Supporting docs for a 309/100 visa application - chit chat

[Guest Redster]

Hi guys,

 

Although only just signed up I've been reading this forum for a while now and have enjoyed reading the good luck stories. I'm hoping to start my own good luck story now. Fingers crossed.

 

I'll keep the introduction brief for now but questions are welcome and more will come out as we go.

 

I've been with my now wife, who is Australian, for over three years and since the second year we've been satisfied we'd be settling in Australia. We currently live in London.

 

After a lot of turmoil, considering and then rejecting applying on the grounds of de facto, a year apart while she saved money at home, her move to Ireland for a year, while I went over from London a couple of times a month, we finally got married in October last year and again in Australia in April this year. It is now time, having settled into our married life, to begin the process of applying for a visa.

 

I suppose I am just looking for opinions and advice on how much supporting evidence we require or should include with our application. How many supporting stat decs should we include? Her parents think, after we convinced them the priest who married us didn't know us sufficiently, that we should include one from each family member, I say a select few. Apart from the obvious bank statements, evidence of travel, of which we have loads, what other, less obvious, proofs of relationship do people include?

The hand book says evidence of joint membership of clubs but we aren't currently members of any clubs. My wife insists that I join a salsa club to tick that box. I have two left feet, so please, help me out with an alternative :biggrin:.

 

As I say, having read the forums for the last year its daunting now that I'm on the verge of beginning the process and your suggestions on where to start would be appreciated.

 

Regards

Red

[Guest]

Hi Red, and welcome!

 

OH and I decided at the beginning of last year that we were going to apply for his de facto visa in the middle of this year. I spent about 14 months researching and saving information, but when the time finally came to submit I still felt totally unprepared and worried that we didn't have enough evidence. It's daunting, isn't it? Our application was 157 pages and I sent it in at the end of last month. Our CO has asked that OH have his health and police checks, and that generally means that they have all the other info that they need, so hopefully we are home free! We sent;

form 40sp and form 47sp (obviously!)

relationship statements from both of us

certified copies of both of our passports and birth certs

my P60s for the last 2 years

stat decs from both of my parents and 2 of my friends (all Aussies)

stat decs from both of his parents

copies of bank statements or bills, quotes, tv licence, etc - something for every month for the last 14 months

5 photocopies of photos - one of me with his family, one of him with my family, 3 of us at events photocopied onto the same page as the tickes (showing dates and address)

2 wedding invitations, 2 birthday invitations, 2 Christmas cards

3 hotel bills from holidays

2 pairs of boarding passes showing we sat together

um.... I think that's about it. :confused:

 

Everything we sent was photocopied except for the forms which need to be originals. One great,big, fat, heavy envelope!

 

Best of luck with it all!

[Guest Redster]

Thanks for the response. It is daunting isn't it. And I can see myself, when I have all the docs together, deliberating on sending them for fear I'm missing something that could be added.

 

157 pages! Thats an impressive bundle. I work with a local authority here in London and deal with correspondence from the public; with us less is better. So I've got that kinda mindset, that I shouldn't overwhelm the immigration officer with too much. Maybe I should start to rethink that and go hell for leather.

 

I wasn't going to get stat decs from my parents, even though my other half lived with them in Ireland, as they aren't Aussie, but upon reflection it might be thrown in as well.

 

My OH is worried about proving her finances, as my sponser, because she hasn't lived in Australia for about three years. So you think having evidence of working in London, and in Ireland, would suffice for that purpose? Our joint bank account is healthy so that should help.

 

Domestically we are up against it. Our rent is paid paid by cheque but we don't have a tenancy agreement and the only bill we have is a cable one which, although I have asked for it to be put in both are names, is still in mine. Although we can prove she lives with me, her statements and wages, we can't show, other than a joint bank account, that she is a tenant or bill payer.

[Guest Beannoir]

Shoveover, which form did you use for the non Aussie stat dec? as the 888 form is only for australian citizens ?

[Peach]

You don't need to use any kind of form for non-Aussie citizens stat-decs, I got mine in the form of standard letters addressed "To whom it may concern" with the name and address of the person writing the stat dec on the top right and signed at the bottom.

 

Personally, I don't believe in drowning the case officer with documentation - if the CO wants to see more they'll ask for it. For my own partner visa application I submitted:

 

Certified (some by a magistrate/some by a local solicitor)

 

 

• Confirmation of Death in Service payment from my partner to me
  
• Confirmation of Death in Service payment from my me to partner
  
• Partner's car insurance with me as named driver
  
• My car insurance partner as named driver
  
• Joint mortgage offer
  
• Remortgage correspondence from conveyancing solicitor
  
• First joint bank statement
  
• Council Tax bill from 2008
  
• Mine, my partner's and son's passport & birth certs
  

 

 

Uncertified

 

 

• Numerous travel and holiday itineraries going back to 2002
  
• Invoice from nursery addressed to both of us
  
• Amex statement showing partner's supplementary card on my account
  
• Stat decs (Our's, Both mums, A friend).
  
• Partner's employer reference, job profile and a recent p60
  

 

And that was it..

[Guest]

OH's parents still filled in Form 888, but we didn't get it certified. We told them they only needed to answer the questions on a piece of paper and not worry about the form but they did the form anyway. And they made sure they filled the boxes too! I'm glad we got their statements. Not only does it show their acceptance of us as a couple, but it allowed them to be part of this process for us. It wouldn't have felt right for us emotionally to only have asked for my parents' imput.

 

I have been living and working in Ireland for three and a half years. I sent my P60s for the last two years and in my statement said that I had looked at jobs online and see plenty I would be suited to, I pointed out that I have remained in full time employment even though Ireland is in recession, and in my parents' statements they both said that they would support us and house us until we were able to live independantly.

 

We came to the 157 pages remarkably easily. The forms themselves are lengthy enough, then with the statements and identification there was another 20 or so pages. I don't see how we could have cut it down by much, to be honest.

 

Redster, we had no lease agreement either. We did have bills in both our names, but even things like a Tesco club card newsletter that show her address help!

[Guest stillwaiting79]

Do sponsors send in their PCC's as well?