smithyrocks

I am a secondary teacher with 5 years experience, I have taken the points test and would be eligible (according to the website) for a perm skills visa (a 175/ 6 I think?)

I have a son (6) and a partner (primary teacher, just completing PGCE), we are togather and he is on the birth certificate. He will be travelling on my Visa as he would only achieve 115 points due to age (31) and lack of working experience.

My question is this: will it matter for Visa purposes if we were sepereated for 4 years during the last 6 (we have been together 9 in total but 4 of these we were seperated). I wasn't sure if this was even a factor/ worth mentioning? I'm not sure what paperwork would need to be provided/ if we would need to 'prove' our relationship as we are not married. Hope that all makes sense.

dl4e

I'm not sure how it will affect the application, but it will ask if and why you have been separated.

Also note that after July 1st this year a new points system will be in effect, by which you will get more points for age (25-33 will be the best group), but you may lose points in other places. Be sure to check it out.

smithyrocks

Thank you for replying. Do you think it is worth mentioning then? Is there a place/ do you know what paper work you need to submit in terms of proving your relationship for a joint visa?

How/ where do I check out new criteria/ points guide?

dl4e

I'm not sure about the separation, an agent consult might be a good choice, but one problem is if you leave it out and they find out about it, it wont look good.

As for the new points system, here are the changes: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...oints-fact.pdf

Bermudashorts

What is the recent history of the relationship? i.e. what in the last year. It only require 12 months of cohabitation to apply as a defacto on another's application. So what happened before this is a moot point.

smithyrocks

Hi, had a look at the link and it seems I'd still be fine in terms of points. In terms of seperation, am I right in thinking we'd only need to show we'd lived together for the past year, would that just be shown by bills in both our names etc?

A massive thanks again for your help- have been trawling threads to find info but get advice/ help much quicker this way.

As a rough guide, how much do you pay for help with visa applications (just a ball park figure).

dl4e

Around $2500 for first installment, about 400-500 for skills assessment, if the partner has less than vocational english then about $3500 more, plus medical and police checks. But you have the details on www.immi.gov.au

smithyrocks

Really!!! That seems mega bucks! No issues with English (we both have English degrees). Do you think it's defo worth the investment? I'd assumed it would be a few hundred pounds, not a few thousand!

dl4e

It's definitely not cheap. And if you get rejected don't expect a refund

smithyrocks

Do you think people generally use them because they make the process quicker/ because they make you more likely to get accepted?

I don't think we would get rejected from what I can gather from websites, more concerned that we'd do something wrong/ miss something- is that likely? Do most 'genuine' cases get accepted? Or is it the case that you could meet criteria but get rejected as you filled in paper work wrong?

What proprtion of people pay for help?

The mind boggles!

Bermudashorts

If you want to go to Australia as a permanent resident then you have to pay the visa fee. Whether one feels it is worth the money depends upon how much one wants to move to Australia.

smithyrocks

Ahhhh, I totally mis-read your last post. I thought you meant that was they amount people paid for somebody (i.e. legally) to HELP you apply for your visa, not for visa itself. Is the cost the same for children? Thanks again for your speedy replies. If it is for the visa then yes, obviously it is defo worth it. Thought it was a little expensive for some legal advice on a visa!

dl4e

Migration agents (that help you with the application and all) have different rates, I can't give you an estimate there. But using one has no direct influence on your application, they can't speed the process and can't guarantee you a positive outcome.

As for kids, I think all children over five have to go through medical checks as well.

Jen1977ni

If u have been living together for the last 12 months and can prove that, then you need not worry...

smithyrocks

Wow, thanks again for all your help. I'm defo not going to bother with an agent then. What was the first step you guys made when applying? Did you start collating documents you knew you would need first or did you just get stuck straight in with the application? How long did it take you to complete the documentation (roughly)- I don't mean the time waiting after submission, I mean actually wading through all the paper work.

I knew that all dependents were subject to health checks, I meant do you have to pay for a seperate visa application or is it covered in the cost of yours and you just pay the additional health check cost?