# Spouse visa 309-100 questions



## melaniequeenan (Feb 24, 2011)

Hi there, just trying to find some information about the visa we are applying for.
Iam an Australian citizen and my husband is British and we want to move back to Australia in August.
We are applying for the subclass 309-100 at the moment and we just about filled out all the information but theres a couple of questions Iam unsure of if anyone out there can offer their advice.
1. Do we submit our health checks and police clearance checks with application or do we wait untill they request this information. We havent actually done this either yet.
2. Do they send back your passport shortly after or do they keep the passport for the whole application process? We wanted to go travelling before we went back to Australia. 

3. How long does it take to get assigned a case number once application has been sent? The police checks and health checks require a case number so then they can be sent to the embassy.

4. Do the statements from two people from australia explaining our relationship have to be in original copies? We have scanned ours and printed out.

Our case is fairly straight foward I would imagine as we met in 2005 in Australia and then moved to the uk, and we have been living together ever since and have been married for 3 years. I know this is a vague question but what kind of time frame are we looking at for the visa to be approved?

Thanks for any help and suggestions.
Melanie


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## Zultan (Aug 4, 2009)

melaniequeenan said:


> Hi there, just trying to find some information about the visa we are applying for.
> Iam an Australian citizen and my husband is British and we want to move back to Australia in August.
> We are applying for the subclass 309-100 at the moment and we just about filled out all the information but theres a couple of questions Iam unsure of if anyone out there can offer their advice.
> 1. Do we submit our health checks and police clearance checks with application or do we wait untill they request this information. We havent actually done this either yet.
> ...


1. It used to be quicker to submit medicals and police certificates upfront. It isn't today, so it is really down to you whether you do them now or wait to be asked.

2. You don't send you passport in until after the visa is approved. The application asks for certified copies of your passport.

3. It takes about 10 days for the case officer to get in contact. The Police certificate is normally sent to your home address. The Panel Doctor will handle getting the medical results to Australia House.

4. Not sure about this one. If your case officer is not happy with the scanned copies he/she will ask you to produce the originals.

If your applying in London the typical processing time is now 5-6 months (most people seem to be closer to 5 months than 6). Even the straightforward cases.

Hope this helps.


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## melaniequeenan (Feb 24, 2011)

Zultan said:


> 1. It used to be quicker to submit medicals and police certificates upfront. It isn't today, so it is really down to you whether you do them now or wait to be asked.
> 
> 2. You don't send you passport in until after the visa is approved. The application asks for certified copies of your passport.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for that information. We didnt realise you have to send copies of your passport, (do they need to be certified) is this the same for birth cerificates?

Do you know how long they take your passports for when they do ask? Its just we would like to go to asia in july and Im worried it wont be done before then. Would going to the embassy help?

I think we will send the application off without the police and health checks, so then it gets the process happening and then we will send the health and police check later.

Also Iam confused about the assurance of support? Do you know anything about this?

I have only suppled wages slips and p60s but some of the threads on this site say the had to provide bank statements and proof of living together. I was not sure if this was for unmarried couples.
Thanks again for all your help!
Melanie


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## Zultan (Aug 4, 2009)

Hi, not sure if you've read the partner migration booklet: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf has loads of useful information in it.

For the sponsor, they need to provide a certified copy of proof that he/she is Australian - this can be a passport or birth certificate - should be sent with the application.

For the applicant a certified copy of their passport should be sent with the application.

(this is covered on the 309-100 checklist: http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/_pdf/309-100-checklist.pdf)

As you're applying through London, it is very rare that Assurance of Support will be asked for. In my case, my partner (the Aussie) is a stay at home mum with no income. It was never questioned how she was going to support me.

You need to provide extensive evidence of your relationship - a marriage certificate does not prove an ongoing and exclusive relationship. For my application I supplied:

A while back, I was asked about what evidence we had submitted to support my visa application. Even though it was only a few months ago I had to think hard to remember. Here is a fairly complete list:

Certified (some by a magistrate/some by a local solicitor)

* Confirmation of Death in Service payment from my partner to me
* Confirmation of Death in Service payment from my me to partner
* Partner's car insurance with me as named driver
* My car insurance partner as named driver
* Joint mortgage offer
* Remortgage correspondence from conveyancing solicitor
* First joint bank statement
* Council Tax bill from 2008
* Mine, my partner's and son's passport & birth certs


Uncertified

* Numerous travel and holiday itineraries going back to 2002
* Invoice from nursery addressed to both of us
* Amex statement showing partner's supplementary card on my account
* Stat decs (Our's, Both mums, A friend).
* Personal statement from me about my criminal record
* 3 x Character Refs from Friends saying i'm upstanding and no longer a crim!
* Partner's employer reference, job profile and a recent p60

There is loads of stuff about my partner visa application on my blog if you ever suffer insomnia. Particularly:

The Joy of Emigration: Another Useful Email from Australia House
The Joy of Emigration: A Useful Email

Shout if I can offer you any more help.


