# Success Story and tips for onshore 820 visa application



## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

Hello everyone,
I have been a reader in this forum for about 4 months and have recently received notification of my 820 visa grant last week. We applied 10 August 2012 in Perth and were granted the Visa on 28 August 2012. The forum helped me immensely and I wanted to share our story in hopes of paying it forward. There may be some overlap between this and other how-to posts, but I wanted to put this as one series of posts to show the whole process.
*
Context and Caveats:*

My wife and I applied onshore for an 820/801 visa. We did not use a migration agent and we do not claim to have any special knowledge of how DIAC operates other than a close reading of their publicly available information and from the experience of other posters on this and other forums. I held a 573 subclass visa and was a resident of the United States. Both my wife and I are native English speakers and held professional jobs in the past and present. These factors mean we likely had a larger set of options than some people may have. Our story and tips are not meant to be taken as a sure way to get Visa approval, just an overview of the steps we took and how we presented our application. I do not have any familiarity with offshore applications or with other classes of visas. I was the sole person included in my application (no dependents).

*Brief history of our application process*

S. and I met online in January 2011 and decided that we wanted to pursue a relationship in the March/April 2011 time period. I was living in the United States and had family commitments that would keep me from heading to Australia until the end of the year (I was helping my parents build their retirement home). S. was separated from her then husband and was waiting for the year separation period required prior to filing for divorce. We decided that S. would visit me in the United States at Christmas for 5 weeks and that I would after that to be with her. I applied and got accepted to an Australian university in September 2011 and applied and received a 573 student Visa in November. S. and I vacationed together for 5 weeks in the United States. (She met my parents, sister, one of my Aunt and Uncles, one of my cousins, and one of my old Army buddies) I arrived in Australia in Feb 2012. We were married in July 2012, applied for the 820 Visa on 10 August and had it granted on 28 August.

*How we decided to apply for an 820 visa*

The single biggest information that helped us was reading the DIAC website and in particular the partner migration booklet (1127). That is what set the stage for everything else after we decided that we wanted to be married and start a life together in Australia. We decided on a student visa as the first step, because I wanted to change careers to become a historian (I had previously been an Army Officer) and because that would allow me to both study and work in Australia, applying onshore for a partner visa in due course. You must do your homework and determine which visa you are eligible for. You should ask questions and look at forums, but in the end you are the only one responsible applying for a visa, do your homework and try to answer questions for yourself first before asking others.


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## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

*Providing evidence of our relationship*

If I emphasize nothing else in this post, it would be this: Gathering the evidence to prove the genuine nature of your relationship to DIAC will be the most time consuming and comprehensive part of your application. If you are reading this and are not planning on applying for months or longer, then now is the best time to start establishing and documenting the evidence of your relationship with your partner. If you are going to apply soon, then you will have to go back and gather as much as you can, and generate as much new evidence as you can. Being highly organized and methodical will make your life much easier. A lot of the evidence that you generate should come as a natural part of merging your personal, social, and financial affairs.

*Tips for evidence*

*While the applicant is still in their original country (for me the United States)*

-save all of your emails, written correspondence, chat/skype logs, customs forms for parcels, major receipts, postcards, etc. Keep them in a safe place, make backups of electronic records and if you are tech savvy, make scan copies of paper documents and keep them well labelled. If you travel together, save all the ticket stubs for events, flights, trains, hotels, etc. We glued our trip stubs to colored sheets of paper to keep as a scrapbook and then used scanned copies of the pages as our evidence. Get some pictures together and if you visit relatives, get a group picture. Photos are small evidence in and of themselves, but they tie in with other evidence to tell a larger story. Try to show evidence that both of you planned for a trip; if you paid for the hotel and your partner paid for transportation and meals, it shows joint planning and commitment.

-as soon as you can, try to establish joint accounts, or at the very least add your partner as an additional cardholder on your credit card account and vice versa. If you cannot do this for whatever reason, keep careful track of your statements and annotate joint purchases and/or support for each other (rent, groceries, etc). If you have electronic banking, keep electronic copies of your statements. If you have life insurance or other benefits, add your partner as a beneficiary and get a printout or screen shot of that with the date. If you are liquidating assets to support your migration to Australia, document that; it shows you are supporting your partner and that you won't be a burden on the state. If you have student loans or other loans, get the other person as an authorized contact.

