# Visa subclass 175 (skilled migration) and de facto partner



## clarinha (Jun 6, 2011)

Hi all,
My partner and I are thinking about moving to Australia from the UK in about 12 months. We both qualify for the skilled migrant visa but he is on the more urgent list of occupations and gets more points and also the time it would take for him is about 6 months to get the visa compared with up to a year for me. Since I fit the requirements for a de facto partner (lived together for more than 12 months), we would want to apply for one visa under his name. However, I'm not very clear about whether there are added costs to adding a partner on a visa application? My understanding is that the subclass visa costs about £1600. Also, any advice on whether a migration agent is necessay would be good? My impression is that it might not make much sense in our case as we easily fulfill the criteria for the visa.
Any advice on these issues would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!


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## dundeeboi82 (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi Clarinha,

Welcome to the forum - hope you get as much info out of it as I have so far.

I take it you are looking at a 175 visa? What occupation are you both? The 175 is suggested as 12-18 months usually, although they do seem to be picking up the pace a bit now. Don't forget you'll need to get skills assessed before you can apply for this visa, so you'll need to account for a bit extra time - mine has taken 8 weeks and still counting, desperate to get visa in before changes on july 1st!!

We're going for a 175 GSM visa with my OH as a defacto - there is only one fee ($2545 or something like that) - you only pay the second fee if the de facto person has less than functional English - if you've got a uk (assuming you're from uk?) passport you're fine.

We're not using an agent - mainly to save money, but I'm a bit OCD with things, so I'll triple check everything before uploading lol (have 50+ documents scanned and ready to upload when i get my skills assessment!).

it may be once you say your occupatiobn and visa type, the advise might change, but hopefully thats a starter for 10. 

G


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## clarinha (Jun 6, 2011)

Hi Dundeeboi82,

Thanks so much for your reply and helpful information. My partner is a mechanical engineer and I'm a policy analyst and we're looking to apply for a 175 visa under his name (have just checked the SOL list again and hadn't read the docs properly, my occupation is not on the list for independent visas, only for sponsored visa applications). He is English and I'm French but I've done all my higher education in the UK and have lived there for about 10 years now so I guess that should make things easier (i.e. no need to prove english proficiency, etc). Have just checked the skills assessment today for my partner and the process looked quite straight forward for engineering. Have just recently started reading more about everything else that's required like medical checks and CRB checks, these things also seem to take quite a bit of time but seems that they only require you to undertake these checks once your application is being processed, is that correct?
Also, do you know if being on the application as a de facto partner gives you the same rights as the main applicant?
Have also been reading some confusing information about permanent residency and having to apply for that, I guess that doesnt' really apply straight away, do you know anything about that?

Good luck and thanks again for your help!

Claire


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## dundeeboi82 (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi Claire,

So it seems you're basically going the same route as us (175 with de facto partner). I know M.E. is on the SOL but not sure if it's has any more priority to any of the others on that list - whereabouts did you get the 6 month visa processing period from? I may be wrong (I often am haha) but I think it will follow the same timescales as the rest on the 175 GSM Category 3, which is probably 12 months. I'm seriously hoping they do keep up the pace and start reducing the timescales, but at the moment, they are still saying 12-18 months (plus the skills assessment).

How does he score on the rest of the points? I would assume it's probably now going to after July 1st before you apply (as you have to wait for skills assessment) - in case you haven't seen it, here's a link to the new points test - http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/points-test.pdf 

I know I had to sit the IELTS English test to boost my points, as I was short by 5 - do you think he may also have to do this?

And that brings us on to the next point - your English skills. Again I could be wrong, but the current 175 visa form requires the partner to prove English language skills by either: 1. holding a passport from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, USA or UK; or 2.have sat, or is going to sit, an IELTS or OET English test.
Now, someone else out there might be able to confirm if higher qualifications are sufficient, but certainly from what I've read the IELTS is generally needed. More money I'm afraid (that's one thing you'll notice, your bank account balance will keep decreasing exponentially!!!lol)

Medicals and police checks etc don't get done until you get a case officer and they ask for it - and again, more money lol. I don't think they take too long, and most medical places can upload electronically now to save a bit of time.

And as far as i know, both of you will be given permanent residence status on approval, and subsequent validation of your 175 visa - same rights and all. you can, after 4 years i think, apply to become an australian citizen, but your 175 gives you permanent residency rights (providing you stick to the terms of the visa).

Hopefully that helps a little bit more - the whole process is quite daunting, I know I panicked quite a bit at the start when first reading all these forums, but the key is to take a step back and look at one thing at a time (i.e. get skills assessment away, look at booking IELTS tests, then start working your way down the 'to do' list).

Anything else, just ask!! 

