rosiee

I was wondering if anyone knows or has been in a similar dilemma. Ive been living in Australia for one year now on a working holiday visa with my boyfriend who came out with me from England. We have been together for just over two years. The company that I am working for is putting me through for sponsorship. However, it is not fully qualified as a sponsored company yet, so more than likely I will be put onto a bridging visa. Now the question is can my boyfriend attach himself to my bridging visa, hence he is going to be a defacto once my sponsorship visa comes through. PLEASE HELP
Rosie

Pollyana

Hi, and welcome to BE

Sounds like your boyfriend is also already in Australia with you? If so, what visa is he currently on? Is he also on a Working Holiday Visa, or is he on a tourist visa/ETA?
Also, for you to get onto the Bridging Visa in the first place, your own application will need to be lodged with DIAC before your WHV runs out - that's your own application for the visa, not the company one for sponsorship. How long do you have left on the WHV?

rosiee

Hi Polyana,
Thankyou for getting back to me so quickly. Yes my boyfriend has been in Australia with me the whole time on a Working Holiday Visa. I am going to try and lodge my visa this week, before my company can attach me for sponsorship. My visa runs out on 17th December 2010. His WHV runs out on the same day. Could he also lodge for a bridging Visa as well or if not, attach himself to my bridging visa, and to let immigration know that he will be a defacto on my sponsorship visa once it goes through?

Pollyana

Firstly you can't lodge a request for a bridging visa. A bridging visa exists so that you can stay in the country after one visa expires while you wait for a decision on one for which you have applied. DIAC grant one if appropriate.

It sounds like in your case the company are going to sponsor you on a 457 with him as your de facto? If that is the case you cannot lodge your application until the company are approved as sponsors, as you need their sponsorship reference from DIAC. Once you have that reference you can file your 457 application, including your boyfriend on it. As long as that is received by DIAC BEFORE your WHVs expire, then you should both go straight onto a Bridging Visa.
If the company doesn't get sponsorship approval before your WHVs expire, you can't apply for the 457, hence you can't get a bridging visa and you will have to leave Australia and apply offshore when the sponsorship approval comes through.
Please don't risk staying onshore if your WHVs expire and you haven't got the next application in, you'll be making yourselves illegal and will thus not be eligible for 457 sponsorship anyway.

Hope that makes sense.....

rosiee

Thanks Polyana.
One more questions..
Does this mean that I will not be able to lodge my bridging visa?

Rosie

Dorothy

Polly already explained that you cannot lodge a bridging visa. Read over her post again, as it explains it all very clearly there.

rosiee

No need to be nasty

goldchoccycoin

I don't see how you think that's nasty - merely pointing out that you repeated a question that has already been comprehensively answered.

You cannot apply for a bridging visa - it is associated with a substantive visa application (in your case a 457) - so all you need to do is apply for the 457 then you will automatically get a bridging visa (assuming you apply before your current visa expires.

I have no idea about whether you can add your de-facto.

Good luck.

Pollyana

Maybe my post wasn't clear enough for Rosiee - you can't add your de facto to your Bridging Visa (if you get one). The Bridging Visas for both of you will be issued by DIAC if appropriate when you apply for your 457 (if thats what it is you are going for). They will only issue the Bridging Visas if you apply before BOTH your WHVs expire, and your partner will only get one if you and your sponsor add him to the new visa application.

You need to stop focusing on the Bridging Visa and focus on the fact that your sponsor needs to get themselves approved, and then you need to get the paperwork filed for your visa, with your partner as a de facto BEFORE the WHVs expire - that doesn't leave you very long. Do you have everything ready so that you can file your application as soon as the sponsorship come through? You can't apply without the sponsorship.

If your WHVs are going to run out before the sponsorship is approved you must leave the country. If you stay here illegally you will not get your new visa.

And for the record, no-one is being nasty, sometimes we just talk a little bluntly so that the impact of the words doesn't get lost in flowery language. You asked for our help, and thats what we are giving you

Dorothy

Nasty? You think me pointing out that your question was already answered was nasty? FFS grow up!

rosiee

Thankyou so much for all your help
Rosiee

Pollyana

Well in spite of myself and others spending a lot of time trying to help the OP, she seems to have left the forum. Rosiee, I'm sorry if you didn't like the answers but you are on a tight timescale and may find yourselves in trouble for overstaying.

Thread closed.