-make sure you have the major documents that you will need for your application. I needed to renew my passport and make sure I had my old passport (I had left my old passport in the US & my Mom had to unpack it from my stored gear and send it to Australia), my birth certificate, social security card (they will ask for both on the form 80), DD214 (my military discharge). If you or your partner were divorced, make sure you have the relevant original documents on hand.


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## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

-plan strategically for your health and police clearances. If you can lodge a complete application, there is a possibility you could be granted your visa upon first inspection by your case officer, as S. and I were. Determine when you will lodge your visa and if makes sense to obtain clearances from your original country before , then it will be easier than playing international postal games. Read the DIAC information on Character requirements. I obtained police clearances for my student visa in case I was asked to provide them for character clearance. I did this in Sep-Nov 2011 with the FBI clearance taking the longest and the Republic of Korea (where I had been stationed in the army) taking the next longest. The clearances only last a year, so you have to be smart in when you obtain them. Also pay attention to the verbiage, for example if you are onshore in the United States you also have to provide a state/local police clearance. I misread that document and provided state/county/city police clearances for all the locations I had been in for the last 10 years, which was 3 states, 3 counties, and 4 cities for 13 police clearances in total. My inattention caused me to have to do more work than necessary (I still submitted all the clearances as evidence of good faith). I redid my health assessment in July, prior to submitting the partner visa application and turned in the sealed envelope (don’t open it) with the application.

-Completing legal documents such as wills and powers of attorney are relatively inexpensive ways of showing your commitment to each other. If your details are straightforward, then you can complete an online or ready-made kit and have that witnessed/notarized. Note that marrying or divorcing invalidates previous wills. This is something that is good to do for any relationship and it will count as evidence for your application.
-Adding each other as personal contacts for work, study, and various benefits such as Veteran’s Affairs is another way to demonstrate your commitment to each other. If you shipped goods to Australia, keep that receipt…it can show that you intend to make Australia your home. I also submitted my unit results from university and presented it as evidence that I was committed to my new life and career with S
.
-If you are not taking all of your personal papers and documents with you, make sure that you make a list of all of your addresses for the last 10 years all of your school details, all of your employment details, and that you have the dates of birth and general addresses for your close family (brothers and sisters and parents). Have the list of dates when you have travelled outside of Australia in the last 10 years and have the details to any previous travels to Australia itself. A large chunk of the form 80 is getting this information straight. Remember, DIAC will use the addresses you submit to determine which police clearances you will need.


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## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

*When you get to Australia*

-Above all else, follow your visa conditions, obey the law, and keep your spending under control.

-Try to get identity documents and a bank account established as soon as possible. You generally get a 6 week grace period to establish accounts before local organizations such as banks will require '100 points of identification' - these are local identifications such as an Australian Driver's licence and local banking cards. Carry your passport around with you when going to any of these appointments. I found that the department of transport required that I have a visa label in my passport to obtain my driver's license even though I had the VEVO confirmation letter - this necessitated a special trip down to the DIAC office to get the label and a second trip back to the department of transport.

-If you are establishing a new home, save all the receipts for major household goods such as furniture, appliances, and so on. If you can get 100 points of identification and can be listed on the lease with your partner, try to do so. If not, then get added as the additional person and ask your real estate manager to write a letter stating that you are the occupying that residence.

-if you are getting married and your spouse is changing their name, then allow for 3-4 weeks to change over all of the documents. If you haven't set up joint accounts or changed personal details, now is a good time to do so.

-Try to get utilities in joint names as soon as possible. For us, Synergy required a copy of our marriage certificate. Alinta would not add me as a secondary account holder at all, but they will add you as an authorised contact. Work through your auto and homeowners insurer to get added. An easy utility to get added in name if you are newly arrived is broadband or phone, though it will depend on the provider if more than one person can be on the account.

-If you as the applicant gain employment in Australia, put your partner down on the authorized emergency contact and for your mandatory superannuation account if applicable. Apply for a tax file number in preparation for when you get hired. It complicates life if you don't have one and are employed as they will tax you at a blanket rate of 45%.

-If you include emails and photographs in your application, use a representative sample over any time you were separated. I used a screenshot of my inbox showing my folders, one from me to S. and one from S. to me. We selected some key emails and included a list with a short summary. I used Word to put 2 photographs per page and provided a one sentence summary of why that photo was important. This also corroborated the milestone events in our relationship. If we said something important happened on X date, we had an email with the date showing that we discussed it. Things like major travel plans, future plans, forwarding of important documents and so on.