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## mum2four (Nov 1, 2010)

Hi,

I'm also going through the process of getting a spousal visa for Australia (my husbands the aussie, i'm the brit)

We lodged our application in October last year, and received a case number about a week later
We have been together for 7 years,married for 4 years, and have 4 children (2 together).
I thought it would be a straightforward process, but oh no!
Our biggest hurdle was getting permission to remove the two older children from the UK which has taken 4 months, but has just been sorted.
On top of this we had to provide documented evidence, bills etc with our names on, at 3 month intervals, covering the last 3 years. We also got a letter from the bank to say that we had a joint account since we got married. This was to prove that we had lived together during this time. 
We also had to send certified copy's of marriage certificate, passport.
The witness statements were hand written on the forms from the website (form 888 i think) and these must be signed by those writing the statement and then signed by an approved witness.
We also wrote a statement each outlining our relationship history.

I only just yesterday received the email asking me to go for my medical and complete the police checks (husbands needs them for both Australia and the UK). I was advised not to go for the medical or apply for the police checks until told to do so.

Hope this helps, It can be a long drawn out process, but hopefully your's will be more straightforward!


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## jazzfest (Feb 22, 2012)

*[url=http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/partners/partner/309-100/]Partner Visa: Offshore*


Hi Melanie,

I just got a visa approved yeast via e-mail, no interview over the phone and in person has been hold. We applied on 2.02.2012 and i have got visa issued on 20.02.2012!!!!!! We didn’t outsource any kind of help the immigration agent to help with docs, we did it ourselves.

Amazing job from both sides! I have never heard and thought it can happen....18 days only!!!!It is nice news; we still might stay in Dubai for the next1-2 years though most probably 

My husband is (Australian by birth) and I (Russian) married on sep 2011) and we bothI based in UAE for the last 4 years, no kids yet

Our file was very organized and considering the fact how fast i have been granted a visa you might find it helpful:

1. Do we submit our health checks and police clearance checks with application or do we wait until they request this information? The best to have it done while applying, the officer will go with you through the list of docs needed just make sure you have got it all. 
2. Do they send back your passport shortly after or do they keep the passport for the whole application process? We wanted to go travelling before we went back to Australia. Your original passport is not required, you will only bring it to stamp the visa once it is issued.

3. How long does it take to get assigned a case number once application has been sent? It took 1 day, I have received an e-mal with my case officer name. The police checks and health checks require a case number so then they can be sent to the embassy.Once you ll submit the docs you ll be given a case number. The best to call them or book an appointment online, they are very helpful :
Mail:
Australian Consulate-General
Visa and Citizenship Section
PO Box 124400
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Courier:
Australian Consulate-General
25th Floor
Burjuman Centre Office Tower
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road
(Trade Centre Road)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Note: If you wish to visit the Consulate for visa evidencing, please seek
an appointment for the same by calling the Australian Consulate General on
+9714 5087200 or the VFS Centre on +971 4 3551958

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road
(Trade Centre Road)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates


4. Do the statements from two people from Australia explaining our relationship have to be in original copies? We have scanned ours and printed out.
You and your husband need to write a story of your relationship. The rest two declarations are just confirming your relationship, 2 sentences, that it. Originals. Do you have any Australian friends here who know both of you? They can do it.


Good luck!

Svetlana






melaniequeenan said:


> Hi there, just trying to find some information about the visa we are applying for.
> Iam an Australian citizen and my husband is British and we want to move back to Australia in August.
> We are applying for the subclass 309-100 at the moment and we just about filled out all the information but theres a couple of questions Iam unsure of if anyone out there can offer their advice.
> 1. Do we submit our health checks and police clearance checks with application or do we wait untill they request this information. We havent actually done this either yet.
> ...


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## mum2four (Nov 1, 2010)

melaniequeenan said:


> Hi there, just trying to find some information about the visa we are applying for.
> Iam an Australian citizen and my husband is British and we want to move back to Australia in August.
> We are applying for the subclass 309-100 at the moment and we just about filled out all the information but theres a couple of questions Iam unsure of if anyone out there can offer their advice.
> 1. Do we submit our health checks and police clearance checks with application or do we wait untill they request this information. We havent actually done this either yet.
> ...




Hi Melanie,

My husband is an Australian and I was granted a spousal visa last year.

I received a case number within 2 days of my forms being submitted.

I did not have any medical or police checks until asked to do so by my case officer. Your visa will be valid for as long as these two checks are valid. In our case it worked out well as we put in the applications in December 2010, but I wasn't requested to do the medical checks until May 2011. This means that my visa is valid until May this year. If I had submitted all the forms together, my visa would only have been valid until last December. As my mum was suddenly very ill last year we have appreciated the extra months that we have been able to stay here in the UK.

When it came to the witness statements, as both me and my husband have been living here in the UK for all of our relationship (he is the Australian) we submitted statements from people in the UK (his cousin and uncle who both live in this country).

Hope this helps and good luck


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2012)

Seeing as how this was posted a year ago I think Melanie may well have their visa by now!


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