Proving living together!
Nov 30th 2008, 4:23 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 7
Proving living together!
Hi Everyone,
Need to apply for the defacto visa Asap but have been rocked a bit by being told by a migration agent that we are high risk!
Firstly does anyone recommend going through a migration agent and forking out loads of cash (are they worth it?) or should we just apply ourselves?
Ok here's our story. We met in Scotland April 2005 and lived together from about August to Dec (but can't prove it as was Staff accom so no rent or bills). Then Sarah came back to Oz with me on a working holiday visa. We lived with my parents for first month and then set off around Oz in a tent for a 1&1/2yrs before returning to Perth and renting for 6mths. We had a joint bank account the whole time and lease, bills etc from renting last 6mths. We also declared each other on our tax assessments.
Sarahs visa then ran out so we came back to the UK Jan 2008. We opened a 2nd joint bank account and lived with her parents until the end of June 2008.
We have been renting since then so will be 6mths in Dec 2008 but never changed over our address on bank acc, Car ins, Payslips etc as sometimes post doesn't make it to ours and her parents house is only 500m away so wasn't a hassel. To top it off we don't have any bills either as electricity is pre-paid and in landlords name, Don't pay rates or water and never got a phone line as just use mobiles. Also never paid tv license! ARGH! The only things we got to our address was a couple of letter from jobs we had applied for and the lease. Hoping that our bank acc helps as we are totally finacially tied. Both wages go in, rent comes out direct debit and of course all expences.
Will this be a problem? We are thinking about buying oil (even though we don't need any) just to get an invoice (in both names)!
Also i will be flying home Jan 12th to start an Apprenticeship (time to get qualified) so will need to apply very soon as think you need to be living together at time of application.
We have tonnes of photos on the computer that could be printed + lots of fam and friends that can back up our relationship.
Anyones thoughts are appreciated as pulling hairs out at the moment.
Cheers
Need to apply for the defacto visa Asap but have been rocked a bit by being told by a migration agent that we are high risk!
Firstly does anyone recommend going through a migration agent and forking out loads of cash (are they worth it?) or should we just apply ourselves?
Ok here's our story. We met in Scotland April 2005 and lived together from about August to Dec (but can't prove it as was Staff accom so no rent or bills). Then Sarah came back to Oz with me on a working holiday visa. We lived with my parents for first month and then set off around Oz in a tent for a 1&1/2yrs before returning to Perth and renting for 6mths. We had a joint bank account the whole time and lease, bills etc from renting last 6mths. We also declared each other on our tax assessments.
Sarahs visa then ran out so we came back to the UK Jan 2008. We opened a 2nd joint bank account and lived with her parents until the end of June 2008.
We have been renting since then so will be 6mths in Dec 2008 but never changed over our address on bank acc, Car ins, Payslips etc as sometimes post doesn't make it to ours and her parents house is only 500m away so wasn't a hassel. To top it off we don't have any bills either as electricity is pre-paid and in landlords name, Don't pay rates or water and never got a phone line as just use mobiles. Also never paid tv license! ARGH! The only things we got to our address was a couple of letter from jobs we had applied for and the lease. Hoping that our bank acc helps as we are totally finacially tied. Both wages go in, rent comes out direct debit and of course all expences.
Will this be a problem? We are thinking about buying oil (even though we don't need any) just to get an invoice (in both names)!
Also i will be flying home Jan 12th to start an Apprenticeship (time to get qualified) so will need to apply very soon as think you need to be living together at time of application.
We have tonnes of photos on the computer that could be printed + lots of fam and friends that can back up our relationship.
Anyones thoughts are appreciated as pulling hairs out at the moment.
Cheers
Nov 30th 2008, 11:41 pm
#2
Feeble Minded
Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Cairns, QLD
Posts: 1,612
Re: Proving living together!
Whether you use a migration agent or not is a personal decision. Some people prefer the security of having someone who knows the ins and outs of the process deal with all the paperwork for them, others use them because its a complex situation.
I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that there is no real reason why you shouldn't be able to handle this yourself as long as you are methodical and good at presenting information. You need to write detailed statements each clearly setting out your living arrangements over the period you have been together and wherever possible getting people to give you statements who can back that up - eg. parents, friends etc.. The fact that you have had a joint bank account both in Australia and in the UK for almost your entire relationship is a very good piece of evidence, and the fact that you declared each other on your income tax returns. Can you get confirmation of both of those from the banks, the date accounts opened etc?
Also you can explain quite satisfactorily why correspondence was going to your gf's parents address as it was a more secure arrangement. Both your names appear on the lease and you have letters re jobs ...
Obviously it's your decision, but I cannot see that it is a particularly "high risk" case, just one that takes more explanation than had you been more static in your living arrangements!!
pssssst don't mention the tv licencse tsk tsk 
Just sit down and start gathering all the evidence you have together, when you physically collect it rather than think about it in theory, you might find that you have more than you think!