-if you are on good terms with your partner's relatives, try to visit them and incorporate your life into theirs. You should have mutual interests with your partner; try to show that. For example, S. and I enjoy going to musicals, symphonies, and plays etc. We have ticket stubs showing regular attendance at these events. If you travel together once you have moved to Australia, retain all the evidence such as flight bookings, ticket stubs and any joint events that you went to.

-Police stations are a great resource for making certified copies. Be polite and don't overwhelm them with 30 documents. Make your own photocopies and have them ready for the officer to sign off on. Say please and thank you; remember that a bad impression makes it more difficult for the rest of us. You can also use Pharmacies or Justices of the Peace, though they may charge you or limit the number of documents per visit, and most JP's tend to have limited hours. If you know people authorized to be commissioners of declarations, such as nurses, they are also a good resource.

-Think carefully about who you will ask to fill out your statutory declarations (form 888). For Australian citizens, verify that they have current documents showing their citizenships. Give them information about your key details, and make sure that they are in a position to evaluate the strength of your relationship. Don't wait until a week before you want to send in the application before you ask them to write the declaration. Keep scanned or hard copies of the declarations.


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## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

*Putting together the Application*

-have an honest conversation with each other and evaluate your relationship carefully. Have you done everything you can to document your commitment to each other? Is your relationship solid? Also, be realistic in what you are applying for. Our costs for the visa approached $10,000 in direct and indirect costs and hundreds of hours invested on both our parts. Application fees, medical examinations, travel, police clearances, documents certification and processing: they all add up very quickly. It is even more expensive if you use a migration agent. If you are not absolutely sure of yourselves and your relationship, then you might be advised to consider other options, or wait until you have more evidence.

-decide who is going to take the lead. If you are onshore together, it may be easier for one person to fill out the majority of the paperwork. We filled out our application while I was on study break from Uni, so I took the lead in gathering documents and filling out the forms. But it is a team job; it is much easier to do this together.

-Make sure you have the important dates of your relationship straight between both of you, and that your forms reflect the same answers. Mutually agree on when you met, when you decided that you were in a personal relationship, and when you decided you were in a relationship to the exclusion of all others. You will be asked to give the above dates on both the 40sp and 47sp. We did our statements of the relationship first and established the major milestones of our relationship.

-Make sure you have the latest version of all the forms. Some of them changed on 1 July 2012.

-we found it useful to summarize the major evidence of the genuine nature of our relationship in our relationship statements, which we did in the form of statutory declarations and in my case, 4 pages of continuation sheets (make sure you sign and date any pages such as this and get your statements properly witnessed as a statutory declaration if you do so. If you keyword search 'statutory declaration' on the DIAC website, you will find two forms in pdf format called stat_dec_applicant and stat_dec_sponsor. They are a useful way to organize your statement. If you have a full version of Adobe, you can them editable and save your changes instead of having to handwrite your answers.

-make sure you make copies of any evidence you put in your packet. If you are computer savvy, keep electronic scanned copies. Make true copies of your police clearance letters in case you need them for anything else. The DIAC returned my originals with the visa grant letter.

-Remember that the case officer reviewing your application only knows what you tell them. If you have any special circumstances or there is something particular to your situation, then explain that in your declaration and other evidence. I had been combat deployed to Iraq in 2006-2007 and I included a statutory declaration listing my dates to show that I had not been in Iraq a full year and also that there was no practical way to obtain police clearance there in any case. I added copies of my deployment orders and end of mission orders to support my claims and in my stat dec, I declared that I had not committed any war crimes or any other crimes. I don't know if it was necessary, but it eliminated a possible question or directive on the part of the case officer. I also explained why I wasn't listed on the lease of our rental house and obtained a letter from our real estate manager corroborating our claims and declaring that I had been a resident at that address.

-Fill out and submit a form 80 with your application. DIAC will ask for it when they send your acknowledgement letter. We also filled out form 1221 based on numerous people saying they had been asked for it. It made no sense to us, but we figured the cost of filling it out was minor compared to being asked for it later.

-once you are through filling out your application, have someone else proofread it and verify dates. We had about a dozen minor errors and one large error in our forms when we did our first proofread. Make sure you fill out every part that is applicable to your situation. Double and triple check signatures and dates. Keep all of your paperwork together in a central place and in a logical order.

