Hi guys : )

[mattm555]

Hi guys,

 

Newbie here, sorry I've I'm asking questions that have been asked a million times before.

 

Hoping you can point me in the right direction?

 

I'm from London and my girlfriend is from Melbourne but holds a British Passport due to her Dad being born in the UK.

 

We met on holiday in Thailand in September 2014. We continued to talk once we both got back home and realised there were feelings there. She decided to quit her job and move to London in January 2015. She moved into my house straight away and we started a relationship.

Now we're just over 2 years down the line, we'd like to move to Melbourne together. I need to apply for a partner Visa but I'm unsure what subclass I'd fall into.

 

Would you recommend using an agent or doing it ourselves?

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[Gbye grey sky]

You apply for a 309/100. The 100, if granted, gives you PR. The 309 is a temporary visa with work rights, you then apply for PR in a few years while in Australia subject to the relationship continuing. It is the same application for both.

[mattm555]

You apply for a 309/100. The 100, if granted, gives you PR. The 309 is a temporary visa with work rights, you then apply for PR in a few years while in Australia subject to the relationship continuing. It is the same application for both.

 

Perfect! Thanks so much for your help!

[Samson]

Remember being boyfriend and girlfriend isn't the same as being in a defacto relationship. They are looking at joint bank statements, joint rental agreements, joint life insurance, sharing the cost of living such as bills etc.

[Collie]

Yep but theyve been living together for 2 years, is that not defacto?

 

But yes, to the OP, the more documentation you have as a couple the better, so open a joint bank account (can keep your individual ones) and put some of the bills in her/joint names etc.

 

I wrote a reference for a friend for his wife's visa stating how long I had known them and that it was a genuine relationship etc. so you may need a few of these. Can't hurt anyway.

[mattm555]

We've had a joint bank account for almost a year. We've also got a mortgage in both of our names.

However, all the house hold bills (Electric/Gas/Water etc) are in my name.

 

Im guessing this should be enough? Or do you suggest I change the bills into both our names?

[MBI]

We have just been granted our Visa grant it being a 457 but we had to prove our defacto, We used bank account, travel documents/holidays, various dated photos from facebook, joint insurance documents and stat decs from friends. We didn't have any bills or rental agreements in joint names, If your a genuine couple you have no worrys at all

 

Mike

[Guest]

We've had a joint bank account for almost a year. We've also got a mortgage in both of our names.

However, all the house hold bills (Electric/Gas/Water etc) are in my name.

 

Im guessing this should be enough? Or do you suggest I change the bills into both our names?

 

TBH if you are applying now you won't be using bills with the name changed to both of you as those will come in the future. What you need to provide is the evidence for the 12 months prior to lodging and longer if you can.

 

I'd not fret overly about the bills all in your name if you have a joint account and can show you both contributed to the payment of the bills, food, items bought for the house, paid for holidays etc. Its not about all the bills being in both your names but more to show you both sharing a life together and at the same address. Not many people have all their bills in both names. My husband and I only have a couple in both our names, otherwise its one or the other of us named only. What we did show was us both at the same address with bills reflecting this. So I submitted phone bill and car insurance naming him in the policy and naming him was the electric and gas. We were both named on the council tax and water (and iirc that is normal for couples or people sharing isn't it?).

 

Also things like life insurance policy naming the other, wills, named on each others car insurance as named drivers etc is all good stuff to have. Mortgage in both your names is good. Can you show where you both contribute the payments toward it from the bank accounts and your earnings?

 

Also things like salary slips with your address on, for both of you are handy. You don't need years of them but to be able to show a few random ones from over the years is good.

 

Have a good read of the partner visa migration booklet. Its not difficult once you go through it, cross out the stuff that doesn't apply (ie the PMV and onshore application) and go from there. Many people don't use an agent for a partner visa. Some do but its up to you. I did my application on my own and found it fine. Much of it is common sense and if you have all the evidence they are asking for (and pages of social media posts photos and messages and hardly any proper official evidence is not what they are after) it should probably be ok to do yourself. Had I had a serious medical condition or a police record I'd have used an agent but as I didn't, I opted to do it myself.

 

Have a look at our partner visa thread. Many on there applied without an agent, some used one.

 

ETA - If your partner has a mobile phone contract in her name this would have your address on it and would be good to submit as evidence.

Edited February 8, 2017 by Guest
eta

[mattm555]

Thanks everyone, all of your responses have been really helpful especially Snifter.

 

She has quite a few bills in her name i.e Mobile phone, car finance so that should be fine.

 

I'm off to have a read of the partner Visa thread.

 

Thanks again