TJ-LJ

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

No, there's no leniency in the process.  They are looking for reasons to refuse you, so you  need to have as much evidence as possible.

However, those online lists are only examples of the kind of proof they want, they're not compulsory.   You just have to find other ways to prove your relationship, if you don't have the usual things (like leases and bills).   For instance, even if you don't have a lease or own your home, you both live at the same address and can show the electoral roll, bills etc in your individual names with the same address on them. 

What do you mean by "we do not have any mutual friends"?   They don't have to be close friends with both of you, they just have to know both of you and know that you're a couple.  So for instance, if your best friend has met your boyfriend from time to time and knows you live together, that would qualify as a "mutual friend"- even if she doesn't like him much!  

Finally, if you have a relationship that's out of the ordinary, you would be very wise to hire a MARA registered migration agent to put your case together for you.  It will cost money, but if you don't and you're refused, you'll have spent the application fee for nothing.

4 hours ago, Nemesis said:

So where do you live? Yoiu can get parents, flatmates etc to do a Stat Dec to say that you live together as a married/de facto couple in whatever place you live in. You do not have to be the sole occupants opf the prperty, but you do have to live there together. You can also use documents sent to each of you at that address. So even if you have individual bank accounts, you can use both documents, one in the name of Ms X and one in the name of Mr Y, both going to the same address. Similarly you can use phone and utility bills in one name, sent to the joint address. 

Also think about hotel bills if travelling, flight itineraries, that kind of thing. 

You can get Stat Decs from the friends/family on one side, saying that they are a friend of Ms X, and see her regularly, and she keeps them updated with details of the relationship, and how she and her partner are planning to move to Australia and start a family  etc etc. Even if they have never physically met the partner they can still say what they know of the relationship and how their friend constantly talks about the partner and future plans etc - many people on a Prospective Marriage Visa have to do this if they are moving to marry a partner in oz, but have never lived there so have never met that partner's friends and family.

Family can also do a Stat Dec talking about stuff like being keen to welcome the new family member to Australia. . 

Thank you for your responses.

We live in Australia, both at my mother's house, we pay board but individually; my Mum keeps receipts of my partners board money. Our housing agency is aware of us living here. We also have bank transactions, so this could be another way to prove we pay board. We have receipts from travelling, such as hotel bills and flight itineraries. We have a lot of photos taken together, and with each others families. Also thank you both for clarifying the "mutual friend" situation. I have met/know of my partners friends and they can verify our relationship, so I feel less worried about this now. 

We contribute to the household bills, however the bills are in my mother's name. Would the bank transactions my partner and I have made together be enough proof that we do pay bills together, or do they have to be in our names to be considered? 

We were also considering using a MARA for the reasons you have mentioned. I think we will definitely do this now though, just to make sure we are doing everything correctly. 

Hello,

My partner, who is from England, and I are ready to apply for our De-facto Relationship Visa. However, we are both growing concerned about everything it entails to apply. We are worried we do not have enough "evidence" for the Immigration Office to consider as proof and accept the Visa. We are doing our best at keeping as much proof of our relationship as we can over the last 2 years, but there are some things that just aren't possible for us at the moment:

1: We do not rent or own our own home,

2: We do not have any mutual friends,

3: There are no bills in both of our names; the closest to this that we do have is a joint bank account.

Those are just some things, but the list that I have located online that shows all the evidence a couple need to have the best chance of approval is very long and I think only half can be achieved by us.

We are just wondering if there is any leniency to the application process, or if it as strict and specific as I've come to see? If we do not have everything they require, what happens? 

Thank you. 

21 hours ago, Marisawright said:

When you submit the application for the de facto visa, he will get a Bridging Visa A.   You don't get to choose. If he then wishes to go overseas to visit his family, he will need to apply for a Bridging Visa B, state exactly how long he needs to go overseas for, and give a specific reason (just feeling like seeing his folks isn't a good reason, going back for a wedding or christening or something is).   Then he'll have to wait until it's granted, and then he has to make sure he's back in Australia within the time they've given him.   

If he then wants to go overseas again later, he'll need to apply for another Bridging Visa B.

That all sounds a bit tough. But I guess if that's the way it goes, we'll continue the process and just hope we can get through it. 

We were also wondering about his working rights. On the De-Facto Visa, is he able to work more than 6 months in a job? That's one condition he has struggled with on both his Working Holiday Visa's - having to leave a job every 6 months is becoming tiring. 

Hello,

Unfortunately I am not familiar will all the terms used for Visa's, so just bare with me.

My partner is from England and he has been working in Australia for a year and a half. He is currently on his second Working Holiday Visa, and we are in the process of obtaining all the appropriate documents/evidence to apply for a De-facto Relationship Visa. There are just some things we are not certain of and are struggling to understand it all. 

1: When we apply for the De-Facto Relationship Visa, is my partner allowed to leave Australia during the waiting period? I understand that the Bridging Visa B is the only Visa that allows you to travel while waiting for your Visa to be granted;

2: Do we get to choose to go on the BVB, or is that up to the immigration office? My partner is concerned about this for obvious reasons; he wants to be able to still visit his family during the waiting period.

I have more questions, but just want to try to understand the above two at the moment. Can anyone please provide some insight/advice? I feel like my partner and I are going through this blind and it's worrying!

Thank you.