KatyBrit

Thanks very much for your answer. We’ve decided that I should apply from London and we can move over next year once it’s processed. We wouldn’t have started down this road if we’d understood the rules properly, but now we do we’re going to follow them. There’s no way we could get comfortable with breaking immigration laws! ? All the answers have been so helpful, thanks everyone!

That makes sense. so I guess the rule is, apply outside of Aus and wait and anything else would be breaking the rules? I definitely don’t want to be the wrong side of this and get myself banned or something worse! I had no idea it was this difficult - I thought I was given similar access to my fiancé - wrong!

Do you know the times for the paper one for the first one and the online one for the second one (which will have a request for working rights and therefore won’t be automatic?)

Thanks - the application for the 2nd BVA is for working rights.

Thank you for your help! So is there no way to do it (eg another type of visa to actually get to Australia) other than applying from London and waiting and not being able to go to Australia in all that time? A MARA was the one who told me to go on a holiday visa...??

Thank you for your replies everyone. I’ve done some more research today and I’m hoping this route might work - any help would be greatly appreciated! 1. Travel to Aus on the tourist visa (600) valid 3 months 2. Apply for New Zealand citizen family relationship temporary visa 461 which automatically applies for a BVA Does anyone know how long the BVA takes to be processed? NB the 461 can’t be applied for online. 3. Once I (hopefully) get the BVA, apply for BVA with working rights (assuming this doesn’t come with the first one) Does anyone have any experience of applying for a new BVA with working rights and how long it takes to be processed (unsure if it makes any difference which type of substantive visa application it’s bridging?). Also online vs paper processing times for a new BVA? 4. Once I get the decision on the new BVA, apply for a BVB so we can go back to London 5. Return to Aus before the 3 month expiry on the BVB, the tourist visa will expire shortly after returning anyway and then either a) work on my new BVA if approved or b) don’t work until my 461 is processed (hopefully) successfully at which point I can go out and find a job. Anyone got any recent experience with approval times for a 461 either in/outside of Australia? How did I do?! I hope I have my head around that now. If there’s any other way to do it, and/or if anyone has any experience with any of those steps - I’d really appreciate anything you could share please. Finding a MARA to help has proved really hard, so I will look at the links sent through and hopefully that will lead somewhere too. Thank you ?

Hello I hope you can help! I’ve put the information below relating to my fiancé and I moving over to Australia. (NB we’ve been living together in the UK for four years and had a joint bank account for around three years or so and have lots of docs to back that kind of thing up). 1. I’ve been offered a role in Sydney, but only if I can start within 3-4 months 2. I’m currently living in London (British with a British passport) with my fiancé who is from New Zealand with a NZ passport 3. Id like to get over to Aus asap so I can apply in country for a visa that will allow me to work within a 3-4 month period (assuming that I have to apply in country for this to work) 4. I need to come back to the UK before moving to Aus permanently within the three month visitor term as: A) we’re getting married mid August in London B) my fiancé will be leaving his London job but we could really do with some more time to work in the UK and save up before moving to Aus in say, September/October ideally So my question is - can we do all of that within the immigration requirements? For example can I: Apply in the UK for a visitor visa for three months Go to Aus with my fiancé and on day 1 apply for a partnership visa (461?) and automatically apply for a BVA (does he need to be with me for this or can he stay in London?) Then travel back to the UK after approx one week on my visitor visa Come back to Aus in Sept/Oct before my visitor visa has expired and my BVA has kicked in (so no need to wait for the BVA and then convert to BVB to travel to London and back again when returning to Sydney so I can work) Is that following the rules? A separate option I hoped might be possible: Is there any way to make this work without going to Australia twice (ie apply for the partner visa (461?) in the UK and still be able to move to and work in Aus in the next 3-4 months)? Very grateful for any help you can offer! Many thanks!