All Posts in Category: News
What do migration agents do for their fees? – Migration agents and your headaches
Last updated: January 2020
“We take care of the headaches” is a very popular line from migration agents but what do they really mean when they say that?
Because at the end of the day, they still give you a checklist for you to gather the documents, write your statements and then apply for the police checks, health checks etc. Migration agents don’t even help you translate your documents and if they do you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s not part of the $5,000 fee that they quote. They’ll know trusted translators that they’ve worked with before and they’ll recommend them to you because guess what? Migration agents get a commission for that and their trusted translators make money off you too. (Note: always use a NAATI certified translator if you can).
So let’s go through what these potential headaches could be and how migration agents take care of them for you.
Thursday Answers – Overstaying a visa and what that means for you
Overstaying an expired visa and how that affects your application
Thursday Answers are a response to questions submitted by readers on our regular Ask Mondays posts.
Every Monday I ask people to send in their questions and concerns and I select one to answer. In doing this, I hope you will see that a) you’re not alone in this, b) there are no stupid questions and c) we’re all here to help!
Third Edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide Out Today
Launching the Third Edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide with even more content, insights and examples of statutory declarations to give you the tools to do your own partner visa applications
Australian partner visas have had some changes since the last edition of the book launched November 2017. As I updated the blog with the changes I was working simultaneously on the third edition of the Australian Partner Visa Guide. I am now very proud to announce that once again I’ve expanded on the Australian Partner Visa Guide and in this third edition; there are more insights, more tips and more information on how you can put together the most successful partner visa application.
Partner Visa Fees and Costs 2019
Australian partner visa application charges, fees and costs
Last updated: 29 May 2019
Here’s the raw data for the infographic that I created comparing partner visa application fees across the world.
I collected these partner visa fees from the Department’s website as far back as they would let me have it. When I created the infographic, the Department was still being transparent about the price increases and had on their site a full list of partner visa application charges from 2004. Now, if you search for it, it will return a ‘not found’ – I wonder why…
Why are partner visa applications refused?
Last updated: 19 January 2021
Today, we’re going to talk about the common reasons why an Australian partner visa may be refused.
Depending on where the applicant is when they lodge the application, there may be review rights.
If the applicant is offshore and applies for a partner visa, and it is refused, the applicant does not have the right to a review.
If the applicant is onshore when they apply for the partner visa, and it is refused, the applicant may lodge an appeal to have the decision reviewed.
A review is a different process in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. “The AAT can review some, but not all, decisions about visas made under the Migration Act 1958 by the Department of Home Affairs, the Minister for Home Affairs or the Minister for Immigration.” You can read more about the AAT here.
Thursday Answers – Temporary visas to apply onshore for a partner visa in Australia
Thursday Answers are a response to questions submitted by readers on our regular Ask Mondays posts.
Every Monday I ask people to send in their questions and concerns and I select one to answer. In doing this, I hope you will see that a) you’re not alone in this, b) there are no stupid questions and c) we’re all here to help!
Thursday Answers – Defacto or Marriage: which is better for me?
Thursday Answers are a response to questions submitted by readers on our regular Ask Mondays posts.
Every Monday I ask people to send in their questions and concerns and I select one to answer. In doing this, I hope you will see that a) you’re not alone in this, b) there are no stupid questions and c) we’re all here to help!
Partner visa applications without registered migration agents are more successful
Hi readers!
I’ve got some interesting statistics for you today.
Have you ever had a look at the Department’s Freedom of Information page located here?
What is Freedom of Information you ask? It’s basically where we, the individuals of this country, can hold the government and their agencies accountable for what they do. We are entitled to a certain amount of transparency to see how the government works and how they make decisions on our behalf.