G


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## tigris330 (Apr 14, 2011)

You can also satisfy the 'adequate English language ability' by providing a copy of a university degree whose courses were in English. I did this myself - I am Maltese, and one of my native languages is English. My B.A was in English so I provided a copy of the transcript.


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## coynie (Jan 13, 2008)

hi 
we have just had our 175 visa granted. i am an electrical engineer and it has taken 18 months to get to this stage, from submitting the application.
This time doesn't include the time for the skills tests and the IELTS test or the time it took to get the application together, references etc.
Even though English is my only language i still had to take the test to increase my points.
it really can be a long process, so be prepared to be frustrated with the wait.
hope this helps in any way,
regards and the best of luck.


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## dundeeboi82 (Mar 28, 2011)

congrats on getting your visa coynie!! Did you have a fairly straightforward run once you got a CO, or did you have to submit extra info? Were you a Cat. 3 when you first applied in January 2010, or did you move up priority in July 2010 when the updates were announced?

When are you heading out? Do you know which part you're heading for yet?

I have to agree, I'm only in the early stages, but the waiting is the frustrating part - everything is pretty much out of your control!

Good luck with the move whenever it may be!


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## coynie (Jan 13, 2008)

hi dundeeboi
once i got a CO it was easy except i was in oz at the time and they want the police checks and medicals done in 28 days so it was a bit of a mad rush when i got home, then more waiting, luckily only 7 weeks after meds and checks were sent.
shortly after i applied they removed the skills list so i was in total limbo and had no idea what was going on.
now is the task of trying to arrange everything for the move, we have to make our first entry into oz in march 2012 and my 175 visa is unrestricted.
we are looking to live in perth.
good luck mate things look like theyre picking up.


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## clarinha (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks to all for the advice! Just realised I'd been looking at outdated info so thanks Dundeeboi for including the link to the correct info on points and for all the other useful info you included in your response (BTW the info I looked out that stated a procesing time of 6 months for occupations in high demand looks to be outdated also....)! I should point out I've only been looking into this for the past week or so so still trying to find my way through all this information and it doesn't help that it coincides with all the changes to the system! 

So it doesn't look as easy as I originally thought...and it looks like my partner will have to take the IELTS test to bump up the scores (currently getting to 50 out of 65!) and that won't be easy. Anyone has experience of taking the IELTS? How difficult is it for a native speaker?

Thanks to all for the helpful information and good luck with the process (pretty scary when you start looking at all this stuff )!!

Claire


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## dundeeboi82 (Mar 28, 2011)

Haha no worries Claire - trust me, I thought it would be a lot easier than this when I first started looking into it! Once you get your head around it all and the timescales, you'll be fine 

I took the IELTS test a few weeks ago - I was getting myself into a bit a panic the night before when I was sitting online tests, but once I got there it was fine - the key is not to let your mind wander as you only get one chance on the listening! I also spent far too long on the first half of the writing part and thought I had messed it up - but I got 8.5 our of 9.0 for that part, and 9.0 for all the rest! 
I'm assuming your other half has a Uni degree for his Mechanical Engineering - if so, I think he should be ok 

Nearer the time of the test (once you've got a date) drop me a msg and I'll send you a few links I have to IELTS info.

I have to say with this forum (and others like it) it has made the whole process much easier!!


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## clarinha (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks again for the advice Dundeeboi!
So, how many points did you get on your test?

And thanks for teh encouragement. There was me thinking that in 12 months time I could be on a beach in Australia enjoying all the good things in line....not quite that simple after all!

Good luck to everyone in getting their visa ,

Claire


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## dundeeboi82 (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi Claire,

I got Listening - 9.0 / Reading - 9.0 / Writing - 8.5 / Speaking - 9.0 / Overall - 9.0 - way better than I thought I would do, didn't expect to get full marks in one part, never mind three!! 

So which part of Australia are you thinking of heading to? At the moment, we're thinking Melbourne direction.

Coynie, as much as I'm not looking forward to the stress of the final big move, I'm incredibly jealous that you've reached that stage! In my head, I'm hoping for a move around August 2012 - if the visa for some reason goes much quicker, then we may pull the plans forward! But then again, we don't want to have to put the market on during the winter (we had 4ft of snow in november - couldn't leave the house for a week!). Hope it all goes well for you!


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## clarinha (Jun 6, 2011)

Wow, well done!! Did you have to practice much for it? It's quite scary for us because he needs to get full marks to get the required 65 points, if he gets lower marks, we won't have enough points arrrrrggghhh! Anyway, one last question on the topic, do you know if I will also have to do the test at some point given that I'm not a native speaker? And if so, do you know at what stage in the process?
Not sure yet where we're aiming for, we really like the sound of Brisbane although I've read somewhere that it gets dark at 7pm all year round...And with the time it gets for applications to get processed, we've got plenty of time to change our minds!!!

