epick1

Hi,

I'm a U.K citizen and have been in a relationship with my fiance for the past 5 years, (we've been engaged for 2 years). We are looking to move to Australia and would like advice on which visa I need to apply for and weather getting married would support us in this process.

Ideally we would both like dual citizenship for the U.K and Australia. My partner is able to acquire the U.K passport now as he is on an ancestor visa and has been eligible for 4 years (we will process this before leaving the U.K).

I have done my research and believe the best route is to marry and get a permanent visa for Australia, then once I have been there for four years apply for the dual.

Please could someone asses if this is the best route or is there a way of getting dual without having to do the four years? Lastly, what prices are the visas?

Thank you in advance for your advice and support.

Best wishes,

Elizabeth.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

It seems you're asking about a visa for Australia? I'll move your thread to the Oz immi section, where the good folks there will be able to help you.

Is your partner Australian? If so, that's worth mentioning so that people can advise you better on visas.

Best of luck.

Pollyana

You cannot get citizenship without meeting the requirements - see here
http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/c...nent-residence

For you, this would include meeting the criteria of have lived in Australia on a valid Australian visa for four years immediately before applying

So you need to start by getting a Permanent Residence visa. Unless you qualify on the grounds of your skills then you are looking at a Spouse Visa. Applying offshore this would be a 100 - you would get PR straightaway as long as you can prove your relationship has been de facto/married for at least 3 years.
Fees - its not cheap, currently $7000
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa/Fees

verystormy

It isn't clear from your post. Is your partner Australian?

BritInParis

Presumably your fiancé is Australian? You say he is on a UK Ancestry visa but has also been eligible for a British passport for four years. Both these things cannot be true. Does he hold Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK or is he still on a UK Ancestry visa? If so how long has he held his current visa? Did he hold another UK Ancestry visa prior to the current one?

epick1

Hi Everyone,

Yes he is Australian, my apologies.
He has had two ancestors visas.
As I understand he is now eligible for a British passport?

epick1

thank you.

epick1

U.K ancestry but could have applied for leave to remain when he renewed this in 1 and a half ago. We were wrongly advised.

BritInParis

Okay, so providing he passes/has passed his Life in the UK Test then it sounds he is eligible for ILR. I would therefore arrange to marry as soon as possible. Once your fiancé obtains ILR he will then be eligible for naturalisation as a British citizen. If you do not marry then he will have to wait an additional year after receiving ILR before he can apply for citizenship.

Once your then-husband has obtained his British citizenship I would lodge a subclass 309/100 Partner visa application from the UK. Given the length of time you had been in a de facto relationship prior to your marriage you should be granted both visas at the same time giving you permanent residence from the get-go. After your visa is granted you can move to Australia and after four years of residence you can then apply for Australian citizenship by conferral.

spouse of scouse

Welcome to BE, Epick

Just a tip, when you reply to a message it's best to do so using the 'quote' button, that way the particular message you're responding to is visible along with your reply. Saves confusion

Good luck with your move to Oz.

epick1

I wondered how you did that. Thank you.

spouse of scouse

My pleasure. We were all new once

epick1

Good afternoon,

Thank you for this information, it's taken a while to get my head around so my apologies on the delayed response.

As I understand my partner needs to go in for the test in the U.K asap
then apply for ILR... What does ILR stand for and how much is this?

We are currently looking at dates to legally marry hopefully this will be completed in the next few months.
Then as I understand he can apply for naturalisation as a British citizen, is there a name for this process and what is the price?
Lastly, how much is the subclass 309/100 and is there another name for this?

Thank you so much for this information. It's game changing I really appreciate this.

BritInParis

'Indefinite Leave to Remain' (permanent residence). The cost has shot up in recent years, it now stands at £2,297. Bear in mind that the fees are revised at the start of each financial year in April so I wouldn't hang about otherwise you may be paying £2,500+. The fee for the Life in the UK Test is £50. You can buy handbooks for revision at WH Smith.

https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk

Once you are married and your fiancé has been granted ILR then he can apply for naturalisation as a British citizen. That's the name of the process. The fee is £1,282 (again this is likely to rise in April). He'll need to attend a citizenship ceremony at your local council offices to swear/pledge allegiance to HM The Queen and the United Kingdom. At the end of the ceremony he'll be given his Certificate of naturalisation as a British citizen which he can use to apply for his first British passport. As it will be his first adult British passport he'll need to attend an interview as part of the application process.

https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen

https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passport

It's called the subclass 309/100 Partner visa or just a Partner visa. There is also the subclass 801/820 Partner visa which when you lodge your application from within Australia. There is an enormous backlog at the moment (several years) so I would only recommend lodging the application from the UK.

The fee is currently AU$7000 (~£4000). These fees are revised at the start of each Australian financial year in July and, like the UK, have gone up sharply in recent years so I would recommend making your application before the end of June. You can only apply online and you scan and upload your supporting documents via your ImmiAccount. If you are pushed for time then I would recommend lodging the application and paying your fee before the end of June even if you don't get around to uploading all your supporting documents until July. That way you won't be stung by any potential fee rises and your application is unlikely to be given to a case officer to assess for at least several weeks or even a couple of months after you apply depending on how busy they are.

http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/309-

Pollyana

Its the Partner Visa f, fees on the link as in myfirsr post

UOTE=Pollyana;12414583]You cannot get citizenship without meeting the requirements - see here
http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/c...nent-residence

For you, this would include meeting the criteria of have lived in Australia on a valid Australian visa for four years immediately before applying

So you need to start by getting a Permanent Residence visa. Unless you qualify on the grounds of your skills then you are looking at a Spouse Visa. Applying offshore this would be a 100 - you would get PR straightaway as long as you can prove your relationship has been de facto/married for at least 3 years.
Fees - its not cheap, currently $7000
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa/Fees[/QUOTE]