in her stat dec statement that we could stay with them for as long as we needed.

Hi Andy For ours, we sent the stat dec form through to the non aussies so they could see the type of things immi were interested in. However, we didnt get them to fill it in. Instead we asked them to type or write a statement then sign and date it. We also asked them to give us a signed copy of their passport, and if they knew someone like a doctor or teacher we asked them to get that person to witness the statement (by counter signing it) and the passport copy.. I'm not sure if that was needed but it wasn't difficult for each person and we thought that anything to make it seem like the person had taken the statement seriously was probably helpful. My visa has now been granted so it was definitely enough KT

I'm sure I've seen some airlines allow overweight people who would spill between two seats buy the adjacent seat at half price. I'm not sure how mandatory it is though... I agree that you always dread sitting next to someone who is going to overspill! One thing that I guess would be fair, is for airlines to have bigger seats for people that are larger, particularly if those people are going to have to pay more. It might make it feel fairer? My husband has long legs and on long haul if we are in economy seats its pretty painful for him. We often pay extra for the exit row seats and don't mind as its so much more comfortable.

I think its not a bad idea - particularly as baggage is included in your weight. I'm a small to average size and always feel its a bit unfair that I get penalised for a couple of kg over in my luggage, yet someone sitting next to me might be 20kg heavier than me and still pays the same as me. Given how big society as a whole is getting and that fuel is a big component of cost for airlines, I can see airlines looking to do this sort of thing more often otherwise average ticket prices are going to have to go up.

We hired a car from Hertz when we were in the GC just over a year ago (I've used hertz a lot in the past so it was easy). The car and service were great but when we got there we found out the excess on the insurance policy was huge. We ended up paying for the zero excess (not cheap) because we wern't in the position to pay $5000 should we have an accident! We weren't sure if that was standard for Oz, but worth while double checking with whoever you go with so you don't get a shock when you pick up.

Thanks! Our experience may not be typical as we're currently in Japan travelling but we found that tickets prices were as expected. We're flying with qantas from tokyo to sydney. A couple of months ago when we first thought we might need to travel direct from Japan I had a look at prices on the qantas website for flights only a few weeks in advance. The prices I saw then were the same as we've just paid. I was expecting something horrendous but I don't think we're paying much more than ones bought a long way in advance which is awesome :-) Hope that helps!

Its awesome, I can't stop grinning

My visa has been granted!!! :jiggy: We had to change our plans to enter Oz in April rather than July as originally planned. I emailed my case officer to double check i could go in on a tourist visa and just to ask if he had any more information on processing times. Out of the blue, rather than tell me I would have to take a trip to New Zealamd in May, he granted the visa. Its only a week or two before the 8 month mark, but it makes our life sooo much easier so I'm bouncing of the wall right now! Its a relief too, I knew it was likely but until I got the letter I still had a nagging worry. It didnt help that we packed and shipped the house contents in November to go travelling so no visa would mean stuck on the other side of the world from all my worldly possessions

I also don't know anything about your UK visa or what happens if you leave the country before your medical for the Australian visa. However, I applied for my visa in the UK and did my medical in the UK but I have now left and I won't be returning. My case officer has no problem with this and everything is electronic so as long as I am not in Australia at the grant date he is happy.

I wholeheartedly agree! Although he's clearly not a very intelligent sh*t and he can't have spent much time on pomsinoz! He doesn't have a partner visa yet, and even if he did he would only have the initial temporary one. You have to stay in the relationship for two years from getting the tempory visa before it becomes permanent and not dependent on your relationship. Given that you've been married 4 weeks and it has broken down then it is highly unlikely he will get a visa and he will be given 28 days to leave. It doesn't matter if he has buisness ineterests in Australia or if he didn't get along with your kids. From everything I can see (although I'm no expert, just applied for the partner visa myself and read all the info) DIAC only care about whether the relationship is still continuing and if its not, the only way he will be allowed to stay is if he can prove you have been abusive towards him. As others have said, be extremely wary of him as it sounds like he wouldn't be above trying to lie to make it seem that way. If I were you, if I had to communicate with him I would make it all written and keep any texts, emails and chat logs. If you have to talk to him in person or on the phone keep a diary and track what is said. Try to do this now for everything that has happened so far before it all gets mixed up between days in your memory. If you have to meet him in person see if you can have someone else there as a witness. Try to guard against getting into arguments and instead try to keep your cool and walk away/hang up/log out if it becomes heated. It might sound extreme but if he's said he'll stop at nothing to stay then you don't want to be dragged into an even worse nightmare than you're already in. To echo everyone else, you've definitely done the right thing by contacting DIAC and my heart goes out to you for everything he's putting you through. You haven't done anything wrong and yes you've been tricked, but by someone who clearly made a huge effort to do so and it could probably happen to any of us so don't be hard on yourself. (((HUGS)))

Glad to hear your medical went well I did my medical there as well and similarly found them to be really good. I'm about as squeamish as they come so I was dreading having mine but the staff were very understanding and put me at ease, or at least as at ease as its possible for me to be in that situation! I did my usual trick of passing out when they did the blood test at the end but the nurse was excellent. She was very experienced, was very good at taking blood and I almost didn't pass out - if I hadn't it would have been a minir miracle!

Welcome to pomsinoz You are right that there is a minimum amount of time that is meant to pass before a previous 100 applicant can sponsor a new applicant but I'm not sure whether the circumstances of your partner's grant would make an exception. How long have you been together and how long is it since her divorce? The following information is on the DIAC website and suggests you can waive the 5 years with compelling evidence: http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/partners/partner/309-100/eligibility-sponsor.htm#a Someone else is likely to come along who can give you better information but it does sound like your case might be one that's wothwhile passing by a migration agent. I've done my partner visa application myself and it was fairly straightforward but our case was very straightforward. You might benefit from atleast talking with a professional about how the rules would be applied. If you do do that, make sure you use a MARA agent.