Looking to move to Australia from uk with my partner

[Jennifer Crisp]

Hi all,

 

I am looking to move to Australia with my partner. We have been together nearly a year and he has stayed with me in the uk now I am here on holiday to see him for a month. We are wondering the best visa to apply for as aren't married yet. I'm going home in a few weeks and ideally would come back for good early next year but we don't know if we should register our relationship, apply for a fiancé visa or get married and do we need to do anything while im here now. Any advice is appreciated!

 

Work wise i cannot get a skilled visa for 2 years and I'm over 30!

 

Thanks

[Guest MigrateAustralia]

Hi Jennifer,

 

If you are looking to apply on the basis of your De Facto relationship, it would not hurt to register your relationship if you can. If your relationship is registered, then you do not need to prove that you have lived together for a full 12 months before you apply for the Partner visa. While you are in Australia, you should look at setting up a shared household and gathering documents to show you have been living together during your stay. Processing for Partner visas in London are currently taking around 8-9 months from lodgement so it may be closer to mid-2015 before your application was finalised.

 

All the best to you both

 

Regards,

Christel

[Quinkla]

If you are going to be offshore and want to migrate early next year, the 300 Prospective Marriage Visa looks like an ideal option. The proof of relationship is lower than for a partner visa but you then get married within 9 months of visa grant and will then get approved quite easily for a partner visa. The disadvantage is that the PMV is a temporary and time limited visa that can make it harder to get work, credit, etc. On the other hand, it has the advantage that it was designed for people in your position and would avoid having to jam square pegs into round holes to prove a defacto relationship.