Fourth Edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide has arrived with more insights from past applications, statutory declarations and updated procedures in response to COVID-19

As we entered unprecedented times with COVID-19, I wanted to believe that life wouldn’t change much and definitely for not this long. When the world shut down to the global pandemic, we didn’t fully consider the human costs and how it would change society irrevocably.

I too was not immune to the effects of isolation and as a result my mental health took a toll but also became a focus. It’s because of this isolation that this fourth edition was severely delayed. It’s also because of the isolation that I could finish the fourth edition. 

The global pandemic required a response from our government and while they did a great job and I commend them for it, it wasn’t done in a transparent way and there were a swathe of changes that limited the movement of people in and out of Australia. To this day, as Australian citizens we are trapped in our own country. 

Everyday people wrote in to me asking how they could move around the globe and to Australia to be with their loved ones and I was madly trying to find the ways through the suddenly very opaque immigration law. 

This fourth edition has been updated with the learnings from those that have come before you and from those that have faced the new COVID-19 changes. I worked tirelessly helping those in need behind the scene while I also worked on my own mental health. 

I tried to update the blog as much as I could with information that came to light but most days, I was wrapped up in emails and research to help those that I could and in turn they gave me the strength to finish the fourth edition. 

So after a very long and delayed period, I am proud again to announce the fourth edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide.

This edition has a COVID-19 chapter and more insights and tips on how to write your statutory declarations and prepare your partner visa applications – especially in the face of the global pandemic. 

While movement has been limited to Australia, there are still solutions and pathways to get to Australia and I go through that in depth in this edition. I’ve also noticed trends in how people were writing their personal statements and while some were good, others hurt their partner visa applications. 

I’m still shocked to see that some unscrupulous migration agents were capitalising on people’s desperation to get to Australia and like snake oil salesmen, sold services and bad advice to the tune of thousands of dollars. Please be careful during these times because there are some that would happily take advantage of these chaotic times for their own gain – all leading to failure and heartbreak. 

Despite these hard times and a pandemic that severely limits the movement of people to Australia, the Australian government has continued to use partner visa applicants as a cash cow, holding them hostage for fees that continue to increase with no relief in sight.

They also are forcing couples to exit Australia to re-enter Australia as per their onshore/offshore visa processing rules. Surely these requirements should be suspended during these unprecedented times? When I say the government continues to operate without transparency, I mean exactly this type of inconsistency in applying policy.

That’s why I continue to update and revise the Australian Partner Visa Guide and the Permanent Partner Visa Process because an upside of these changing rules during COVID-19 is that the second stage permanent partner processing seems to have begun earlier. 

So without further ado here is what you’ll find in the fourth edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide:

• 266 pages of The Australian Partner Visa Guide
• 2 extensive guides on obtaining your health examination – health declaration and eMedical systems
• 7 examples of GOOD sponsor and applicant statutory declarations 
• 9 examples of BAD applicant statutory declaration
• 2 examples of a BAD form 888 of a supporting witness with explanations
• 2 examples of a GOOD form 888 of a supporting witness with explanations
• Cover letter template
• Relationship timeline template
• Document collection worksheet
• Applicant and sponsor application checklists for all the documents you need to provide
• How to prepare documents sample PDF with instructions
• Tutorial on practical points of the online application system ImmiAccount
• Sample application review report 
• Sample statutory declaration review report

Major COVID-19 Updates

All major changes since the third edition have been added to this edition. This includes a COVID-19 specific procedure and the in development procedures that have affected the assessment of partner visa applications.  I’ve included more scenarios that have come up and use case studies to illustrate points. Some case studies are real live examples and others are hypothetical situations that you might find yourself in. 

Statutory declarations and personal statements

There’s also plenty of updated material on statutory declarations including sample statutory declarations and examples of personal written statements that commonly go with your partner visa applications.  I’ve updated the content on how friends and family can improve their Form 888s or witness statements as well as how couples can detail their experiences apart and together during this pandemic.  The book now comes with over 20+ samples of statutory declarations of applicants, sponsors and witnesses covering the good, the bad and the ugly.

Guides and tutorials

I’ve created 2 guides that extends the Australian Partner Visa Guide by providing screenshots and instructions on common issues you might encounter with the Department’s online systems. This includes the health system and the ImmiAccount application system. 

Sample of completed application forms

Although paper applications are no longer accepted, I’ve included a completed paper application form for you to understand what kind of questions are asked in the partner visa application. Practice makes perfect and this is to help you prepare ahead of time what you need so you can complete the application without further delays.

Where can I get these?

The fourth edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide, templates, worksheets, checklists and the all-important examples of statutory declarations are available from TODAY. 

For those who have already purchased, you’ll be receiving update emails for your download link. That’s right, book purchasers are entitled to all future updates and editions!