# Any experienced with spouse visa application?



## nicvic (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi like to know if anyone here had any experienced with spouse visa application? thank you so much in advance.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Hi there,

Welcome to the forum.

If you do a search you'll find other threads about members applying for a spouse visa.

Dolly


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

nicvic said:


> Hi like to know if anyone here had any experienced with spouse visa application? thank you so much in advance.


What do u need to know? I'm still waiting for mine to be processed and currently hold a bridging visa which allows me to stay here until my PR visa application is approved. One thing you may need to know is that it'll take a while. I've been waiting for close to 2 months now.


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## interplanetjanet (Jan 7, 2009)

What exactly do you need to know? I applied for mine while still in the States, and it took less than six weeks to get my permanent residence visa from the time I submitted the application.


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## BuddysMum (Sep 10, 2008)

My OH applied for a spouse visa (from UK) and it was granted a month after submitting all the forms etc.

Because we have been married more than 5 years he has been given PR.

Let me know if I can help in any way.


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## IrishAngel (Mar 12, 2008)

My spousal visa was granted in less than 1 month, and we could prove that we lived together for 2 years or more so i was granted permanent residency...... i literally heard from them the day after (or 2 days after) they received our medicals.... a word of advise - do your paperwork yourself, do not pay an agent as it is a piece of cake, looks like a big job in the beginning but its all inputing the same info over and over again 

good luck

Paula


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## GazN (Nov 2, 2008)

nicvic said:


> Hi like to know if anyone here had any experienced with spouse visa application? thank you so much in advance.


Hi, 

I'm emigrating in the next couple of weeks on a Spouse Visa. I applied in March/April 2008 and it was granted in July. It was reasonably straightforward, however we did have to search for a fair bit of paperwork to prove our long term relationship (bank statements, council tax, utility bills, travel insurance etc). I was granted a permanent visa straight away.

We used Advantage Migration in Perth to handle everything (we met Dianne at the Toast festival in London) and she was great and answered any questions we had fairly promptly and provided quite a few contacts for other parts of the process (banks, financial advisors etc). I think it would have taken a lot longer without her.

Gary.


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

dont know why mine's taking longer than those of you here. maybe coz my spouse is not aussie. he's danish holding aussie pr. the immi lawyer mentioned that application made in australia usually takes longer. why? beats me ;-)


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## Apotheosis (Nov 7, 2008)

My girlfriend and I have a unique situation. We've been living together in the US for 3 years, so seems we're considered de facto by Australian standards. She's being transferred through her company (sales role), so do I need to apply for a completely separate visa? I have one year of experience in IT (business analyst), 5 years experience at an large international company, plus a college degree in environmental science (7 years ago). I feel I have the potential to earn my own visa but I'm hoping it is easier and cheaper to get a 'spouse' visa through my girlfriend. Would getting married make it easier for this process? Or does being 'de facto' really hold same rights as a married couple?


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## interplanetjanet (Jan 7, 2009)

> the immi lawyer mentioned that application made in australia usually takes longer. why? beats me


Probably because there are a LOT more people in Australia applying for Australian visas than in each individual country. I was really shocked after I submitted my application in the States to actually receive a letter with not only the telephone number of a specific contact at the embassy but his email address as well! I sent him an email with some questions, and he responded within 10 minutes!


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

interplanetjanet said:


> Probably because there are a LOT more people in Australia applying for Australian visas than in each individual country. I was really shocked after I submitted my application in the States to actually receive a letter with not only the telephone number of a specific contact at the embassy but his email address as well! I sent him an email with some questions, and he responded within 10 minutes!


yes, makes a lot of sense. hope you're right. am staying positive though and am pretty sure it'll all work out. till then, i'll just enjoy being a housewife


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

Apotheosis said:


> My girlfriend and I have a unique situation. We've been living together in the US for 3 years, so seems we're considered de facto by Australian standards. She's being transferred through her company (sales role), so do I need to apply for a completely separate visa? I have one year of experience in IT (business analyst), 5 years experience at an large international company, plus a college degree in environmental science (7 years ago). I feel I have the potential to earn my own visa but I'm hoping it is easier and cheaper to get a 'spouse' visa through my girlfriend. Would getting married make it easier for this process? Or does being 'de facto' really hold same rights as a married couple?


i think you should get your gf to sponsor you. de facto spouse here is treated the same as a married partner. same process, same paperwork. fyi my aussie friend married his american/colombian wife in australia and yet it took them 6-8 months to get her visa. maybe also because they applied in singapore. i think no two cases are alike. u should start doing your research and prepare all the documents now


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## Apotheosis (Nov 7, 2008)

how could my girlfriend sponsor me though? she's American, not Aussie...


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

Apotheosis said:


> how could my girlfriend sponsor me though? she's American, not Aussie...


oh...is she an aussie pr? if so, she can still sponsor u. if she's here on work visa, then i suppose u can check if her employer can sponsor u as a spouse. in any case, u shud consult an immi lawyer/aussie immi official.


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## Apotheosis (Nov 7, 2008)

snorkeprincess said:


> oh...is she an aussie pr? if so, she can still sponsor u. if she's here on work visa, then i suppose u can check if her employer can sponsor u as a spouse. in any case, u shud consult an immi lawyer/aussie immi official.


what does pr stand for? she will be transferred there by her company.

any recommendations?


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Apotheosis said:


> what does pr stand for? she will be transferred there by her company.
> 
> any recommendations?


PR is permanent residency so it doesn't matter where someone is from originally since they have certain rights once they have PR.


