De Facto Visa

Trankton

seanie_k wrote: »

Hi all, I'm just about to apply for the defacto Visa with my australian girlfriend in melbourne (still waiting on garda check from home). Has anyone any experince with applying for it from here? how long it takes etc? they say it takes 6 to 9 months. from reading the posts here that seems to be what they tell everyone but never takes that long. i am on tourist visa at the moment so cant work, so dont really want to be hanging around for 6 moths without work. Also, can you leave Australia after putting in the application? I cant get a straight answer from immigration over the phone here.

As far as I know you can apply for a bridging visa until your actual visa is processed, this means you can leave and return to the country without any problems, I'm not sure if you can work on it though...but I could be wrong. Good Luck.

Trankton

Had a few problems with tha app, police check didn't have my middle name, finally got a new one and sent it last friday, got an email today saying my application has been approved. I think I'm the happiest person in Ireland at the moment.

Thanks again guys for all your help. Roll on Australia...WOOHOO.

Skittlebrau

Congrats!! It's a bloody great feeling isn't it?

I don't post that much round here but I'd been following this thread. Went through all this a while ago. Got my PR this year. It's such a stressful time but it's really worth it.

Hope it all works out for you.

Trankton

Skittlebrau wrote: »

Congrats!! It's a bloody great feeling isn't it?

I don't post that much round here but I'd been following this thread. Went through all this a while ago. Got my PR this year. It's such a stressful time but it's really worth it.

Hope it all works out for you.

I think it still hasn't fully sunk in to be honest. Can't believe how quick it was once I got all the details in correctly. Congrats on the PR.

Roll on Brisbane and the lovely lovely heat!!

Now I just need to worry about a job and getting stuff to Brissie.

Dublin's Finest

Hello all...interesting thread.

Seanie K, have you applied for your de facto on a tourist visa? I wasn't sure if this was allowed.

I am returning to Sydney on a tourist visa in Feb, when I hope to apply with my Australian girlfriend. Does anyone know if IMMI allow this? It's not fully clear online.

Trankton

Dublin's Finest wrote: »

Hello all...interesting thread.

Seanie K, have you applied for your de facto on a tourist visa? I wasn't sure if this was allowed.

I am returning to Sydney on a tourist visa in Feb, when I hope to apply with my Australian girlfriend. Does anyone know if IMMI allow this? It's not fully clear online.

As far as I know you can apply for the de facto while on a tourist visa as long as it dosen't have the 'no further visa' set on it, or so I was told. Good Luck.

Stones85

Just getting all my Stat Decs and documents together. Can't wait to get out to Australia next year!!

Thanks for this thread OP.

TroJohn

Hi all, does anyone know if you need to be in Australia for the 12 month period of living together for the visa? My girlfriend in an Aussie resident and I'm wondering would us living together out here provide us with evidence for a a defacto application?
Also do they accept texts, phone bills, skpe calls, gifts and cards etc as basis for a continuing relatioship desite living separate due to VISa constraints?

Skittlebrau

TroJohn wrote: »

Hi all, does anyone know if you need to be in Australia for the 12 month period of living together for the visa? My girlfriend in an Aussie resident and I'm wondering would us living together out here provide us with evidence for a a defacto application?
Also do they accept texts, phone bills, skpe calls, gifts and cards etc as basis for a continuing relatioship desite living separate due to VISa constraints?

You definitely don't need to be in Australia for the 12 month period of living together for the visa.

And they definitely accept all the information you mentioned although what weight it carries can vary I imagine. What they're looking for when you were living together is evidence of financial dependancy i.e. lease in joint names, bills in joint names, bank a/c in joint names etc...although in my case we had separate bank accounts but were able to highlight the payments from both our individual bank accounts for the bills.

I sent in phone bills from when we were apart. Amazon receipts showing her Aussie address as the delivery address. Photos. Cards (both to each other and to us from other people), invitations addressed to both of us, Emails etc. Think of absolutely everything you can. It can't hurt your application.

Zambia

+1 ...yeah what skittle said

Percy King

Hi All, new to the site and I can see this issue has been discussed at lenght. Just want to see what you guys think of my own personal situation with regards the defacto visa.

I was in Australia for two years on WHV. I met my aussie girlfriend there and we were together for 8 months before my visa expired in December 2009 and I had to return to Ireland. We decided before I left to give it a real go and she moved to Ireland in March 2010 and we have been living together here since. She is due to head back to Australia for Xmas in a few weeks. I am heading out there in Jan for a holiday and we plan to apply for defacto visa in Australia then. I will be returning to Ireland while the application is being processed which I presume is not an issue.

Essentially we will have been in a committed relationship at the time of applying for over 20 months by that stage.
Our evidence includes:
- Joint bank accounts in Ireland
- All bills, tax letters are addressed to our apartment here during our time here.
- Multiple flight itineries with both our names on them (one as far back as July 2009 when we were in OZ)
- Multiple photos (how are these presented to immigration? hardcopy??)
- We live with a garda so a letter from them is no issue.