-create a logical table of contents and organize your evidence accordingly. We used the partner visa checklist and then added our specific evidence. For each of the 4 sections on page 40 of the partner visa booklet (financial, nature of household, social context, and nature of commitment to each other), we added a separate table of contents and provided a one or two sentence description of each piece of evidence. Group your evidence by category, if you have multiple bank statements or multiple beneficiary information, or a number of emails, put them together in a logical order. Annotate evidence as needed and in the descriptions put dates, how many pages in the evidence, account numbers if applicable (such as for joint accounts). If you include receipts, explain how they show shared expenses and commitments.

-We organized our applications by sections using spring/bulldog clips. We started with a cover letter and then the partner checklist with everything checked as included or not applicable, then our master table of contents. We went in the order of the partner checklist. For evidence that had subsections, like our financial section, we used different color paper to print out the table of contents and started a new spring clip so that they didn't get too unmanageable. Once you have assembled your application, proofread it one more time; if you can have someone who has not worked on it look through, that would be a good thing.

-put the dates of your evidence in the table of contents. If you mention someone else beyond you or your partner, introduce the relationship. For example, my sister wrote a stat dec on my behalf, on the table of contents, I have her name and then in parenthesis (sister of Applicant). This reduces confusion on your case officer's part.

-Make sure your payment details are correct, and that your daily limit or bank account has sufficient funds.

-Include a cover letter in your application. Ours stated what visa we were applying for, how our application was laid out, and why we wanted the visa (so that I could live and work in Australia with S.) We put our current address, phone number and mobile number and then we both signed the letter. If you are not submitting a complete application, this is the place where it would be good to tell DIAC what you still have to send, why it isn't there, and when you will send it.

-We put our application in an A4 parcel box and used a courier service to get it to the processing centre. That way we had a receipt of delivery.


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## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

*After your application is approved*

-Scan and/or make multiple copies of your acknowledgement letter

-make sure your employer has your updated copy of visa. If you are studying make sure the university has the updated Visa letter

-Apply for Medicare (Australia's national health government health cover)&#8230;read the website and make sure you bring all of your documentation. If you want to get private health cover and are over 30, get a 'letter of eligibility' from Medicare (otherwise most providers will charge you an additional premium at 2% per year that you are over 30.) I

*Table of contents for our application*
1.	Application cover letter
2.	Table of Contents
3.	Subclass 820 Application Document Checklist 
*Forms*
4.	Form 47SP
5.	Form 40SP
*Personal Documents*
6.	Certified copy of Identification Documents for applicant (Current Passport biographical data page, Student ID Card, WA Driver's License) -I scanned these onto one page and had it certified.
7.	Certified copy of birth certificate for Applicant
8.	Certified copy of bank statement showing physical address of Applicant
9.	Passport photographs of Applicant
10.	Passport photographs of Sponsor
11.	Certified copy of Marriage certificate for sponsor showing previous marriage.
12.	Certified copy of Divorce Decree Absolute for Sponsor
13.	Certified copy of Marriage certificate for Sponsor and Applicant (evidence of marriage and for surname change for Sponsor)
14.	Certified copy of Birth Certificate of H., Sponsor's daughter from previous marriage and Australian Citizen by birth.
15.	Certified copy of Discharge Certificate and form DD214 from the United States Army showing Applicant's time in service and discharge status.

*Evidence that the relationship of Sponsor and Applicant is genuine and continuing*
16.	Statutory Declaration by Applicant on the history of my relationship with Sponsor
17.	Statutory Declaration by Sponsor on the history of my relationship with Applicant
18.	Financial aspects table of contents and documents
19.	Nature of the household table of contents and documents
20.	Social context of the relationship table of contents and documents
21.	Nature of commitment to each other table of contents and documents
22.	Statutory Declaration by sister of Applicant in support of application
23.	Statutory Declaration by mother of Applicant in support of application
24.	Statutory Declaration by Step Father of Sponsor in support of application
25.	Statutory Declaration by Mother of Sponsor in support of application
26.	Statutory Declaration by X, friend of Applicant and Sponsor in support of application
27.	Statutory Declaration by Y, friend of Applicant and Sponsor in support of application

*Character Documents*
28.	Narrative by Applicant explaining summarizing police certificates
29.	Certified copy of biographical data page of previous U.S. passport of Applicant
30.	Certified copy of Social Security Card (National Identity Document) of Applicant
31.	Police Certificates (13 in total)
32.	Statutory Declaration by Applicant on time in service in Iraq
33.	Deployment and end of mission orders of Applicant in support of Statutory Declaration (5 pages)
34.	Receipt for Working with Children Check by Applicant
35.	Form 80 
36.	Form 1221
37.	Character Statutory Declaration by Applicant
*
Personal Documents Sponsor*
38.	Certified copy of Birth Certificate for Sponsor
39.	Certified copy of Certificate of Australian Citizenship for Sponsor (2 pages)
40.	Certified copy of current Passport bio data page for Sponsor
41.	Certified copy of Australia income tax assessment notices
*Health Assessment*
42.	Sealed envelope containing Applicant health assessment


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## Rankor01 (Sep 4, 2012)

*Table of Contents: Financial Aspects of the Relationship*

* Account and employee pay information*
1.	Change of employee details for Sponsor: allocation of pay into joint bank account #XYZ shared with Applicant and change of name to married name dated ABC (2 pages) -put actual dates on your application
2.	New employment details for Applicant: allocation of pay into joint bank account #XYZ shared with Sponsor dated ABC. (7 pages)
3.	Contract of employment for Applicant with salary information (4 pages)
4.	Establishment of Bank account for Applicant on ABC. This was a necessary step in establishing a joint account with Sponsor. Sponsor had previously added me as an additional card holder on her credit account #XYZ and I received the new card on ABC (2 pages)
5.	Applicant bank Credit Cards showing activation dates. ABC for MasterCard and DEF for Debit Card
6.	Establishment of joint bank account #XYZ in the name of Applicant and Sponsor to pay bills and household expenses on XYZ (3 pages)
7.	BANK Credit Card for Sponsor (Additional Card on Applicant BANK Credit Card account. We use the Australian Bank credit card in favour of the USA BANK card in order to avoid foreign transaction fees

*Commitment to shared finances*
8.	Excel spreadsheet of Applicant showing assets sold to support trip to Australia and household/living expenses with Sponsor until I began working and email giving Sponsor an estimated profit amount (6 pages)
9.	Bill of Sale for vehicle sold by Applicant to support living in Australia
10.	Payment by Sponsor to University in support of Applicant tuition expenses, XYZ and supporting email from Sponsor to Applicant containing PDF copy of receipt
11.	Information release authorization by Applicant for Sponsor of Applicant student Loans account
12.	List of Payment received by Applicant's University for tuition and fees. The payment made on XYZ was made jointly by Sponsor and Applicant
13.	Veteran's Group Life Insurance coverage and Beneficiary information showing addition of Sponsor in XYZ and Sponsor and Sponsor's daughter in XYZ. (5 pages)

*Banking and Credit Card Statements (joint purchases annotated)*
14. All relevant banking and credit card statements

*Table of Contents: Nature of the Household*

* Lease and utilities*
1.	Certified copy of Residential Lease dated XYZ. Sponsor is the leaseholder and Applicant is listed as an additional occupant. Applicant was not able to be a joint leaseholder at the time of signature because he did not possess 100 points of identification (10 pages)
2.	Letter signed by property manager, confirming occupancy of Applicant at current address
3.	Fax to Synergy changing name and adding Applicant to account
4.	insurance policy for household addressed to Sponsor and Applicant as insured members (5 pages)
5.	Comprehensive auto insurance addressed to Sponsor and Applicant as insured members (5 pages)
6.	Joint privilege card for household purchases addressed to Sponsor and Applicant 
7.	Wireless internet provider account details showing Sponsor as secondary contact and invoice dated XYZ
8.	Change of name and listing of agents for P.O. Box, which Sponsor and Applicant use for correspondence. Sponsor and Applicant are the joint agents

*Miscellaneous*

9.	Annotated Receipts and statements showing household purchases (8 pages)

*Table of Contents: Social Context of the Relationship*

*Sponsor Applicant trip to the United Sates December 2011-January 2012*
10.	Excel spreadsheet for trip showing locations and activities for trip (6 pages)

*Receipts used on United States trip (joint purchases by Sponsor and Applicant)*
11.	Scanned copies of receipts part 1
12.	Annotated scans of trip receipts and stubs (17 pages)

*Joint Singapore trip *
13.	Email of confirmation of Singapore trip, XYZ
14.	Flight details for Singapore (2 pages)
15.	Reservation confirmation and receipt of payment for hotel
16.	Receipts and stubs for Singapore trip (2 pages)

*Joint Sydney trip *
17.	Hotel voucher and booking for Sydney trip (2 pages)
18.	Flight information for Sydney trip

