australian partner visa information

[dank04]

I am just wondering what would be the best way for me to go my situation is as follows l have a Thai partner of 5 years we have a 2and a half year old daughter who has already got Australian citizenship and a passport, and now l have another baby due in August which l hope to do the same for with citizenship. In the past my partner has come to Australia on a tourist visa ( 3 trips ) for either 3 or 6 months easily applied for and gained.

What visa would be the best to apply for now as l am hoping to educate my children in Australia ?

We would need a visa that doesn't limit her travels overseas as we would be traveling back to Thailand many times per year and there is a possibility of me gaining work in Thailand in the next few years any information is appreciated

[simple1]

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

http://www.immi.gov.au/forms/Documents/1127.pdf

Edited June 23, 2015 by simple1

[petemcc]

Partner Visa is probably the one to go, but just some info from memory. They want you to be living together continuously for a year, proof of relationship etc, HOWEVER, I am pretty sure there is a discretionary waiver for this if there is a child from the relationship. It's all about proving it is a genuine relationship, which is easier to do if you live in the same country, but I note she has had some 6 month visas.

A really good application with plenty of evidence of shared responsibilities both emotionally and if possible financially, and of course the family photos, email logs etc AND importantly, there is a form, can't remember what it is called, but it is in that link the above poster sent you (the booklet). The form is a Stat Dec made by Australian Citizens (from memory, maybe PR is good enough) with some standing in the community, who can attest to the fact that you are a bone fide couple. A really good covering letter, all official documents as per the application package and the ridiculous fee and you should be good.

[RasiMike]

OP, I think you are in a good position for a partner visa for your wife.

My family have done the same as you intend to, so our kids can study in OZ. After two years my wife was granted a Permanent Resident Visa which has now been changed to a Returning Resident Visa (5 years validity). It allows her to work and enables us to come and go as we please. It took 3 months from application to approval, however, I've been informed that the waiting time has been extended.... A friend of mine (young dual citizen son) is doing his wife's visa right now and is currently awaiting final approval. They just returned (wife holding tourist visa) from OZ to Thailand and have been told processing can take up to 12 months for Partner Visa approval.

I wish you luck on this move mate, it can be a tough decision/move. Personally, I prefer Thailand full time but our kids deserve more than just Thailand's offerings and my wife has really grown from the different lifestyle.

[dank04]

Thanks for the info l made s few calls today to Australian immigration which to tell the truth was more confusing but lm pretty sure l filled in the blanks now.

I can use evidence of the relationship and the fact we have one child that will be 3 by the time we apply and a 2nd newborn for the waiver of proof of the relationship.

What l cant understand with having to provide this information for the visa is they already have it all from previous visa applications and citizenship applications on record.

I know one thing is that l will be doing all my communication with the embassy in bangkok rather than melbourne thankd again

[petemcc]

Thanks for the info l made s few calls today to Australian immigration which to tell the truth was more confusing but lm pretty sure l filled in the blanks now.

I can use evidence of the relationship and the fact we have one child that will be 3 by the time we apply and a 2nd newborn for the waiver of proof of the relationship.

What l cant understand with having to provide this information for the visa is they already have it all from previous visa applications and citizenship applications on record.

I know one thing is that l will be doing all my communication with the embassy in bangkok rather than melbourne thankd again

Mate, that is the way of things, duplication and more duplication. They have very funny ways, and it's their way or no way. Eg, I had to get a National Police Clearance because there were children involved. I already had a brand new one from the Northern Territory Police as I am a Registered Nurse. I also gave them an authenticated copy of my Working With Children Clearance. Not good enough, they wanted an Australian Federal Police clearance. I emailed them and pointed out that a national clearance is a national clearance and it clearly states a search has been conducted in all Australian jurisdictions. No, not good enough. I ended up speaking with the head honcho in Manila and explained to him that I used to be a copper and I know how police clearances work. He totally understood my point of view but sad they still required an AFP clearance, so I got one and it was word-for-word the same as the NT one!

From what I can gather they have loads and loads of applications and the assessing officer at various stages (as there are a few of them) has a mountain of paperwork and if something isn't there in front of them, then they won't go hunting for it, they may send you an email requesting whatever is missing even though as you say it may be on record elsewhere. I know from my application that it took an average of 5 weeks between inquiries, so they ask for something, you send it right away and it is 5 weeks until they have a look again and make comment-this is in Manila, it may be a bit shorter everywhere else.

You probably won't have this problem in Thailand but with the Philippines there was a massive problem with birth certificates etc. In the Philippines you never actually own an original birth certificate, it is held at the NSO. When you need a copy the NSO make a copy and it is courriored to wherever, for a fee of course. My missus ordered a few copies in preparation for this application and they were submitted, but guess what, yes, they wanted copies straight from the NSO.

There were other problems that were overcome, like lost documents, so my advice is understand the system in the country and make sure there is someone there to be able to sort things out as no doubt there are 'local procedures' like the NSO in the Philippines.

The one thing I can tell you though is dealing with the Australian Immigration people, although time consuming, is orders of magnitude better than dealing with UK Immigration.

Your application will be successful, of that I have no doubt, it's just going to be biding your time and being prepared for minor frustrations, but you'll get there in the end. Just make sure that application is water tight.