best way to get residency visa for australia

[adamhn]

my name is Adam im an Australian citizen born here, i have been with my fiancée katar for three years, {engaged for one year}. i have been to Thailand at least 15 times in the last three years and she has been here{ Australia} twice on a three month tourist visa. i want her to be able to live here with me, where she would be able to work. I would like to do a visa with out having to get married if possible as i would like us to live together for sometime first., but if being married would make it easier and i mean alot easier i would except that if it was a lot easier. any suggestions would be much appreciated. thank you.

Just one thing a man l met once before was with his Thai girlfriend for a year where he went there twice, then brought her here to Australia on a three month tourist visa. Where in that time they got married here and somehow she was able to stay and work, but could not travel back to Thailand for one year whilst waiting for the decision on residency visa. in the end she has now been granted the visa. Does anyone have any idea on how they did this.

Thank you for your time to read my queries and any help would be much appreciated.

[simple1]

OP: URLs below should provide enough information on how to apply for a de facto partner visa that will eventually lead to PR status

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/309-100.aspx

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf

[Maestro]

Moved from Thai visas, residency and work permits to the forum Visas and migration to other countries.

[Torrens54]

OP: URLs below should provide enough information on how to apply for a de facto partner visa that will eventually lead to PR status

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/309-100.aspx

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf

Hi Adam,

Good advice above, check out those web sites.

You'll have a lot of paper-work and I suggest you do it yourself as so-called "agents" in Oz will charge you a packet, which on top of the application fee to the Australian Immigration Dpt., will set you back a few Ks.

My now wife, joined me in Australia on an "Intended Spouse" visa, we later married (in Australia) and we also adopted a child from Thailand, after we were married. The child is not a blood relation to either of us but after the prescribed period in Australia, both she and my wife were granted PR Status and would be entitled to apply for Citizenship in due course. Only problem, if you can call it that, is I have since retired and we've returned to live in Thailand. Our "little girl" is now about to start High School and we don't want to pull her out of an excellent school here to go back to Australia.

Best of luck.....hope you and your Lady will be as happy as my wife, our daughter and I are.

[krisb]

The only way she could have worked legally is if they were issued a bridging visa while waiting for partner visa. That's all I can think of then not sure that's even right but have a feeling I'm very close.

I have a feeling your asking is there a quick way round all this? Not really. If you find a way, come back and let us know please.

In your shoes, and looking at todays visa prices, go for partner visa then tick defacto.

[David48]

Whether you are 'defacto' or Married ... the Visa is the same and it's a Partner Visa ... usually Temporary, reviewed after 2 years for upgrading to Permanent.

In rough terms, it costs about $4,000 if you apply in Thailand (Visa Fee and translations, medicals etc.) and about $5,000 if applied for in Australia.

If you apply in Thailand ... you have to be in Thailand to collect the Visa (apparently).

The government website indicates a long application turn-a-round times ... but the experience here is that it takes about 4 months if the application is correct and complete when it's lodged.

Good Luck.