Kamie26

This is good to hear as I honestly though that I was missing something. I have over looked something though, my australian police report. I'm going to send off for it at the end of the week, put my application in with out it and send it on when it gets here. I'm also going to have to cancel my medicals until next week as I have the mother of all colds. I'm so sick of all the paper work, I keep having moments when I think its just easier to stay put

They were all fine thanks, but unfortunately a friend of my sister and brother in law lost his wife and kids in Grantham. Heartbreaking, puts all the little problems into perspective

xzibit

Just a quick question.

As a 6 month work contract has come up, if I took it, it would give us a great deposit for a house when we go over to Australia.

If I took it, we could apply for my fiance's visa offshore which would mean she would arrive on a defacto visa instead of a WHV which would be better for work - but in the booklet 1 it says the sponsor (me) is usually required to be resident in Australia.

So does this mean that all defacto visa applications where the sponsor is a Permanent Resident requires the sponsor to be in Australia when the application is submitted? As there's no way we could be apart for 6 months whilst the application was going through.

Turkeytek

Do you mind if I ask if that is because of personal reasons or because of the perception that the DIAC would have of your relationship?

xzibit

Lol well it was a figure of speech as in we'd find it extremely tough to spend 6 months apart as would most couples. But also as you mentioned DIAC's perception on the situation, it may seem odd to them that we are willing to spend months apart to get a visa, I know many couples on here have gone through it and I can't imagine how hard they've found it.

But if I, as a PR and the sponsor, need to be resident in oz for the application, we'll head out on a whv and see how it goes and then apply onshore.

Turkeytek

Reason i asked is my girlfriend and I pretty much have to be apart, she needs to return to Brazil to do a semester of her degree otherwise she loses the two years already completed and I can't leave my job here. We thought that whilst the visa is being assessed, she could do another semester. I'm planning on going over there mid way through the six months apart but I hope the DIAC view our situation favorably!

Pollyana

You need to keep evidence of how you keep in touch while apart, and how you sustain the relationship - letters, emails, any money transfers, visits to each other etc. DIAC accepts there are reasons why couples are sometimes apart, but they do expect you to show that you stay in touch with each other.

xzibit

Oh Well hopefully you'll be able to sort it out so whilst she is studying, the visa is being processed - and then you'll only have to spend the minimum amount of time apart possible.

I can't seem to find an answer to whether I can be in the UK whilst we were to submit my fiancee's offshore defacto, so I think we'll just do it onshore. If there's a way to do it without being apart for an extended period, that's the way we'll go.

Voyager 3

My partner is an PR who has been in the UK for the past 18 months on the youth mobiltiy visa. We have just submitted my application. My partner's visa runs out in April and he's returning home to find a job, somewhere for us to live etc. I'm hoping to follow him in August (I have to stay for some family stuff/work contract.) So to answer your question you can apply whilst the sponsor is still in the UK.
The current processing times for a spouse visa seem to be 5-6 months. You could wait a month or two to submit your visa and then you head over first with you partner following. That way you don't have to be apart for an entire 6 months and you can get a head start on a job search (sorry-I'm presuming you don't yet have a job in oz-or if you do already have a job, a head start in saving some money perhaps for when your partner arrives)

As my OH doesn't have a job lined up yet in Oz he'll be doing job searches from the UK-we both included work history paragraphs in our stat decs to try and show DIAC that we haven't been unemployed for long periods.

Hope this helps.

peachpurpleblue

Hello and thanks to all of you that have replied to posts and given advice. I did email my case worker and I got a very detailed and helpful response from her.
We're heading to Syndey in August, loads to do before we go so I probably post some more queries between now and then.

Wish us luck and good luck to everyone who is still waiting!

Janet

pink13

good luck and remember when times get tough, this is what you have been working towards for some time, so put a smile on your face and boxing gloves on your hands and bob them bad times right out of the universe

njbrown

Sent kids and OHs application off today, medicals are on Monday. I couldn't wait till then to send them, but from what I've read I think the medicals get sent directly to London. Hope this is the case otherwise that'll be another special delivery. It's such a relief to get everything away. Big thank you for all the tips on this site. Nicola

pink13

Yea Nicola mine went straight to London, felt a bit freaky some Dr doing all these tests that could or not change my life and they didn't even talk about what they were doing to me
good luck with it all, worth it in the end x

Kamie26

Sorry folks I have yet more questions.

I'm a bit concerned now about my stat dec and that I have put far too many pages into it (at the last count I was up to nine pages). Should I just cut the waffle and just put key dates in or do they like you to go into the inns and outs of everything? Also do you really have to put details of the more intimate side of your relationship in? I don't mean going into graphic detail but just putting things in about it. Seems a little personal.

Did people put their nature of the household statement into it, or was this a separate statement to be covered by both my husband and I?

This is so annoying as I am terrified of doing something wrong (I'm sure that many of you have been there lol). I never used to stress this much about submitting work to uni. As soon as I have finished this, my part is compleatly done.

RainDog

Our application contained the following statements, all in size 12 font:

Applicant's statement (3 pages)
Sponsor's statement (2 pages)
Joint statement on finances (1.5 pages)
Joint statement on the nature of the household (1.5 pages)
Joint statement on the social context of our relationship (1.5 pages)
Joint statement on the nature of our commitment (1.5 pages)

We tried to keep it simple and structured around key dates in our relationship. We had a bit of lovey-dovey stuff at the end of our individual statements.

We didn't make any mention of intimate stuff; I think it's implied that you have a sexual relationship if you go on holidays etc. Also, we got a visit from DIAC - we live in a 1-bedroom apartment and they asked us who sleeps on which side of the bed - so I think they know we have "special cuddles"!

We're still waiting though so I could be wrong on all this!

Voyager 3

My stat dec was about 4.5 sides of A4. I included things like how we met, how our r'ship developed (i.e. keeping in contact whilst apart, moving in, meeting rents, opening joint account etc) I included our household responsibilities in a few lines, work history, our commitment to each other i.e. my OH left australia, friends, family, a good job etc to come to the UK, keeping in contact whilst apart and finally a bit about our social set up. Nothing too personal or intimate just the facts.

Good Luck!