jtinuk

Hi guys, I originally posted these questions in the Australia forum but was helpfully redirected here by the moderator and am hoping to find some answers from anyone who has been in/knows anyone in a similar situation. I’ve read so many threads about de facto / partner visa applications over the last few months and am now just after some clarification, preferably from people who have un/successfully applied for the 309/100 De Facto Visa in the recent past. My partner and I have been together for over 2 years and are in the process of putting all of our papers together to apply for the 309/100 De Facto / Partner Visa so that we can relocate back to Melbourne (where we met and both lived at the start of our relationship) in early 2014. I am an Australian citizen (by birth) and he is Italian. We are currently living together in London and have been for over 18 months now. Gathering evidence of the duration of our relationship isn’t an issue at all as we have a joint bank account, pay slips, rental agreement, photos etc. Can anyone who has applied for this visa please let me know how long it took for yours to be approved? Did you send police checks / medicals wit the initial application or wait for them to be requested? I’ve read on most places to expect a 5 - 9 month wait but has anyone had it take less/more time? Another major issue is that I’m living here on the Tier 5 (YMS) Visa at the moment but it expires at the end of November. We’re planning on leaving the UK for a few days for a holiday when it expires so that I can come back and hopefully stay here in the UK for a little longer on a general tourist visa (so that we can do a bit more travelling throughout the UK and enjoy a few more weeks here - I obviously wouldn’t be planning on working during this time). However, I’ve also read many forum posts about Australians who have tried to re-enter the UK on tourist visas almost immediately after their Tier 5 Visa has expired and the general consensus seems to be to expect major hassles by Border Control upon re-entry. So, for anyone who has been / or knows someone who has been in a similar situation, I ask... Should I apply for the official 6 month UK tourist visa? Can I even do that from within the UK if I am an Australian citizen and my tier 5 visa is nearly expired? While its not ideal I'll definitely seriously consider flying back to Australia upon my visa's expiration. However, as we're lodging this application off shore, what happens if we haven't received the request for medicals or police checks before my visa expires? From what I've seen, these seem to be occurring around the 4-8 week mark which SHOULD give us enough time before my Tier 5 visa expires but just in case it isn't... I would have to be in the UK, where the visa application was lodged, to do the medical & police check, right? Also, if anyone here knows anyone/or has themself been denied re-entry into the UK after their Tier 5 Visa has expired I'd really appreciate it if you could post your two cents on the situation and maybe tell me a bit about your experience. (Upon re-entry to the UK, I will have a P60 proving my previous work contract has been terminated, proof of purchase of a one way flight back to Australia and proof of funds to support myself... I've read that this evidence helps) Any help with any of my questions will be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Jiselle :biggrin: