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I love the discussion and they’re questions I would also ask! We have no problem being on a bridging visa for 2-3 years as long as he was able to work. What happens if we were to get engaged/married while waiting, do we just inform them of the changes? Applying on a normal tourist visa would also be fine but it would be preferable for him to be able to work as soon as possible, a wait of 3 months may make things tricky if he were to get a job offer. Regarding the bridging visa… “The BVA starts when your temporary visa ends.” Does that mean if my partner was to enter on a working holiday visa he would only be granted a bridging visa when it expires after a 1 year? Is there not the restriction that someone can only work for one employer for a maximum of 6 months? That sounds like it would be an issue if he were to find a job when he moved and not be able to stay with them.

Hi Raul, thank you for your reply. Ultimately we'd like to apply for the partnership visa but I guess we'd need to figure out whether to get a working holiday or 457 first. That's interesting about only being able to work for his sponsor - definitely something we'd need to consider. Perhaps a working holiday/bridging visa is better so he could do his rugby too.... Def agree with you on seeking professional help. We've both said that we would like to use an agent to help us with the application as we don't want to risk rejection and don't want to deal with the stress of it!

Ohh you guys are in the same boat! Good thing you have already lived together for a substantial amount of time. It’s definitely a tricky decision to make but will be worth it. We have a nice comfortable life here but after being away from family, friends and the beach for so long it’s definitely time. Unless we go for a work visa we’re thinking to apply in Aus as I would imagine we’d have to be apart even longer otherwise! Wish you guys all the best with your plans!

Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions regarding visas that maybe people can shed some light on. I am Australian and my boyfriend is British, we currently live in the UK and are moving to Aus this year. I’ve read on here about registering the relationship as de-facto… does doing so waive the requirement of 12 months living together? The reason I ask is that my boyfriend and I have only been living together for 3 months so far in the UK. (We’ve been in a relationship for 16 months). During this time I have been transferring him money for half of the mortgage and bills but my name isn’t actually on them. We also both transfer an amount each month to a separate account we call the ‘Fun Fund’ which we use for shared expenses (groceries, restaurants, holidays etc) but it’s only in his name. I do have my own bank/credit card statements with our address on it. We are planning to move to Australia this year however there will be a few months where we will not be living together. This is due to my UK visa expiring and me having to leave the country and him not being able to leave his job just yet. We will go on holiday together during this time but won’t actually be living together for about 3 months until he can move. Even though we're not apart by choice I’m guessing this doesn’t look good on an application. So what I’m wondering is, when we are living together in Australia, have a joint bank account, insurance etc. and register as de-facto, do we have grounds to apply even without 12 straight months of cohabitation? We are looking at the possibility of him entering on a working holiday visa then applying for the partnership visa shortly after. Is it correct that we could apply at any time and be put on a bridging visa enabling him to work until it’s decided? We are also looking into the option of him transferring with the company he works for (a large well-known company with offices in Aus). Is there a separate visa to transfer in the same company or would he need to apply for a 457? His qualifications/experience is in marketing, account management, sales and E-retail management. He is also a rugby referee here in the UK and is hoping to do the same in Aus. Could he work this second weekend job on a 457 or can he only work for the company who has sponsored him? Thank you!

Wonderful, thank you for the info! That's great to know registering the cohabitation could mean not having to wait the 12 months before applying.

Thanks for the replies! If he gets a WHV can we apply/switch to a partner one at any point? Or do we need to wait until the WHV has expired? Does QLD or VIC allow cohabitation registration? It does seem best to enter on the WHV... Regarding the sponsorship, his current position is E-Retail Manager. We will look into getting a joint account and add me to his insurance now in case that's the route we go down. Thanks for the advice. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Hello! Long time reader, first time poster. I have been researching visas for awhile and now it's getting closer to the time I need to make plans. Our situation: I am an Australian citizen who has been in the UK on a working holiday visa which is set to expire in Feb 2018. It’s looking like it would be difficult for me to get a work visa in the UK for a few reasons. The main issues being that the company I work for is small, isn’t on the registered list of sponsors and the fact that the business needs to prove they’ve advertised the job for 2 months and can’t fill it locally. This doesn’t bother me too much because I feel ready to move back to Australia. However, I can’t just think about myself as my boyfriend (UK citizen) is here. We are both in our 20s. We have only been together for a year but things are going well and we are planning a future together. He is open to the idea of moving to Aus (we’re going there later this year and I’m sure he’ll fall in love with it haha). FYI - We do not live together. It’s tricky timing as he’s just got a promotion at his job. He works for a large international company which may come in handy for us if they are willing to sponsor him. His qualifications/experience is in marketing, account management, sales and E-retail management. We have been looking at what Aus visa options there are for him and I’m wondering what would be best. Work visa – Does his experience qualify for a work visa after the changes to the skills list? Does a company need to sponsor him? Work sponsorship – Perhaps the Australian office of his company could sponsor his visa? Working Holiday visa – As he is under 30 it seems easiest to just get a working holiday visa to start with. However, it’s a real shame you can only work at a company for a maximum of 6 months. If he entered on a working holiday visa, started working at a company and they wanted to sponsor him after 5 months can he switch to another visa type? Partner – This doesn’t seem possible as we don’t live together yet I understand work visas don’t count towards eventual permanent residency, is that correct? There’s so much to think about with both our jobs, visas and moving that I have been getting a bit stressed by it but I’m trying to get the process started sooner rather than later. I appreciate any insight people have.