*Social outings*
19.	Information email for Sponsor's daughter school Music night attended by Applicant, Sponsor, and Sponsor's mother
20.	Ticket stubs for performance of College performance of a musical (attended by Applicant, Sponsor, and Sponsor's daughter) and ticket stubs for performance of a Shakespeare production at University (attended by Applicant and Sponsor) and receipts for both bookings (3 pages)
21.	Rottnest Island ferry tickets for Sponsor, Applicant, Sponsor's daughter, Sponsor's father and his wife) (4 pages)
22.	Annotated photos of Sponsor and Applicant together including wedding photos (12 pages)

*Table of Contents: The nature of our commitment to each other*

*Emergency Contacts and Next of Kin designations*
23.	Employee change of details by Sponsor updating Applicant next of kin address and contact information XYZ (2 pages)
24.	Employee change of details by Sponsor showing change of name and marital status dated XYZ (2 pages)
25.	Printout from employer database by Applicant designating Sponsor as emergency contact dated XYZ
26.	Employee change of details by Sponsor designating Applicant as emergency contact on XYZ (2 pages)
27.	Designation of Sponsor as emergency contact in medical system for Department of Veteran's Affairs by Applicant and on health information card
28.	Declaration of status of dependants of Applicant for Veterans Benefits. Sponsor as wife and Sponsor's daughter as step-daughter (2 pages)
29.	Department of Veteran's Affairs printout of Applicant account showing Sponsor as emergency contact
30.	Designation of Sponsor as emergency contact of Applicant in University database
31.	Professional registration name change paperwork for Sponsor

*
Future planning and long term commitments*
32.	Evidence of academic standing of Applicant at University (shows evidence of meeting student visa requirements and long term goals of becoming a historian)
33.	Household goods shipment by Applicant to Australia (evidence of making Australia my permanent residence)
34.	Annotated photos and scans showing family gatherings and care packages exchanged by Sponsor and Applicant (4 pages)

*Legal documentation -items 35, 36, and 37 were sworn and notarized in the United States by Applicant. When Sponsor and I were married and when I made the new will and enduring power of attorney (Items 16 and 17) these documents were revoked. *

35.	Last Will and Testament of Applicant designating Sponsor and Sponsor's daughter as beneficiaries (before coming to Australia) (9 pages)
36.	Durable Power of Attorney of Applicant designating Sponsor as agent (before coming to Australia) (13 pages)
37.	Health Care Directive of Applicant designating Sponsor as agent (before coming to Australia) (6 pages)
38.	Last Will and Testament of Applicant designating Sponsor and Sponsor's daughter as beneficiaries (after marriage)
39.	Last Will and Testament of Sponsor designating Applicant and Sponsor's daughter and other family as beneficiaries (after marriage)
40.	Enduring Power of Attorney of Applicant designating Sponsor as agent (after marriage)
41.	Enduring Power of Attorney of Sponsor designating Applicant as agent (after marriage)

*Email and Phone communication* 
42.	Sponsor phone statement xyz (11 pages)
43.	Itemized call logs from Sponsor to Applicant from June 2011 to December 2011 (5 pages) -we had explained why there were no calls in March and April
44.	Screenshot of email folders of Applicant showing number of emails exchanged between Applicant and Sponsor
45.	Selected emails between Sponsor and Applicant (TOC included as header)

*Gifts and packages*
46.	Receipt for package from Applicant to Sponsor with University documentation (Sponsor acted as my agent in admission)
47.	Scan copy of letter and commemorative coin sent by Sponsor to Applicant
48.	Gift receipt for book gifted by Applicant to Sponsor


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## nighstar (Apr 22, 2010)

.....Rankor01, if this was Facebook you'd be at 1 million likes by tomorrow. thanks for putting together and sharing all this information.

just wish i'd had it before i applied....


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## GermanGirl (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks for sharing the information. I'm sure it will help many others!


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## holly (Dec 11, 2011)

I thought i was organised but now im scared haha, i am re ordering my app now, thank you


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## Koolkat (Aug 16, 2012)

Wow it really pays to lodge onshore. 
I was nearly as organised as this, but it hasn't made a difference to my offshore application...
Good for you wanting to help others.


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## bma (Sep 28, 2011)

Rankor01, what an awesome work, well done.


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## bma (Sep 28, 2011)

Koolkat said:


> Wow it really pays to lodge onshore.
> I was nearly as organised as this, but it hasn't made a difference to my offshore application...
> Good for you wanting to help others.


We applied in Sydney in April and our application was solid, well organised with heaps of evidence. We were told a couple of weeks ago they don't need any more evidence, but that we'll still have to wait at least 3 to 4 months for the visa to be granted. Lodging a decision ready visa onshore with heaps of evidence doesn't necessarily mean that visa will be granted quickly.


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## holly (Dec 11, 2011)

Thanks Rankor im sure you contirbuted to our fast success! 2 weeks for approval !


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## dingo144 (Dec 5, 2011)

WOW!!!

Thanks so much for this post...so much information and tips!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing this with all of us...

Cheers


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## honeyt (Oct 8, 2012)

Great tips, tremendous effort and organization. It really helps to pay it forward. Thanks for sharing!


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## JackAndLyndsay (Nov 20, 2012)

bma said:


> We applied in Sydney in April and our application was solid, well organised with heaps of evidence. We were told a couple of weeks ago they don't need any more evidence, but that we'll still have to wait at least 3 to 4 months for the visa to be granted. Lodging a decision ready visa onshore with heaps of evidence doesn't necessarily mean that visa will be granted quickly.


Hi BMA,

Just wondering what visa you applied for?

Im a 26 year old aussie male. i met my partner while i was living in the UK for two years on the 5/11/2010, and we were listed as in a relationship on facebook by 15/th of July 2011. my lease in a flat i was in the UK was over by June/july so i moved in with her and her friend, in their fathers flat for the last 2/3 months I was in the UK before coming home to Melbourne. Before I left the UK we went on two trips together, once to Latvia one to Greece. The airfares and accommodation were booked together. she came to spend 6 weeks with me after XMAS, then went back to the UK to save up and then re-joined me in 11th April 2012. Our names at on the lease as of the 28th of april, and we have a joint bank account not long after that.

is that enough evidence for a de facto?

with the prospective marriage visa, that will extend another 9 months I think...but do we have to get married in that time?

an agent wants to charge us 3500 but we think thats very steep.

thanks


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## bma (Sep 28, 2011)

JackAndLyndsay said:


> Hi BMA,
> 
> Just wondering what visa you applied for?
> 
> ...


Hi,
we applied for 820 onshore partner visa (we're married) in April and we're still waiting...

I suggest you make your own thread on the forum, perhaps with a title "Enough evidence?" or something similar and I'm sure you'll have some good replies soon.

If I understand correctly, you're thinking of applying for a de facto partner visa or for a prospective marriage visa?
Have you read the partner migration booklet? You can download it here: Partner Migration Booklet

So you've been in relationship since July 2011, and you've been on a same lease since May 2012.

Is your partner with you in Australia at the moment? If she is, when will her visa expire, what kind of visa is she on? Does her visa have a No Further Stay condition?

When were you thinking of applying for your visa?

It's not like I'm that curious , but these are the questions people on the forum need to know if they want to give their opinion...

If she's with you in Australia, then there's probably no point in applying for PMV (cause she'd have to go abroad at least twice). Yes, if you chose this visa, you'd have to get married in nine months.

For a de facto visa, you'd have to prove you've been in a relationship at least a year prior to the lodgement.

Check this case to see the importance of the evidence for the whole 12 months: 1007797 [2012] MRTA 1702 (18 June 2012)

Because you live in Victoria, you could register your relationship; then the 12-month relationship requirement at the time of application lodgement does not apply.

In general, partner visa applications aren't difficult to do on your own; unless there are some complicated circumstances, you can do it yourselves.

Check this: http://www.australiaforum.com/visas-immigration/2997-very-unofficial-defacto-visa-tips-8.html

and this: http://www.australiaforum.com/visas-immigration/7166-partner-visa-best-way-present-application.html

All the best!


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

Rankor01 said:


> *Evidence that the relationship of Sponsor and Applicant is genuine and continuing*
> 16.	Statutory Declaration by Applicant on the history of my relationship with Sponsor
> 17.	Statutory Declaration by Sponsor on the history of my relationship with Applicant
> 18.	Financial aspects table of contents and documents
> ...


_
19.	Nature of the household table of contents and documents
20.	Social context of the relationship table of contents and documents_

I was wondering what kind of documents are possible to add in regards to nature of the household and social context? All I can really imagine is declarations from us and the people in our lives. We don't really have a paper trail of how we arrange our household and of our friendships so it's hard for me to imagine what else I could add for that!


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## MarkNortham (Dec 19, 2012)

Hi Nelly -

For household, including in your statements how you divide up household tasks (even things as mundane as cleaning, grocery shopping, errands, etc) and payment of household expenses can be helpful. For social context, you can discuss things you do socially together, pictures out together and on trips and holidays together, cards/letters/emails of a social nature between you two, and references in statements from your friends as to how they view your relationship and how you two and the statement writer(s) interact socially can be helpful.

