# 820 Online Application / Date Relationship Began - confusion



## lauralou (Jun 5, 2014)

Hi there,

I was hoping someone who's gone through the e-lodgement process for 820/801 partner visa could shed some advice re: "relationship status / date relationship started" issues.

Me and my partner have been in a relationship since June 2012, and de facto since June 2013. 
In the very first few pages of the e-lodgement application there is a question "Relationship status", followed by "Date Relationship Began". Does this mean the date when our de facto relationship began? Or the date when we became a couple...
It's confusing because that same question is then asked again in the Sponsor details, and again in the Relationship details.
In the Relationship details, it asks for "Relationship status" followed by "Date committed de facto relationship began"...and then it asks "Date applicant and sponsor committed to a shared life to the exclusion of all others"

Are all of these questions/dates referring to the de facto relationship...?

I can't for the life of me find any threads about this even though I'm sure I've seen someone else wondering this same issue a while back...

Help is much appreciated! Thanks!


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## aussiesteve (Mar 16, 2012)

lauralou said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I was hoping someone who's gone through the e-lodgement process for 820/801 partner visa could shed some advice re: "relationship status / date relationship started" issues.
> 
> ...


Hi
The date your relationship started is the date you first started getting serious (dating or corresponding seriously or as you say became a couple) rather than the date you first met. 
Your defacto date starts from when you moved in together and started living as though you were married.


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## Maggie-May24 (Jul 24, 2011)

Where you provide your relationship status (de facto), the following question asks when that de facto relationship began.

The date you committed to shared life to exclusion of others is the date your dating relationship became serious and exclusive.


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## lauralou (Jun 5, 2014)

Thanks for your replies.. We submitted the main application and paid the fee yesterday and the main application is currently in progress. I am still worried now because of some conflicting advice that we've answered the questions in the application incorrectly.
Where it asked for relationship status (which is currently de facto), followed by date relationship began, we put our "anniversary" date of June 2012 even though we didn't live together then. And then where it asked for "date committed de facto relationship began" we obviously put the start of our de facto relationship, and did the same with question "Do the sponsor and the applicant have a mutual commitment to a shared life as husband and wife, or as de facto partner to the exclusion of all others? / Date sponsor and applicant committed to a shared life together to the exclusion of all others"
My sponsor is filling out his application now and was going to put the same times & dates as the main applicant in his application, in those same questions asked. But now we're not sure if he should just put the de facto date as the "date relationship begun", as we don't want to have conflicting applications!

How worried should we be if we've accidentally put the wrong dates in the applications? :/ It's just been so confusing because the questions are repeated so many times but are worded differently etc.
We have our partner statements explaining the entire timeline and history of our relationship so it's all very clear in that, and we have evidence of living together since June 2013..


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

Quite honestly, it doesn't matter. As long as you put dates that will make sense in the context of your statements about your relationship, that's the important part.


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## Dunial (Nov 23, 2014)

I am in a similar situation as lauralou. I am in a de facto relationship, but I recently got engaged. 

Should I say I'm engaged at the three different "relationship status" questions, or just stick with de facto and explain in my declarations that I'm engaged as well?


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## Dunial (Nov 23, 2014)

Deleted duplicate


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

You need to say "de facto." That question is used to determine which visa you are applying for - partner (de facto, married) or PMV. If you check "engaged" they will think you are applying for a PMV. Definitely use evidence of your engagement, feel free to refer to her as your fiancee, include photos, talk about your engagement in your personal statements, etc. But for that box you need to tick "de facto."


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## LizBee (Jul 18, 2013)

lauralou said:


> How worried should we be if we've accidentally put the wrong dates in the applications? :/ It's just been so confusing because the questions are repeated so many times but are worded differently etc.
> We have our partner statements explaining the entire timeline and history of our relationship so it's all very clear in that, and we have evidence of living together since June 2013..


Don't stress. We also had a lot of "huh..? did we ...? was it ..?" moments when filling in our forms AND - unlike you, our Sponsor form and Applicants forms didn't even correspond! We both used slightly different logic when we filled in our forms and only realised later that we had put in different dates.  We got our visa anyway.

I think your Evidence is far more important than small anomalies in your dates, if your CO had concerns, they will contact you. Remember you can keep uploading evidence until your visa is processed so if you have left anything out, you can still add it in.

Good luck!


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## Dunial (Nov 23, 2014)

CollegeGirl said:


> You need to say "de facto." That question is used to determine which visa you are applying for - partner (de facto, married) or PMV. If you check "engaged" they will think you are applying for a PMV. Definitely use evidence of your engagement, feel free to refer to her as your fiancee, include photos, talk about your engagement in your personal statements, etc. But for that box you need to tick "de facto."


Thank you!!


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## ssz (Jan 16, 2016)

Hi College Girl I need your Urgent Help I new to this group not sure How Should I send messages this is the only way was for me. My Member name is SSZ I just did a post can't do a url post here because not a active member yet I posted under tags of 300, interview, mrt, prospective marriage visa and my post name is Interview For Visa (300) please help


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