I am just wondering what else is required?
Do they go through all our previous work, places of residence etc or are they only interested in proof of our relationship??
Any advice is welcome

woolymammoth

Percy King wrote: »

I am heading out there in Jan for a holiday and we plan to apply for defacto visa in Australia then. I will be returning to Ireland while the application is being processed which I presume is not an issue.

You know what they say about assumptions..

If applying from in Australia, you must be in Australia when the visa is granted. If applying outside Australia, you must be outside of Australia when the visa is granted. Oh, and you'll have no idea when the visa is going to be granted! :pac:

I cannot find the specifics of it on the immi site at the moment, so for all i know, the condition has been revoked. They change sh!t like that all the time! Really annoying. But check it out before you apply! I applied for the de-facto from here last June, to the london office. They told me there was a 3-4 month backlog in processing. Mine was granted just a month ago. If you're going to be in Ireland when it's being processed, and subsequently granted, then apply to the london office.

Percy King wrote: »

Essentially we will have been in a committed relationship at the time of applying for over 20 months by that stage.
Our evidence includes:
- Joint bank accounts in Ireland
- All bills, tax letters are addressed to our apartment here during our time here.
- Multiple flight itineries with both our names on them (one as far back as July 2009 when we were in OZ)
- Multiple photos (how are these presented to immigration? hardcopy??)
- We live with a garda so a letter from them is no issue.

I am just wondering what else is required?
Do they go through all our previous work, places of residence etc or are they only interested in proof of our relationship??
Any advice is welcome

It's not just a letter from a Garda you need, but a Garda Cert, from your friendly district Super. You also need police clearence from the australian federal police, not the state police from whever you were. They're really only interested in the proof of your relationship, however being able to see places of residence while you were together is some of the proof for that! The medical is straight forward, but about 300 big boys at the Matter private only in dublin, or one other place in cork! Remember, police cert, garda cert, and medical are each individually valid in the eyes of Australian immigration for 1 year.


Oh, and welcome to Boards. Do stick around after the free pep talk. we're great craic really!

Percy King

Thanks for the imformation Wollymammoth.

I had put this on the back burner for a few months as we were concentrating on getting our Irish Defacto application in order. After a six week wait my girlfriend got granted the stamp 5 defacto visa extension last week. It was a very stressful few weeks but the pressure is a little off now so we have decided to crack on and apply for the Australian defacto as we have most of the evidence together now. Also I am presuming the granting of the defacto visa here can only be benefical to our Australian application.

In relation to the National Police Check with the Australian Federal Police, I have noted that they require a cheque for the fee in Australian dollars from an Australian Bank or a bank affiliated with one. Is this correct?? Its not a problem if so as we can just send it to my girlfriends parents in Oz and they can draw the cheque and send it in but it seems a bit strange.

The form seemed straight forward enough. It asked for my current and previous residential addresses. These are both in Ireland. I thought I would have to submit all address from my two years in Australia. I hope I am looking at the correct form :rolleyes:.

Again guys, any help is appreciated and I am sure this will not be the last time I seek your advice before this application is submitted.

ballooba

We're submitting Irish de-facto visa next month. We'll be submitting off shore. I'm assuming you were on shore. Anything I should know about? We'll also be doing my Aussie de-facto at the same time I reckon.

Percy King

Hi Ballooba. Just ensure all your evidence of your relationship for at least a two year period is presented clearly. We were on shore when applying and my girlfriend was required to obtain health insurance here in Ireland for the application. We supplied photos, e-mails, joint bank accounts, offical letters to both of use at our address, flight itineraries and family declarations. They came back and asked us for further evidence and we went and printed screen shots from a friends facebook page to show photos of us that were uploaded from the beginning of our relationship. It might not be any harm to have a little bit of further evidence like this held back in case they come back to you for further info. We did not intend to hold any evidence back but it just worked out that way and we could come up with this and it seemed to help with the application.

woolymammoth

Percy King wrote: »

We did not intend to hold any evidence back but it just worked out that way

i wouldn't be holding information back, but rather selecting the most relevant info you feel is, well, relevant! They don't want to see a stack of paper documents coming their way any more than you want to send it. When they need more information, they do ask and give you the opportunity. Well in my case that was true anyways!

Percy King

Hey Wolly, any info on my previous query? Thanks mate.

woolymammoth

Percy King wrote: »

Hey Wolly, any info on my previous query? Thanks mate.

umm.. well the AFP are an australian agency, no reason why they should need to accept foreign currencies imo. cheque or money order should be grand. I used a money order if memory serves me well. With regard to current & previous addresses, you might want to check with them. I gave the address of where i lived in Aus, because that's where they'll be doing their checks on you, in australia. let me know if you've still any questions, i can dig out my application copies and have a scan through.

Percy King

Hi all, my partner and I finally submitted our application for the Oz defacto visa in mid October just gone and I had the medical completed and submitted by the end of October. The only contact I have received since then is confirmation that they have received my medical results when I seeked this confirmation at the start of November.
I know the whole process can take some time but should I ask for an update every so often from our case officer?

DeclanClune

Hi Percy King,

The defacto visa applications are taking quite some time to process. Our current applciations that have been lodged and are taking anywhere from 6 to 9 months so you will probably be waiting some time before you have your visa assigned to a case officer and hopefully granted.

In the past we were getting offshore defacto visa applications processed within 2 months if you can believe it.

As a general comment, it is important to ensure that you spend time putting your application together and that you have the relevant supporting evidence pulled together. Once a case officer is assisgned, if you have a comprehensive file, then there will be few questions if any on your application.


It is difficult to give specifics as what to include in a defacto visa application as each defacto case is different but the more evidence you have, the better. But consider - joint bank statements and utility bills or in individual names to the same address, govt letters, car insurance, flights, rental agreements etc

Regards,

Declan Clune

digiman

If you are getting a sponsored 457 through a company does the de-facto visa come through quicker?

zweton

Declan,

Can I add my partner as de facto to 176 visa even though we do not yet meet the 1 year living requirements (currently only have 8 mths).
Im hoping I can lodge the app with DIAC and provide the years documentation when I have it. Any ideas?

Thanks:)

woolymammoth

Percy King wrote: »

The only contact I have received since then is confirmation that they have received my medical results when I seeked this confirmation at the start of November.
I know the whole process can take some time but should I ask for an update every so often from our case officer?

hang in there percy, it does take time. If you at least have your case file number, you're applcation is being processed. They'll get back to you eventually.

LizOHagan

Percy King wrote: »

Hi all, my partner and I finally submitted our application for the Oz defacto visa in mid October just gone and I had the medical completed and submitted by the end of October. The only contact I have received since then is confirmation that they have received my medical results when I seeked this confirmation at the start of November.
I know the whole process can take some time but should I ask for an update every so often from our case officer?

Hello Percy King

I'm assuming you lodged with AHC, London? If so, the processing times quoted by London and they are pretty spot on is 5 - 6 months. Your initial email was most likely to acknowledge receipt and request medicals and if this is the case then in most cases they have reviewed the supporting evidence. The next step is usually the case officer advising the likely date on which the visa will be granted which is generally somewhere between 5 and 6 months from when you lodged. If you have received this notice then send a polite email asking if all is in order and if they have an indication when the visa application will be decided (note the use of wording - 'decided' as opposed to 'granted')

(For other readers please note the process onshore can be quite different. Applicants resident in Ireland must lodge in London and London have their own procedures).

Regards, Liz

Percy King

Thanks for the feed back everyone.

Liz, I did submit my application to the AHC in October and they can back pretty quickly assigning me a case/ref number and requesting my medical. Luckily I managed to get my medical done the very next week. So, essentially it has been 2.5 months since then without hearing anything else, bar confirmation that my medical was received, but from what I am reading that appears to be standard practice. I suppose there is no point sending a mail asking for an update just yet. I guess it is just a case of being patient, keeping the fingers crossed and hopefully the next mail arrives soon. Thanks again everyone

LizOHagan

Percy King wrote: »

Thanks for the feed back everyone.

Liz, I did submit my application to the AHC in October and they can back pretty quickly assigning me a case/ref number and requesting my medical. Luckily I managed to get my medical done the very next week. So, essentially it has been 2.5 months since then without hearing anything else, bar confirmation that my medical was received, but from what I am reading that appears to be standard practice. I suppose there is no point sending a mail asking for an update just yet. I guess it is just a case of being patient, keeping the fingers crossed and hopefully the next mail arrives soon. Thanks again everyone

Great Percy King...patience can be hard when your future is up in the air. The processing time is the 5 to 6 months from date of lodgement so I suggest you wait until 5 months and then if you hear nothing send the email.

rph1981

Hi guys, thanks for an informative thread. Hopefully this is not a silly question, and apologies if this has been asked already, but can anyone let me know if there is a significant delay between a person getting accepted for PR and their partner being allowed entry as de facto (temporary for first 2 years)?

We are in Oz at the moment and will have proof of being together for 12 months as we are soon coming to an end of our WHV. We are returning to Ireland after our visa ends as we had booked a round the world trip. She is going to apply for PR, so I am going to apply using Form 47SP for de facto status. Do we apply together and if she gets approval, do I? Or, is there a large wait between she hopefully getting accepted (she has 70 points we think) and her de facto partner (i.e. me!) getting let in?

Have searched for this online to no avail so would be grateful if someone could assist. Thanks in advance.

Mellor

You don't need to put in a separte application as a defacto partner. She can include you on the PR application, and its granted at the same time. That for is when you are applying as a later applicant AFAIK.

rph1981

Mellor wrote: »

You don't need to put in a separte application as a defacto partner. She can include you on the PR application, and its granted at the same time. That for is when you are applying as a later applicant AFAIK.

Thanks Mellor

swimming in a sea

hi,
anybody had experience with my situation? my girlfriend is applying for a nurse job, the recruiter told her i could come on de facto visa, so i thought once she would get her visa i'd get mine, but after reading this i'm not sure would my application only be able to start after she gets visa?

any help or link would be great.