Hope this helps!


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## kttykat (Oct 30, 2012)

Great Post Rankor,

Your post should be made into a sticky, it is a good reference for those thinking about lodging a partner application.

I was surprised that you lodged a form 80 as being from the USA it is not usually required but it obviously didn't slow down your application at all. Nice job, well done 

Kttykat


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## holly (Dec 11, 2011)

Nelly if you have any bills at all in joint names or even one bil to you and another bill to him but both at same address i would include them in nature of household section. Also we put receipts for anything that we had bought for the house.

In social context i would put receipts for any social outings travel etc, i also put a lot of facebook snap shots and joint invitations, copies of christmas cards etc.

Some of the evidence does cross over amongst the four categories and i also said stuff like "more evidence of joint correspondence can be found in blah blah section"

Sit down on the floor or at a big table and make four piles - one for each category then go through your evidence and put it where you think it best fits

Bank statements and tax returns showing addresses either jointly or indiviually addressed to same address are IMHO especially good evidence as they are "official" type documents.


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## Whitney (Jan 4, 2013)

This post is so informative. Thank you for those details.


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## xxxxxxxsera (Aug 13, 2011)

Sheesh, wish it was that fast for us..

My husband and I applied onshore (he is from CA), in Melbourne, IN PERSON in April 2011. We met in 2009, lived together since May 2010, married Feb 2011.

Hubby served in the USMC.. in about May 2012 we received MORE requests for the same evidence as already supplied.. sent it back and had his temp visa granted.. last week we received another request again for the same info to "soon be considered for perm residency (mind you in 3-8 months of the 2 year anniversary of lodging his initial application)".. posted it back yesterday.

We're both upstanding citizens, and he wants to join the ADF but can't even begin to apply until he is a permanent resident. SO much screwing around it's REALLY frustrating especially when they tell you your applications are processed in order of receiving them (major BS from DIAC on that statement!).

Anyway, not to bring your post down.. it's fabulous yours was granted so very fast, just very annoying and frustrating for the rest of us who are waiting several years.. frustration toward DIAC, not the lucky applicants!

Congrats, awesome post and I hope you're enjoying life in our beautiful country.


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## sarg (Apr 15, 2013)

Have joined forum just to say thank you for posting such a helpful thread. We followed your suggestions very closely and lodged our application for the 820 visa on the 11th April 2013 amazingly it was approved the same day and we received the confirmation letter today (15th April 2013). So once again thank you.


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## tess-melbourne13 (Feb 7, 2014)

WOW. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this, you've answered basically all of my questions. Just a quick one though: I have so many boarding passes, cards, invites, etc would you recommend to scan these or send the orginals, and if so how should I present them? 
Thanks Again
Tess


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## Me_Overthink!! (Mar 24, 2014)

Rankor01 said:


> *After your application is approved*
> 
> -Scan and/or make multiple copies of your acknowledgement letter
> 
> ...


Thanks alot for providing the information. I am planning to apply for this visa before December 2014 and have recently started arranging evidence on it. 
The information provided in your link is very helpful and I am taking it as a baseline for preparing my documents.

I require some information on the following and would highly appreciate if you could reply:

1) I recently opened a joint savings account with my partner. When can I use that as an evidence. You reckon 6 months statement on that joint bank account would suffice the requirement?

2) The statutory declaration was prepared by your friends and family. Is it necessary? I was thinking about a statement from myself and one from my partner....Is it enough?

I would highly appreciate if you could provide me some information on it.


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## danegirl (Sep 15, 2013)

1) The most important thing about the joint statement is to show that you both are contributing to it, or that the household bills are paid out of it. So as long as you can show that, even with one statement, that's fine. 6 months is good, but you'll need more than just the statements. 

2) It is necessary to provide two statements from Australian citizens on Form 888 with your application. This is a requirement, not optional. Migration agents on this forum have recommended to supply as many statements as possible to support the "social aspect", especially if your evidence in other categories is weaker. 
And you definitely need a statement from yourself and your partner, also not optional. These statements need to be separate too, not joint.


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## LouElla (Mar 31, 2014)

Wow great post!! Thanks for sharing! I'm putting together my onshore app so this has given me some great info and tips!!


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## elbourned (May 10, 2014)

hey there can i meet up with ure hubby...we are both in the same position...ex military trying to join adf and waiting for Pr


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