Australian Tourist Visa Questions

[DarrenParker]

Hello everyone,

my girlfriend and i are planning to apply for a 3mth tourist visa in May 2012. I will be in Thailand next month to see this through.

In Australia, we plan on visiting family and friends, touring Queensland and Northern NSW. We will use my residence as a base and go on short trips throughout the period.

Please consider our aplications merits and comment where you think we need to improve.

Both her and i 41 years of age.

We met in Thailand in October 2011, together for 3 weeks and then i came back to Australia. I returned to Thailand in December and spent a month with her.

She owns land {with title}, and her mother owns the house.

She owns 2 registered motorbikes.

Skype chat history.

About 10 photos of us together.

I have been supporting her monthly 15000baht.

She is currently unemployed {1year}, but from her previous job she has a letter / reference from the company stating she was an employee for 14 years.

She lives at home with her family, mother, sister and my girlfriends 2 teenage children.

I am going to offer her support in accomodation {i live in my friends house with others in a share accomodation situation} I have friends and family who have offered to put us up and offer social support.

My financial situation is not flash. I have been working for cash and my employer has only recently put me on the books. How much money does immigration want to see for a 3mth visa?

The hard question....A compelling reason to return to Thailand before visa expires is because we are committed to developing our relationship and would not want to jeopardize any future visa applications. Does this hold any weight? Is it even considered?

Thanks in advance.

[Elwood62]

HI DARREN.

there are many posts here on this subject so please do a search for these.

a letter of support is fine outlining what you will provide while she is there etc is needed.

but do remember this is a tourist visa so relationship is not the most important thing here it is that she has reason to return.

do a search and any questions i'm sure others will help you with

[DarrenParker]

Could someone please tell me if the embassy would like to see the content of emails and skype chat history?

[Khutan]

I would suggest that you go to the Immigration service in Thai CC building and ask the "Officer"

[edwinclapham]

Could someone please tell me if the embassy would like to see the content of emails and skype chat history?

As Elwood has said, you are only applying for a Tourist Visa for her, so that wont be necessary.

I would imagine the required proof would be her employment, assets etc to ascertain her return back into Thailand.

[justcruisin]

Over the years I have sponsored a couple of Thai ladies for a tourist visa to Aus.

I was once informed by an Immigration person,that if the applicant has an amount of $1,000 per month or a total of about 90-100Bht in a Thai bank account in their name, that counts for a lot of points in the application. That is for a 3 months visa.

I would be surprised if your lady gets a visa on the small amount of assets held in her country as the Immigration people like to have a compelling reason for her to return after the 3 months. 2 Honda waves and a couple of rai wont cut it.

Tell her to save up the generous 15K Bht a month you send her and she can come in less than 6 months!

[gburns57au]

Darren,

You need to show that you actually know her and have done for at least 4-6 months, relationship proof is not necessary at this stage. This is done through the chat history letters and photos, so they will need those.

If you are supporting her financially you will need to fill out the additional funds provider question on the form, you will also need to show at least 6 months of payslips or proof of income if self employed. A tax.return receipt that they issue after your tax is done is also good evidence of employment and income. Someone else can support her but will need to meet the criteria as well. She doesnt need money in the bank if she is being supported. Also include receipts of any monies sent to her, Westrn Union receipts for example.

The land ownership papers are good evidence for reason to return. That letter from her ex employer is useless as is motorbike regos. children and relatives, even sick ones are not considered to be reasons to return.

In the letter of support outline the support given, financial, accomadation, medical etc.

[David48]

Over the years I have sponsored a couple of Thai ladies for a tourist visa to Aus.

I was once informed by an Immigration person,that if the applicant has an amount of $1,000 per month or a total of about 90-100Bht in a Thai bank account in their name, that counts for a lot of points in the application. That is for a 3 months visa.

I would be surprised if your lady gets a visa on the small amount of assets held in her country as the Immigration people like to have a compelling reason for her to return after the 3 months. 2 Honda waves and a couple of rai wont cut it.

Tell her to save up the generous 15K Bht a month you send her and she can come in less than 6 months!

In agreence with a lot of what justcruisin wrote.

In your Gf's account the equivalent of $1,000 per month does seems to be an unwritten guideline.

If you have the money, and your GF doesn't then it's not a problem.

But you would want to have more then the $1,000 per month for the term of her stay.

Normally the reason where most applications seem to fail is the 'compelling reason to return to Thailand after the expiration of the Visa' ... you however, may have additional stumbling blocks.

WOW, 3 weeks holidays in October and a month of in December ... you must have a very understanding Boss ... any vacancies?

[gburns57au]

She only needs money in the bank if she is doing a stand alone application, there is no guideline as to how much that should be...land ownership does count as a reason to return. So long as he can meet the requirement or has someone who does for the financial support then her application has as much chance as anyones

Edited May 4, 2012 by gburns57au

[Amras]

I love how many people 'imagine', 'think' and otherwise about what would be required when they haven't even done it and have 'general guidelines'etc that mean squat. Everything said I wouldn't be able to get the visa the first time I applied for it with my ex and wow, was approved no fuss in 4 days.

I've done it twice for an ex, first time I had known her 2 months and no issues and approved, second time same thing (and we were both 28). She was also unemployed at the time, no money in the bank and I was supporting her with a small 9k a month (living in CM).

What they want to know.

- that your relationship is genuine (if she is going to visit you, this is to make sure she isn't being trafficked, tricked etc), show photos, your history together etc (have her write a letter in support of her application and you can also add one), financial supports, example of daily contact etc (details don't matter)

- don't worry about the financial stuff if you are providing financial and housing support. You can give her a signed statutory declaration saying you are taking care of all her expenses, ensure she will have medical insurance etc.

- in her supporting letter say why she wants to return to Thailand, ie she has family she needs to support, old parents that need looking after, she's developing a business or whatever the case may be. In my case she was studying hairdressing, but also said she needs to look after her family. Also in your stat dec, say you will ensure she abides by her visa conditions and returns to thailand before the expiration of her visa (it's a legal document, if you don't do it then you can also get chased up about it).

The biggest issue I have seen with people complaining about denied visa's is...age gap, lack of supporting evidence (ie just fill out the form, the more information you put the better, even if it is not needed) and the perceived likely hood of over staying (as 'sponsor' is older, settled down etc etc (all subjective of course)).

Just put as much info as you can, don't be scared of people saying you need to know them 12 months etc etc, in her letter write why she wants to visit australia (not just to visit you, but to travel, see where her bf lives, experience the difference in culture all that stuff).

The application needs to be as complete and sincere as possible, it needs to be genuine and not generic.

Good luck.

"The land ownership papers are good evidence for reason to return. That letter from her ex employer is useless as is motorbike regos. children and relatives, even sick ones are not considered to be reasons to return."

From yoru personal experience, or you just making it up? My experience would suggest otherwise.

[7by7]

"The land ownership papers are good evidence for reason to return. That letter from her ex employer is useless as is motorbike regos. children and relatives, even sick ones are not considered to be reasons to return."

From yoru personal experience, or you just making it up? My experience would suggest otherwise.

I don't usually comment on Australian applications as I know nothing about them. But.................

gburns57au is a long standing, well respected member who has a lot of experience with Australian visa applications. Were I applying for an Australian visa I would certainly seek and heed his advice.

Having said that, I would imagine (although you don't like that phrase, I'm still using it) that, like the UK, Australian visa applications are each judged on their own merits, looking at the whole application and all the supporting evidence, not just one aspect of it.

So I think (there I go again!) basing an application on just one person's experience is very foolish; every case is different.

This is why advice from posters such as gburns57au is so useful as they don't base their advice on just one case.

But this is a forum, and advice from all sources is very welcome; it is, of course, up to members whose advice, if anyone's, they follow.

[ripstanley]

When my girlfriend applied for a visa we had been together for about 10 months. There is an age difference. I supplied a letter stating what we were doing while in Australia, that I would support her and stated my income. We had photos of us together. We submitted the documents through VFS www.vfs-au.net/

My girlfriend received a call from the embassy and then I talked to the officer. He mas mainly worried about our relationship I was asked to provide phone call history. I was able to supply Skype records. We had to visit VFS again and submit these documents. The visa was approved very quickly after the additional documents were lodged.

Be aware that even with the visa your girlfriend could be stopped entering Australia by Immigration at the border if they interview her and assess her as unsuitable. I have seen this happen. Always good to travel with her to Australia if you can.

[Will27]

When my girlfriend applied for a visa we had been together for about 10 months. There is an age difference. I supplied a letter stating what we were doing while in Australia, that I would support her and stated my income. We had photos of us together. We submitted the documents through VFS www.vfs-au.net/

My girlfriend received a call from the embassy and then I talked to the officer. He mas mainly worried about our relationship I was asked to provide phone call history. I was able to supply Skype records. We had to visit VFS again and submit these documents. The visa was approved very quickly after the additional documents were lodged.

Be aware that even with the visa your girlfriend could be stopped entering Australia by Immigration at the border if they interview her and assess her as unsuitable. I have seen this happen. Always good to travel with her to Australia if you can.

While I agree that it's better to travel with your partner if you can, it isn't always feasible.

IMO though, it is very rare that a Thai on a S/C 676 visa with an Australian Citizen/resident

waiting at the airport for her, to be refused entry. The visa has already been assessed by a

case officer in Bkk and unless DIAC find incriminating documents on her such as payslips,

phone numbers for brothels etc, it would be extremely unlikely.

So, if she's genuine, no need to be alarmed folks.

Regards

Will

[ripstanley]

When my girlfriend applied for a visa we had been together for about 10 months. There is an age difference. I supplied a letter stating what we were doing while in Australia, that I would support her and stated my income. We had photos of us together. We submitted the documents through VFS www.vfs-au.net/

My girlfriend received a call from the embassy and then I talked to the officer. He mas mainly worried about our relationship I was asked to provide phone call history. I was able to supply Skype records. We had to visit VFS again and submit these documents. The visa was approved very quickly after the additional documents were lodged.

Be aware that even with the visa your girlfriend could be stopped entering Australia by Immigration at the border if they interview her and assess her as unsuitable. I have seen this happen. Always good to travel with her to Australia if you can.

While I agree that it's better to travel with your partner if you can, it isn't always feasible.

IMO though, it is very rare that a Thai on a S/C 676 visa with an Australian Citizen/resident

waiting at the airport for her, to be refused entry. The visa has already been assessed by a

case officer in Bkk and unless DIAC find incriminating documents on her such as payslips,

phone numbers for brothels etc, it would be extremely unlikely.

So, if she's genuine, no need to be alarmed folks.

Regards

Will

It is amazing what people pack in their bags. Some have resumes and documents that they think are harmless but to government official can be evidence to cancel visas and turn them around.

[simple1]

Given the OP's living arrangements would he need to arrange to have his name included on the rental agreement in support of the application?

[ripstanley]

Hopefully she already has her visa as she was applying in May . The original post was made in April. Can the OP give an update?

[David48]

Hopefully she already has her visa as she was applying in May . The original post was made in April. Can the OP give an update?

Agreeing with you ...

DarrenParker ... can you come back and give us an update?

There is no 'loss of face' here if the application was declined or you didn't go ahead with it.

We all learn from each others experiences.

Thanks in Advance

David48

[gburns57au]

I love how many people 'imagine', 'think' and otherwise about what would be required when they haven't even done it and have 'general guidelines'etc that mean squat. Everything said I wouldn't be able to get the visa the first time I applied for it with my ex and wow, was approved no fuss in 4 days.

I've done it twice for an ex, first time I had known her 2 months and no issues and approved, second time same thing (and we were both 28). She was also unemployed at the time, no money in the bank and I was supporting her with a small 9k a month (living in CM).

What they want to know.

- that your relationship is genuine (if she is going to visit you, this is to make sure she isn't being trafficked, tricked etc), show photos, your history together etc (have her write a letter in support of her application and you can also add one), financial supports, example of daily contact etc (details don't matter)

- don't worry about the financial stuff if you are providing financial and housing support. You can give her a signed statutory declaration saying you are taking care of all her expenses, ensure she will have medical insurance etc.

- in her supporting letter say why she wants to return to Thailand, ie she has family she needs to support, old parents that need looking after, she's developing a business or whatever the case may be. In my case she was studying hairdressing, but also said she needs to look after her family. Also in your stat dec, say you will ensure she abides by her visa conditions and returns to thailand before the expiration of her visa (it's a legal document, if you don't do it then you can also get chased up about it).

The biggest issue I have seen with people complaining about denied visa's is...age gap, lack of supporting evidence (ie just fill out the form, the more information you put the better, even if it is not needed) and the perceived likely hood of over staying (as 'sponsor' is older, settled down etc etc (all subjective of course)).

Just put as much info as you can, don't be scared of people saying you need to know them 12 months etc etc, in her letter write why she wants to visit australia (not just to visit you, but to travel, see where her bf lives, experience the difference in culture all that stuff).

The application needs to be as complete and sincere as possible, it needs to be genuine and not generic.

Good luck.

"The land ownership papers are good evidence for reason to return. That letter from her ex employer is useless as is motorbike regos. children and relatives, even sick ones are not considered to be reasons to return."

From yoru personal experience, or you just making it up? My experience would suggest otherwise.

Why would I make something up.....I have been on this forum a long time discussing visa issues for which I received an award from this site......the information is garnered from not just my own but also other peoples experiences as well as advice from DIAC.

For instance.....If there is a sick relative.....who will look after the relative while you are away?...if someone is available to tend for them then there is no reason to return.....If there is no one to look after them then you shouldnt be going in the first place....you need to understand the way DIAC looks at things.

Edited June 5, 2012 by gburns57au

[Amras]

I love how many people 'imagine', 'think' and otherwise about what would be required when they haven't even done it and have 'general guidelines'etc that mean squat. Everything said I wouldn't be able to get the visa the first time I applied for it with my ex and wow, was approved no fuss in 4 days.

I've done it twice for an ex, first time I had known her 2 months and no issues and approved, second time same thing (and we were both 28). She was also unemployed at the time, no money in the bank and I was supporting her with a small 9k a month (living in CM).

What they want to know.

- that your relationship is genuine (if she is going to visit you, this is to make sure she isn't being trafficked, tricked etc), show photos, your history together etc (have her write a letter in support of her application and you can also add one), financial supports, example of daily contact etc (details don't matter)

- don't worry about the financial stuff if you are providing financial and housing support. You can give her a signed statutory declaration saying you are taking care of all her expenses, ensure she will have medical insurance etc.

- in her supporting letter say why she wants to return to Thailand, ie she has family she needs to support, old parents that need looking after, she's developing a business or whatever the case may be. In my case she was studying hairdressing, but also said she needs to look after her family. Also in your stat dec, say you will ensure she abides by her visa conditions and returns to thailand before the expiration of her visa (it's a legal document, if you don't do it then you can also get chased up about it).

The biggest issue I have seen with people complaining about denied visa's is...age gap, lack of supporting evidence (ie just fill out the form, the more information you put the better, even if it is not needed) and the perceived likely hood of over staying (as 'sponsor' is older, settled down etc etc (all subjective of course)).

Just put as much info as you can, don't be scared of people saying you need to know them 12 months etc etc, in her letter write why she wants to visit australia (not just to visit you, but to travel, see where her bf lives, experience the difference in culture all that stuff).

The application needs to be as complete and sincere as possible, it needs to be genuine and not generic.

Good luck.

"The land ownership papers are good evidence for reason to return. That letter from her ex employer is useless as is motorbike regos. children and relatives, even sick ones are not considered to be reasons to return."

From yoru personal experience, or you just making it up? My experience would suggest otherwise.

Why would I make something up.....I have been on this forum a long time discussing visa issues for which I received an award from this site......the information is garnered from not just my own but also other peoples experiences as well as advice from DIAC.

For instance.....If there is a sick relative.....who will look after the relative while you are away?...if someone is available to tend for them then there is no reason to return.....If there is no one to look after them then you shouldnt be going in the first place....you need to understand the way DIAC looks at things.

My post wasn't aimed at you as I agree with most of what you said and it is probably one of the few not 'i guess/i imagine' posts, sorry if you thought my reply after your post was aimed at you. =) Except this makes no sense "You need to show that you actually know her and have done for at least 4-6 months, relationship proof is not necessary at this stage. This is done through the chat history letters and photos, so they will need those." second part of the sentence contradicts the first and third, but sure it was a typo. I don't think the 4-6 months thing is concrete, but if you are in contact only once or twice a week then it probably is. If you are in daily contact, (as in my case), it is obviously viewed differently.

What I was saying is that some of the information said on Thai Visa doesn't necessarily apply in every case, and isn't 'critical' as it is said time after time on here (ie you MUST know her for a long period of time, ie 6 months of more, you must have income in the bank etc etc), which were all things that I read before applying and it never came up, no call, no issue, application was approved, no work history no current job, only a letter from a hairdressing school thats it.

Of course each application is individual and thus it makes it hard to predict what is and isn't needed. Family issues can be difficult, being sick doesn't necessarily mean someone can't temporarily look after them while they are away, there is also the financial support aspect (for why they would return).

There are also likely applications that are 'half arsd', in complete, appear non genuine etc etc which may account for those being rejected (but how do we know). I can't see them rejecting an application that appears genuine, has a lot of time put into it and that has included everything that you could possibly include.

[DarrenParker]

Hi Guys,

sorry about tghe delay.

We have postponed our trip until July.

I am grateful to each and everyone of you who has offered me insight into our pending visa application.

I would like to deposit money into my girlfriends account over the next month {done weekly}to show she has required funds, rather than showing my own account. Iam already sending 15000/20000 per month so extra baht in the account is not going to arouse suspicion?

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

Edited June 6, 2012 by DarrenParker

[ripstanley]

When my GF applied in 2011 they did not worry how much money she had because in my letter I said that I would be supporting her while in Australia

[David48]

Mate , thanks for coming back and updating the Forum.

I won't comment on the pros and cons from Visa perspective ... I leave that for the others.

But, I do ask you to think about this.

Do you plan to get that money back from your lady?

The money I refer to is that amount over and above the 'salary' (for want of a better term).

If she does get a Visa, you might ask that she pay for the plane ticket with the extra money (fat chance).

But if she doesn't get the Visa ...

Maybe a separate Bank Passbook so that there is clear separation of the funds.

However she will remain as the signatory to the account ... hence 'her' money.

I just noticed that someone else has posted while I was writing this so curious to read their take on your question.

We are here to help ...

[Amras]

Hi Guys,

sorry about tghe delay.

We have postponed our trip until July.

I am grateful to each and everyone of you who has offered me insight into our pending visa application.

I would like to deposit money into my girlfriends account over the next month {done weekly}to show she has required funds, rather than showing my own account. Iam already sending 15000/20000 per month so extra baht in the account is not going to arouse suspicion?

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

Won't look like income, will look like a single deposits within a month, so unlikely to make a difference and/or can look suspicious (hence why the ask for 6 months of bank records to check if its consistant and not a single deposit for a visa application). I think this may even work against you (have read that).

Just state you will provide finanicial support, copies of your payslips or a written letter from your employer (which your annual income) (and a copy of payslips). Don't make it too complicated or try 'trick' the system.

[simple1]

Hi Guys,

sorry about tghe delay.

We have postponed our trip until July.

I am grateful to each and everyone of you who has offered me insight into our pending visa application.

I would like to deposit money into my girlfriends account over the next month {done weekly}to show she has required funds, rather than showing my own account. Iam already sending 15000/20000 per month so extra baht in the account is not going to arouse suspicion?

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

Just in case the visa review person wishes to dig deeper, as GF doesn't appear to have a job, be aware that any funds deposted into GF's Thai account will show that funds were remitted from overseas. The "average" salary earning Thai, not in a management position, would likely be earning less than 20,000 baht per month. In the case of a tourist visa application, do not know if the visa assessor would actually go into this level of detail, but GF should be prepared for any question regarding financials.

Edited June 7, 2012 by simple1

[gburns57au]

[

My post wasn't aimed at you as I agree with most of what you said and it is probably one of the few not 'i guess/i imagine' posts, sorry if you thought my reply after your post was aimed at you. =) Except this makes no sense "You need to show that you actually know her and have done for at least 4-6 months, relationship proof is not necessary at this stage. This is done through the chat history letters and photos, so they will need those." second part of the sentence contradicts the first and third, but sure it was a typo. I don't think the 4-6 months thing is concrete, but if you are in contact only once or twice a week then it probably is. If you are in daily contact, (as in my case), it is obviously viewed differently.

What I was saying is that some of the information said on Thai Visa doesn't necessarily apply in every case, and isn't 'critical' as it is said time after time on here (ie you MUST know her for a long period of time, ie 6 months of more, you must have income in the bank etc etc), which were all things that I read before applying and it never came up, no call, no issue, application was approved, no work history no current job, only a letter from a hairdressing school thats it.

Of course each application is individual and thus it makes it hard to predict what is and isn't needed. Family issues can be difficult, being sick doesn't necessarily mean someone can't temporarily look after them while they are away, there is also the financial support aspect (for why they would return).

There are also likely applications that are 'half arsd', in complete, appear non genuine etc etc which may account for those being rejected (but how do we know). I can't see them rejecting an application that appears genuine, has a lot of time put into it and that has included everything that you could possibly include.

As you quoted from my post I naturally took it that it was aimed at me.

Anyways.......to clarify the point you raised.

From others experience that have been posted here, it appears that 4-6 months of physically knowing the applicant is the minimum accepted by DIAC. You must have physically met the applicant, as against the "internet relationship" Internet time doesnt count toward knowing the applicant. Knowing the person can be supported by photos (the best proof) etc... Letters and chat history can be considered proof if they refer to physical meetings in the content.

There is no need to declare a relationship for a tourist visa as it is a visa for family and friends. Declaring a relationship leaves DIAC with the option of saying " You should be applying for a partner visa not a tourist visa" on future applications for tourist visas. This has occurred in the past and can take a bit of getting around not to mention delaying the application process.

As far as income is concerned, If the application is a stand alone one then the applicant will need to show that they have sufficient funds. If the applicant is being supported then money in the bank and income becomes less critical. My own partner showed no income and no funds as I fully supported her, no problems. Stacking a bank account can actually raise a flag with DIAC that the application may be questionable. If the applicant is being supported then the support person will need to show evidence of income (not money in the bank), this could be by payslips or tax return notice, if payslips are used they usually like to see 6 months worth, I presume because it shows continuous employment.

Family issues as a reason to return are generally not accepted as they know that a lot of the applicants will go and work in the city or tourist areas and leave children at home in the villages for months at a time in the care of parents etc or leave sick rellies in the care of others....their view is that if the applicant can do that then overstaying on a tourist visa wouldnt be an issue for the applicant.

Hope that assists.

Edited June 7, 2012 by gburns57au

[David48]

Doesn't happen often (did Venus pass between us and the Sun recently?)

... but I agree with what gburns57au posted above ... now preceeding page!

(apart from the comment about tax returns ... but that's neither here nor there ... merely an opinion).

gburns57au (on this one) ...

Edited June 7, 2012 by David48

[gburns57au]

Doesn't happen often (did Venus pass between us and the Sun recently?)

... but I agree with what gburns57au posted above ... now preceeding page!

(apart from the comment about tax returns ... but that's neither here nor there ... merely an opinion).

gburns57au (on this one) ...

Tax return notice, the one they send you after your tax has been done........for people who are self employed or dont get payslips this may be the only proof of income they have.

I seem to remember a previous discussion about this with David but cant recall the details......But I was told by DIAC that 6 months of payslips or the tax assessment notice (whatever it is called) was the preferred proof of income.

[Amras]

As you quoted from my post I naturally took it that it was aimed at me.

Anyways.......to clarify the point you raised.

From others experience that have been posted here, it appears that 4-6 months of physically knowing the applicant is the minimum accepted by DIAC. You must have physically met the applicant, as against the "internet relationship" Internet time doesnt count toward knowing the applicant. Knowing the person can be supported by photos (the best proof) etc... Letters and chat history can be considered proof if they refer to physical meetings in the content.

Probably a good idea anyway, but in my case I knew her 2 months (so can't be a 'minimum') maybe just a general guide? Depends on the situation.

There is no need to declare a relationship for a tourist visa as it is a visa for family and friends. Declaring a relationship leaves DIAC with the option of saying " You should be applying for a partner visa not a tourist visa" on future applications for tourist visas. This has occurred in the past and can take a bit of getting around not to mention delaying the application process

Not declaring but showing the relationship is genuine is what I was getting at, ie so they are sure she isn't going for any other reason then a visit to friends/you/your family/ holiday etc. I didn't think there was a partner visa (for defacto relationships). Only fiance visa and partner ie being married? Relationship does not have to equal either. Saying you're going to get married/engaged I know is bad and hence they say you should apply for a fiance visa etc. I remember reading that too and those were denied because they said, 'they plan on getting engaged/married in the future'. Saying you have a genuine ongoing relationship is not the same.

As far as income is concerned, If the application is a stand alone one then the applicant will need to show that they have sufficient funds. If the applicant is being supported then money in the bank and income becomes less critical. My own partner showed no income and no funds as I fully supported her, no problems. Stacking a bank account can actually raise a flag with DIAC that the application may be questionable. If the applicant is being supported then the support person will need to show evidence of income (not money in the bank), this could be by payslips or tax return notice, if payslips are used they usually like to see 6 months worth, I presume because it shows continuous employment.

Agreed. Don't know what I will do this time as I have been living in Thailand for the last year. Hmm.

Family issues as a reason to return are generally not accepted as they know that a lot of the applicants will go and work in the city or tourist areas and leave children at home in the villages for months at a time in the care of parents etc or leave sick rellies in the care of others....their view is that if the applicant can do that then overstaying on a tourist visa wouldnt be an issue for the applicant.

Good point and I guess could be taken both ways (ie cannot work on tourist visa so needs to return to work and financial support, but also could think the

reverse and a reason to work ont he tourist visa, tricky one).

Problem is there are no guidelines, so it's all guess work from those approved and those denied (yet I would guess in most cases we don't know the full story of those denied).

Hope that assists.