dbj_brennan

Hi All,

My fiaancee will be joining me here in Oz. She has a subclass 300 (prospective marriage), that we got by applying directly, and I have a couple of questions:

1) Can she fly to Oz on a one-way ticket?

2) What with the recession and all, we had to delay her arrival until now, and there are only a couple of months left to run on her subclass 300 visa. Given that we have to marry, and then apply for her spouse visa, what happens if her existing visa expires while the new visa is under consideration? Will she get a bridging visa? Can she still work? How long does the spouse visa take (applying in Sydney)?

Thanks folks!

DB

Pollyana

1) Yes, she is fine to travel on a one-way ticket.

2) The PMV probably will expire before the grant of the Spouse visa, that doesn't mater. What matters is that the application for the Spouse Visa gets lodged before the PMV expires. Once the application is lodged she will automatically be on a Bridging Visa until the decision is made on the Spouse visa. The Bridging Visa will allow her full work rights, just the same as the PMV does

Couple of suggestions from one who has been there and done it - get as much of the paperwork as possible ready before the wedding so you can lodge the application as fast as possible afterwards. Secondly, you will need the official marriage certificate from the registrar's office, not the decorative one they give you on the day. So make sure your celebrant knows how important it is that he/she lodges the paperwork with the registrar quickly. Some celebrants leave it several weeks before putting the papers in. Ours was very good as I told him what the situation was and he took the papers in within two days.

dbj_brennan

Thanks Polyanna - much appreciated!