If you're flying back to Australia on Jan 12th then you'll need to pull your finger out re getting police checks and medicals sorted and getting your aussie family/friends to fill in their Form 888s which have to be signed by a JP together with a certified copy of birth cert/passport.
Good luck whatever you decide. Remember there are plenty of people here too who are prepared to offer up their own experiences to see if that can help you.
I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that there is no real reason why you shouldn't be able to handle this yourself as long as you are methodical and good at presenting information. You need to write detailed statements each clearly setting out your living arrangements over the period you have been together and wherever possible getting people to give you statements who can back that up - eg. parents, friends etc.. The fact that you have had a joint bank account both in Australia and in the UK for almost your entire relationship is a very good piece of evidence, and the fact that you declared each other on your income tax returns. Can you get confirmation of both of those from the banks, the date accounts opened etc?
Also you can explain quite satisfactorily why correspondence was going to your gf's parents address as it was a more secure arrangement. Both your names appear on the lease and you have letters re jobs ...
Obviously it's your decision, but I cannot see that it is a particularly "high risk" case, just one that takes more explanation than had you been more static in your living arrangements!!
pssssst don't mention the tv licencse tsk tsk Just sit down and start gathering all the evidence you have together, when you physically collect it rather than think about it in theory, you might find that you have more than you think!
If you're flying back to Australia on Jan 12th then you'll need to pull your finger out re getting police checks and medicals sorted and getting your aussie family/friends to fill in their Form 888s which have to be signed by a JP together with a certified copy of birth cert/passport.
Good luck whatever you decide. Remember there are plenty of people here too who are prepared to offer up their own experiences to see if that can help you.
Dec 1st 2008, 2:19 am
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 68
Re: Proving living together!
I know of a couple who spent their 12months "living together" prior to applying for his defacto visa (she was Aussie, he was from UK), in a combi van traveling around Australia. They told me they just used there bank statements (not joint) with matching locations of withdrawal as proof....his PR visa was granted maybe 6-7 years ago!
So it seems that as long as you can give them some reasonable evidence of life together you should be fine....
Best of luck!
So it seems that as long as you can give them some reasonable evidence of life together you should be fine....
Best of luck!
Dec 3rd 2008, 9:43 pm
#4
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 7
Re: Proving living together!
Whether you use a migration agent or not is a personal decision. Some people prefer the security of having someone who knows the ins and outs of the process deal with all the paperwork for them, others use them because its a complex situation.
I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that there is no real reason why you shouldn't be able to handle this yourself as long as you are methodical and good at presenting information. You need to write detailed statements each clearly setting out your living arrangements over the period you have been together and wherever possible getting people to give you statements who can back that up - eg. parents, friends etc.. The fact that you have had a joint bank account both in Australia and in the UK for almost your entire relationship is a very good piece of evidence, and the fact that you declared each other on your income tax returns. Can you get confirmation of both of those from the banks, the date accounts opened etc?
Also you can explain quite satisfactorily why correspondence was going to your gf's parents address as it was a more secure arrangement. Both your names appear on the lease and you have letters re jobs ...
Obviously it's your decision, but I cannot see that it is a particularly "high risk" case, just one that takes more explanation than had you been more static in your living arrangements!! pssssst don't mention the tv licencse tsk tsk
Just sit down and start gathering all the evidence you have together, when you physically collect it rather than think about it in theory, you might find that you have more than you think!
If you're flying back to Australia on Jan 12th then you'll need to pull your finger out re getting police checks and medicals sorted and getting your aussie family/friends to fill in their Form 888s which have to be signed by a JP together with a certified copy of birth cert/passport.
Good luck whatever you decide. Remember there are plenty of people here too who are prepared to offer up their own experiences to see if that can help you.
I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that there is no real reason why you shouldn't be able to handle this yourself as long as you are methodical and good at presenting information. You need to write detailed statements each clearly setting out your living arrangements over the period you have been together and wherever possible getting people to give you statements who can back that up - eg. parents, friends etc.. The fact that you have had a joint bank account both in Australia and in the UK for almost your entire relationship is a very good piece of evidence, and the fact that you declared each other on your income tax returns. Can you get confirmation of both of those from the banks, the date accounts opened etc?
Also you can explain quite satisfactorily why correspondence was going to your gf's parents address as it was a more secure arrangement. Both your names appear on the lease and you have letters re jobs ...
Obviously it's your decision, but I cannot see that it is a particularly "high risk" case, just one that takes more explanation than had you been more static in your living arrangements!!
pssssst don't mention the tv licencse tsk tsk Just sit down and start gathering all the evidence you have together, when you physically collect it rather than think about it in theory, you might find that you have more than you think!
If you're flying back to Australia on Jan 12th then you'll need to pull your finger out re getting police checks and medicals sorted and getting your aussie family/friends to fill in their Form 888s which have to be signed by a JP together with a certified copy of birth cert/passport.
Good luck whatever you decide. Remember there are plenty of people here too who are prepared to offer up their own experiences to see if that can help you.
