Judee

Please can someone give me, a British pensioner, advice on which visa I need to get me into Australia, and then be able to apply onshore for the temporary visa....so I can stay in Oz without having to go offshore to re-apply to be allowed back into Australia. More than two years ago I met my partner, an Australian pensioner, and he has spent a lot of time with me in the UK since then and now we wish to stay together permanently in his country. I have been told that if I go into Australia on an ETA visa I cannot then, whilst in Australia, apply for the 820 visa so I can stay in Australia, and that I would have to come back to the UK to apply for the type of visa which will allow me to apply to live permanently in Oz.. So I am becoming very confused about this. I would really appreciate some advice here. We also intend to use an agent to help with all of this. Thanks for any help.

Pollyana

The first thing you need to do is work out whether you qualify for a Partner Visa (820/801 onshore or 309/100 offshore). So, are you married to him? Presumably not. Have you cohabited with him for 12 months or more? It might be possibe to get a visa without the cohabitation but you will need a LOT of strong evidence of the relationship and a very good agent.
Or, you could go on a Prospective Marriage Visa, but in that case you need to both be free to marry, and then have to actually get married within 9 months of the visa grant.

The logistics of going over as a tourist and then applying onshore are another matter altogether - work out if you even qualify for the Partner Visa first.

BritInParis

Which state or territory does your partner live in?