Lori78

Hi all - new to forums! after some advice! I lived in Australia for 6 years - firstly on a employee sponsor visa, later gaining PR. 8 months after gaining Australian PR I returned to the UK and have been here since for past 2.5 years with my British partner. We were never planning on staying here more then a few months, but life happened and time just got away from us. I have to return to Australia by November 2020 as my 5 year travel facility will expire then and I currently do not meet the requirements for a RRV or Citizenship due to my time outside the country. I do not want to lose my opportunity to live in Australia, to me it is my home and I miss it terribly. We are planning on applying for a Off shore partner visa for him and returning to Australia as soon as possible, however i am concerned about my eligibility to be my partners sponsor. Im confused by the requirement as the sponsoring spouse I need to show that Australia is my usual place of residence, but without moving back there without him how can i prove this when i’ve been in UK for past 2 .5 years? I have read that the partner visa process can take 18 months to process, i don’t think its possible financially and more so emotionally for me to move back there without him for that long! Is anyone else been in this situation? ANY advice would be much appreciated. Just trying to start this process is putting a lot of strain on our relationship and we keep putting it off as its overwhelming, but time is running out.