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## Apotheosis (Nov 7, 2008)

I've got the forms for a 457 visa (1066) and the company sponsorship form 1196.

first off, it seems they aren't terribly difficult to fulfill. yes, a lot of various paperwork but it seems they are very straightforward with what is required.

So, here is where we currently stand in our plans...

My girlfriend (de facto spouse) will be applying for the 457 as the primary, and i will be the secondary applicant. it gets a bit confusing though...do I lodge a completely separate application (1066)? I have my own skills to obtain a 457 if my organization chooses to sponsor me...still up in the air. Or should we just have 1 application for the both of us?

Also I've just learned a bit about the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)...what is the difference between the two?


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## ANDYROBBO (Jan 14, 2009)

IrishAngel said:


> My spousal visa was granted in less than 1 month, and we could prove that we lived together for 2 years or more so i was granted permanent residency...... i literally heard from them the day after (or 2 days after) they received our medicals.... a word of advise - do your paperwork yourself, do not pay an agent as it is a piece of cake, looks like a big job in the beginning but its all inputing the same info over and over again
> 
> good luck
> 
> Paula


Hi Paula, Hope you don't mind me asking you.. We are hoping to go over on a 175 visa but the problem is qualification's obtaining them from the City & Guilds, do you know of any other visa i could get for me and my fiancee and baby?? We have been quoted £3800 for an agent to deal on our behalf, you said above it's best to do yourself, did you mean the full process?

Thanks
Andy


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

Apotheosis said:


> I've got the forms for a 457 visa (1066) and the company sponsorship form 1196.
> 
> first off, it seems they aren't terribly difficult to fulfill. yes, a lot of various paperwork but it seems they are very straightforward with what is required.
> 
> ...


Hi, am no expert...obviously  but i think you should submit 1 application, together with your spouse. Do check with the immi officers when or if you're allowed to work once your visa is approved. There may be employment restrictions on newly arrived residents.


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## nicvic (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks to all who replied to the thread, did u guys apply on your own or with help?


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

nicvic said:


> Thanks to all who replied to the thread, did u guys apply on your own or with help?


I engaged an immigration lawyer here in Sydney but only because my partner's company was willing to pay the fees. You can easily do it on your own if your's is a straightforward case.


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## nicvic (Jan 12, 2009)

where do you have the docs certified? thkx


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## nicvic (Jan 12, 2009)

who is your agent? thank you


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## nicvic (Jan 12, 2009)

snokeprincess do you hav any email add? regards the visa, mine is belllaqatyahoodotcom, thanks so much.


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## snorkeprincess (Jan 5, 2009)

nicvic said:


> snokeprincess do you hav any email add? regards the visa, mine is belllaqatyahoodotcom, thanks so much.


My docs were verified by the lawyer. You can also get this done through any legal firm in your country. They will of course charge you a certain fee. If you have extra cash in hand, I would suggest you engage a Migration Agent. 
For information on using a Migration Agent, go to Migration Agents – Applications & Forms

I'll give you the name and contact of the Sydney-based lawyer later. Lost his card!


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## interplanetjanet (Jan 7, 2009)

I did it myself, and it was easy peasy. I'm glad I didn't waste my money on paying someone to do it. It's just not that complicated if you don't have some odd extenuating circumstances. The biggest pain was having to order a criminal record from Germany, since I lived there for awhile, but they weren't picky about the translation. I did it myself, and they were happy with that.


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## IrishAngel (Mar 12, 2008)

nicvic said:


> where do you have the docs certified? thkx


I got my docs certified at a police station (its free)


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## IrishAngel (Mar 12, 2008)

ANDYROBBO said:


> Hi Paula, Hope you don't mind me asking you.. We are hoping to go over on a 175 visa but the problem is qualification's obtaining them from the City & Guilds, do you know of any other visa i could get for me and my fiancee and baby?? We have been quoted £3800 for an agent to deal on our behalf, you said above it's best to do yourself, did you mean the full process?
> 
> Thanks
> Andy


Andy i did all the paperwork myself, but it was for a spousal visa which is pretty much guaranteed unless you have a horrific crim record or serious health problems etc... 175 visa's i'm not sure about, why do you have problems obtaining your city and guilds??? otherwise there are other ways to assess your skills???


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## Texasborn (Jan 21, 2009)

*i got one in a day*

I moved to australia after 5 years of marriage, i did all the medical test at a approved doctor in the states. Then i went to the appointment at the family immigrations office and went home. That was a friday, on sunday a package arrived at my parent in laws house and it was approved straight away. i am entitled to everything pretty much as long i am here in 5 years, it was a perm visa as well. just make sure that you have emails to your spouse, pictures, bank statements and you will be fine. i didnt even have a interview just dropped off the stuff


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## moe (Jan 17, 2009)

Hi GazN, we are due to have a personal consultation with Dianne from advantage migration in a few weeks, can you tell me more about how she handled things? and did she leave anything out that you could have done with knowing?

Many thanks 
Moe


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## greenalice (Jan 24, 2009)

Hi

My partner is Australian and we have been living together for nearly four years and have a 3 year old daughter. We are planning to move to Australia but will the fact that we are not married mean the visa application will take longer? Any idea on how long? I assume we will need to prove we have lived together for that length of time. Thanks.


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Hi Greenalice, 

As long as you can prove length of time together I don't think it takes any longer from what members have said and I had an Aussie friend go through this and in comparison to other visas it's really quick!

Regards,
Karen


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## greenalice (Jan 24, 2009)

Hi Karen
Thanks for the reply. We have only made this decision to move in the new year and hope that we can organise everything to move about Sept/Oct time. Another question, I'm sure I read somewhere that you have to provide evidence that you intend to marry once settled in Aus? 
Sarah


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