CharlieCole

Thanks for the feedback folks. What about if I gave the bridging visa a miss altogether and worked up until we leave, then let the 457 expire after I finish work. Could I then re-enter Australia on a tourist visa when we return? Then I could at least get back in to the country and try and get a new 457 lined up whilst I wait for my 820/821 to come through?

Hi all I'm currently on a 457 visa, sponsored to stay in Melbourne. I've applied for a 820/821 visa with my Aussie wife (she was my fiancee when I applied) and have been working in Melbourne in the same job since December 2010. My wife and I are planning a 6 month travelling stint from late July 2013 - Feb 2014 before coming back to Melbourne and settling down permanently. To do this I'm having to resign from my current job and therefore will lose my 457 visa. My plan is that if my 820/821 hasn't come through by late-July (I applied mid-Feb 2013) to get a Bridging visa, then hope that the 820/821 comes through whilst we're away, then come back and be free to work with no restrictions. Just wondering - if that doesn't happen, is it possible to get a 2nd 457 visa, or is it restricted to a one-off like the WHV? Getting sponsored should be no hassle with my line of work but I was just interested in whether I am actually allowed to get a 2nd 457? I can't find anything official anywhere to suggest it's a problem but also haven't read anyone confirming it as ok. Any help greatly appreciated! Charlie

Hey folks This is my first post on here, so thankyou for reading and I'd welcome any feedback! I'm from North London and have been over in Melbourne since late Nov 2010, so have done about 26 months so far. When I came over initially I was on a WHV, but I was sponsored after 6 months by my current employer and am now on a 457 visa (I'm a recruitment consultant - sorry). Since I've been in Aus, I've been in a relationship with my now-fiance, who is an Aussie citizen and who I met travelling on Boxing Day 2009. We are getting married on March 21 this year, and I'm looking at visas that I can apply for that allow me to stay here without work restrictions. The main two seem to be the 820 partner and 300 (prospective marriage) visas. It's all totally legit so have no qualms about doing it, but there's two areas of the criteria that I'm concerned about not meeting, and wanted to see if anyone had had any similar issues. 1. 12 month de facto - we've been living together for the past 2 years (pretty much, a couple of months short maybe) but the lease has always been in my name, not both of ours. So I'm not sure whether that means we can prove we've lived together or not. Although we have had a shared bank account for in excess of 12 months that we've paid rent out of. However, all utility bills etc are also in my name - my fiance is pretty disorganised when it comes to that stuff, so I've been looking after it all. 2. This is the main one - she works in a cafe and gets paid in cash, and doesn't pay tax. So we can't actually prove she's worked at all over the last 2 years..although we can prove bank accounts that have had money paid into them, we can't show where that money has come from.. The rest - stat decs, photos, etc etc should be no hassle at all, and I'm in the process of getting that together in case, but does anyone have any advice as to what to do? I was planning to apply for a visa over the next month or so (by end of Jan) but if I wait until we're married end of March and we have a marriage certificate, does that make it easier or mean we have to prepare less info? It wouldn't actually be an issue but we're planning to go travelling for 6 months in June/July (if possible) and I won't be able to get a sabbatical of any sort from my job, so I guess my visa would just end. Which would mean I couldn't get back in and work.. Please please ANY thoughts/feedback would be greatly appreciated! Cheers Charlie