Best of luck with your application!

Claire


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## dundeeboi82 (Mar 28, 2011)

Didn't do too much practice - a few online tests, but think they flustered me more than anything! One thing I learnt from these forums is to completely familiarise yourself with the format of the test - I think this is where most people trip up.

In terms of you sitting the IELTS, I can't be sure - but tigris330 posted earlier that their uni degree was adequate - i would assume that your UK higher education certificates would also be adequate. The worst that could happen is that you submit this certificate at the start with all the other documents, and they then ask you, once you've got a CO, to sit the IELTS. But hopefully that won't be the case - though no one knows how the DIAC work!!


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## coynie (Jan 13, 2008)

hi all
i totally agree with dundeeboi, the IELTS test could really trip you up unless you know the format, it wasnt what id expected and i didnt study for it at all. 
my agent advised me to do the test as i was 5 points short and this gave me 15. so i took the test and submitted it with my visa application to be on the safe side. compared with everything else it was one of the chearest and most straight forward parts.
english is my first language and i have an o level in english but i was told it wasnt enough, so i would seek further advise on this. only the main applicant has to do it not both of you.
once you get a CO they want everything done in 28 days and its highly unlikely you'll be able to comply with the COs request in that time.

hope this helps and good luck. dont give up


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## superman1310 (Aug 4, 2011)

*About this new points scheme... - 175 GSM Visa*

Hello,

I can see lots of people with experience getting GSM 175 Visa lately so perhaps someone knows the answer to these questions.

1. I got assessed by ACS as Business Analyst and passed IELTS with 7s. I applied for GSM visa few days prior to 1.6.2011 when there were some changes in points system. I applied according to SOL list (no sponsorship, no job-offer). Does anyone know, will I be assessed by the "old" system or the "new" one? I see on official imigration web-site that 1.6.2011 is considered as a starting date for the new way of scoring points, but I couldnt find info about already sent application prior to this date.

2. I see that priorities for application processing changed. 18 months are too long for me to wait so I tought to try to get a job-offer. Does anyone know how much job-offer can speed getting the visa up? Is there any other way to rush the things up a little bit?

3. I already tried to find a job on seek co au and jobserve but mostly, I dont get a reply. I persume that it's because I dont have the papers yet. Does anyone know how to overcome this because I heard some stories about people who got the job just by sending e-mails around (without any visa) and it turned out that employers who replied to them positively didn't look at that as a problem. Btw, i work in IT, ITIL - IT Service Management and/or Project management. How can I draw some attention or should I ask what the employers see as threat in employing oversee employees? How can I change that (from your experience if possible)

Thank you in advance


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## Artemisa (Aug 31, 2010)

1. Old system. 


2. AFAIK, it's pretty difficult to find a job-offer which would wait/pay for a visa. And, I guess you would need to apply to ANOTHER visa (457 maybe), which is not a permanent visa. 
So, no. There's no way to 'speed up' 175 processing if you had applied after july/2010. You can only apply to other visas. 


3. I have no experience about it, sorry ;(


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## superman1310 (Aug 4, 2011)

Artemisa said:


> 1. Old system.
> 
> 
> 2. AFAIK, it's pretty difficult to find a job-offer which would wait/pay for a visa. And, I guess you would need to apply to ANOTHER visa (457 maybe), which is not a permanent visa.
> ...


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## cookii (Sep 1, 2011)

hi, 

just started readin gupon this application and regretting that i did not apply for it when i just finished my studies in Aus 8 yrs ago.

would like to check if anyone has done this on their own or would it be better to apply thru an agent? anyone has links on IELTS? took this exam like 10 yrs ago, and i think i need to retake it to ensure it is the latest result eventhough i studied in aus for 5 yrs 

task of applying seem daunting ..


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## ind2aus (Mar 14, 2011)

dundeeboi82 said:


> Haha no worries Claire - trust me, I thought it would be a lot easier than this when I first started looking into it! Once you get your head around it all and the timescales, you'll be fine
> 
> I took the IELTS test a few weeks ago - I was getting myself into a bit a panic the night before when I was sitting online tests, but once I got there it was fine - the key is not to let your mind wander as you only get one chance on the listening! I also spent far too long on the first half of the writing part and thought I had messed it up - but I got 8.5 our of 9.0 for that part, and 9.0 for all the rest!
> I'm assuming your other half has a Uni degree for his Mechanical Engineering - if so, I think he should be ok
> ...



Hi dundeeboi82,

I am preparing for the IELTS, could you please share the IELTS links?

Thanks in advance

Regards
ind2aus


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