About to apply for a partner visa for my thai husband to go to Australia and looking at the requirements to 'prove' our relationship I am very worried that we can't meet the requirements.

For example:

-Proof of living together= lease agreement in both parties names. We live in a rural town in a rented room for which we signed no rental agreement.

- Mail addressed to both parties at the home address. We can't get mail at home, so all our mail is sent to our work address.

- Joint bills for utilities. Our utilities are paid as part of our rent, so no bill. We both have pre-paid phones, so no bill, we pretty much live in a cash society with no paper trail.

- Joint assets. Our only major assets are the motorbike, brought from a brothers friend and registered under my husbands name and the car which was brought under my name.

It would seem so easy if we were living in a western country to have all of these sort of things, but living in Thailand, we just don't have this sort of stuff.

We have of course the marriage certificate and testimonies from friends etc.

Has anyone else been through this? What evidence did you use?

Thanks in advance

Moved to the visas to other countries forum.

dont know the paperwork required details but my sister (UK, good job, university educated) 3 year relationship with an Aussie before moving to Australia. they were made to jump through many hoops and treated as if they were dishonest. lots of paperwork, taken for separate interviews and questioned about the minute detail of their everyday lives so their answers could be compared. quite a palaver! but they got there in the end.

good luck!

I wasn't living with my now wife when we applied. She lived in Thailand, me Australia. Just explain it all in a brief but thorough cover letter, I used a stat dec, and then got family to also do a stat dec x 2 to say we were genuine. We both use pre pay phones so no bills to prove contact. Few nice pics of you guys with family and friends around the house or whatever help put a face to the names.

If your case officer isn't satisfied with your app, they will ring you(they did with us) and ask for more info/proof before they issue. They are good people at VFS, and remember your paying them to help you.

So don't worry!

going through all this myself at the moment...if you havent already get a joint bank account this holds substantial weight even if its opened recently as Krisb says stat decs and letters from people that can vouch for you are also highly valued. plane tickets and visa entries also..Good luck

going through all this myself at the moment...if you havent already get a joint bank account this holds substantial weight even if its opened recently as Krisb says stat decs and letters from people that can vouch for you are also highly valued. plane tickets and visa entries also..Good luck

When you say plane tickets, you mean older tickets, not the ones you plan on using right?

Not good to buy tickets in anticipation of a visa approval.

<snipped> apologies misread the OP.

Thanks Guys,

Well we definitely have lots of people on the thai side and aussie side that can do a stat dec for us and I reckon the building manager where we live would provide a statement to say we have been living there together for however long (it's amazing how much she knows about us even though we have never told her anything!)

Of course we have lots of photos etc.

I wonder if something from HR at work would help as well.... We work together and met at work, so our employment history showing that may help as well...

Anyway, I'll stop panicking for now