stat decs? health checks? and a whole lot of confusion:)

[Guest nicolew]

hey guys ...

 

so first up just want to give a shout out to everyoone posting on thise site you have provided us with so much information that we are very thankfull for.

 

just a few questions,

 

firstly myself (australian) and my boyfriend (irish) are applying for a defacto visa in the next few weeks . we have been living together for just about 12months and dating for around 5 months before that .

 

we have been collecting our doccuments needed and are just about done but are struggiling to find answers on the following:

 

1. must we get a health check before we submit the application.

 

2. do both of us need to get a health check or just my boyfriend (applicant)

 

3. how many photos can we submit and should the be oringals or printed etc etc?

 

4. when writing up our own stat dec/ letter of realationship is there any key points we should consider or any particular layout . (im worried i will just jumble useless info together and it wont look efficeint)

 

5. most of our recipts for little weekends away are in my name is this an issue (i would mormally for for accomidation and then my boyfriend pay for all activities we did- which we dont have recipts for)

 

and finally any other usefull points anyone would like to add would be very helpfull..

 

 

thanks again guys and goodluck with all your applications

[Guest GeorgeD]

To answer your questions:

 

1) You can do this after you submit your application. Doing it beforehand simply means they have all the info quicker, although there is a risk your file may get lost as the doctors send the file to DIAC but they have no application from you yet. Your medical and police checks are valid for 12 months, so initial entry to Australia for your partner must be within 12 months from the date of the medical/police check or visa grant date. In other words, don't get the medical done 6 months before you apply for the visa because it will probably have run out by the time you get your visa and he will need to get another one done. Probably safest all round to have your medical around the time you submit.

 

2) Only the applicant needs to do a medical, plus any dependants (if any)

 

3) You can submit as many photos, cards, etc as you want. Don't send originals. Photocopies or computer print outs are fine. I had several photos per A4 page on my application. Try and show a range of locations/events/dates if possible. If you have photos from significant events, like a friend's wedding or a holiday, use them and refer to the wedding or holiday in your statements.

 

4) There is guidance about what sort of evidence DIAC are looking for and what should be covered in your declarations in Booklet 1 Partner Migration which can be downloaded here: Evidence of Dependency I would use the bullet points on that website as a basic structure...it follows the timeline of your relationship. At each bit, refer to dates, places, etc and if you have evidence which correlates with this even better, like photos of that friend's wedding, like your travel receipts, etc. There must be some sort of criteria for assessing your application and this booklet gives you the areas where they are looking for evidence, social, financial, emotional, domestic, etc. Try and pick out at least one point from each section and write about it. For example, if you have both got wills providing for each other, mention them and include them as evidence. (and if you don't have wills, get them before you apply, they can be included in the application!) Try and do everything in chronological order, it will actually flow quite naturally. Don't worry too much about the layout other than that...it's you and your partner's declaration so it will be personal to you. I've seen people post that the length can be anywhere from 2 pages to 7 or 8 pages. Having said that, the content is much more important than the quantity.

 

5) You can only work with the evidence you have, you can't magic any up. If that's what happened, explain that in your statement. And make sure your partner's mentions that too. It's not unreasonable and will explain how you two work together financially, which is part of the information they are looking for.

 

Believe it or not, a key thing is to check over that your two statements actually correlate with one another! If you say you went on holiday to Italy in June, make sure his doesn't say it was January, etc. You would be amazed the things people can get wrong...my wife said in her declaration that we met in December, because as she remembers it she asked me for my jacket as she was cold. Then I pointed out that we met just before her birthday in mid June and she was wearing a skimpy top, hence the reason she was cold. People have memories like sieves, so make sure and check the details so that your stories compliment each other.

 

One other important point...from reading previous threads, for the de-facto spouse visa, the 12 month relationship is a very important timescale. I would urge you not to apply until you have been living together for at least 12 months, and ideally have evidence to prove it. It may mean putting off applying for a week or two, perhaps even a month or two, but it will mean you will fulfil a very important criteria for this visa. It will give you time to get police checks and medicals organised. Police checks can also be done in advance, your partner will need them done. They get sent back to him and he can include them in his application.

[Peach]

Everything George said - except I personally disagree with sending many photographs (exerpt from email from Australia House concerning partner visas: "Please do not send us video tapes or photograph albums. If you would like to support your claims with photographs, please choose a representative selection and make a photocopy." - in full here: The Joy of Emigration: A Useful Email

 

Also, try and make sure that you have a piece of evidence for each of the 12 months preceeding the date of your application.

[Guest GeorgeD]

Peach is right, sending a mountain of photos won't win you a visa when the other evidence is absent. Be selective. Put several on each page to keep the clutter down. Someone once said here that they don't put your application on a set of scales to judge it, and that is very true. Quality over quantity every time.

 

If you have photos which support your statements and other evidence then use them. For example, if you say you went to Paris together and have a photo of both of you with the Eiffel Tower in the background then include it! If a friend or relative has written a declaration and you have photos of them at a family event, include that photo and ask them to mention the event in their declaration. "I first met X when Y introduced me to him at Auntie Mary's 60th Birthday Party, etc." It all helps paint a full picture. But you would only need one photo from each event, you don't need to include all 200+ you took at that party, etc.

 

Having documents which show you have shared a home for the last 12 months are much more important than loading up on extra photos.

 

As Peach says, a piece of evidence for each of the 12 months would be valuable too.

[Guest nicolew]

thanks guys

 

wish us luck we are hoping we have everything togther as we plan to lodge application tomorrow morning eeekkk

 

xxnic