All Your Partner Visa Questions Answered

I’m back with some Frequently Asked Questions about partner visas! I know this ride is roller coaster and you all have your concerns about whether going through the Australian partner visa process alone is worthwhile or not. Or even if it’s safe to do so by yourself. There’s just so much information out there (often conflicting) such as in forums and even the Australian Government’s website.

Aside from the usual “what are the Australian partner visa requirements?” or  “how much does the Australia spouse visa cost” I’ve been asked these questions and here are my honest answers.

Q: Can I really do it myself?

A: YES! Migration agents love to scare you into thinking that you can’t do it yourself. They do have statistics on their side. I mean with 36% of self-represented cases failing, that’s pretty good incentive to get someone to do it for you right? Correct. But also, you have to understand that if you’ve done your research and have a handy guide to walk you through the process (such as the Partner Visa Guide) you’re going to be able to do 90% of what a migration agent will tell you to do anyway.

Q: I found a checklist on the government’s website. What’s the difference between that one and yours?

A: The Government has released a checklist and it does tell you what documents you’ll need, however it doesn’t go into detail about what documents those are. For example, the checklist tells you to include ‘financial documents’ to show you have a relationship. What are these financial documents? How do they show a relationship? What do you do to these documents to present it properly and get the message across? Those are the questions that are answered in my book and in my checklists.

Q: There are tons of blogs out there that detail the process. Why should I trust you?

A: Because I’m an immigration lawyer. I do this day in and day out, helping clients get them over the line. I’m not saying blogs don’t help but often blogs are dated, a snapshot in time, and you don’t get ongoing help from the author. They’ve gone through the process, they don’t need to do it again so they don’t know what the updates are and can’t really advise you on it. I can. I provide lifetime access to updates for all purchasers of the book. We all know these visas take a long time and we also know that laws change frequently. Blogs are great first-hand accounts of the process but they’re also dated. Don’t risk your application by using old information.

Q: Will I need additional help after buying the book?

A: Nope. Or yes, if you really want to. The book will take you all the way from preparation to lodgement of your application. You won’t need additional advice unless you have a tricky situation. But to be absolutely sure, you can get advice afterwards. I normally recommend a review of your application or to ask an immigration lawyer if you have a tricky situation.

Q: I have a tricky situation (bad police check/step-children/health issues/don’t live together), is this book right for me?

A: Honestly? Yes and no. If you have a tricky situation, the book will give you the most comprehensive explanation of the process before you talk to an immigration lawyer. You want to go into that conversation prepared or your immigration lawyer will spend at least 8 hours (at a high hourly rate) explaining to you what the process is. The book is designed for straight forward applications but everything in it is applicable to ALL applications. Tricky situations are just extra work required on top of the basic process and this extra work can be done by an immigration lawyer.

Q: What’s the statutory declaration review service?

A: Statutory declarations or personal written statements are the cornerstone of your application. You need to write a compelling story to convince the case officer that you’re in a genuine long standing relationship. In the book, I provide you information on how to do this, what you need to include in order to satisfy the requirements and to top it all off, I can review it for you. I even give you a statutory declaration sample I look over what you have written and make sure that it makes sense and then I provide suggestions on how to improve it. I don’t write them because that would be illegal but I do tell you what you can do to improve your chances of success.

Do you have a question that’s not answered here?

Do you have a question that’s not answered here? I encourage all my readers to submit questions because sharing is caring! The more questions that I can answer, the better you feel about the whole Australian partner visa process. Got a question about statutory declarations? Ask! Got a question about where to get a document? Ask!

Ask Mondays!

Every Monday I ask readers on our Facebook and Twitter to send in their partner visa questions and by the end of the week I’ll have written a detailed post answering them. It’s a good exercise to add to the knowledge of partner visas out on the internet so ask any question, you never know who could benefit from you asking.

Ask your questions by submitting them through our Contact form