# Partner visa finally done - here's what we included



## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi all,

When I was organising the evidence for the partner visa the thing that helped me the most was reading what people had put in theirs. So tomorrow I am putting in our application after working on it for the whole year, and this is everything we included. I hope it will give you some ideas about the different types of evidence you can include.

Our concern was we got married on July 8th 2011, and we don't have the marriage certificate from BDM yet, but I can confirm (immigration informed me) that this can wait and you are able to make a VALID application without it - you must however provide it ASAP.

*Partner Visa: Onshore Temporary and Permanent (Subclasses 820 and 801)
Myself, Sarah: Australian sponsor 
Partner, Vincent: French
MARRIED
- We live with my mum
- My partner is unemployed 
- I am employed part-time, full-time student, receiving youth allowance
Applying in Melbourne
Partner arrived in Melbourne 13th July 2010, on a WHV*

OFFICIAL DOCS:
Form 40SP / 47SP
Form 80 (we wanted to get it out of the way)
S&V's birth certificates (with translation)
Photocopies of both passports (certified)
Vincent's French and Australian police check (translation)
Medical results
Certified copy of Commemorative marriage certificate
Statutory declarations stating history of relationship (2) [these were quite detailed, mine was 3 pages, partner's was 2, we also mentioned our plans for the next 2 years (we're going back to France)]
(We also made a little timeline of our relationship)

*Financial aspect*
-	Receipt for a computer we bought together
-	Documents showing joint bank account and online banking accounts
-	Bank statements showing transfers between accounts
-	Receipts from Australia Post, money spent on sending letters and packages to Vincent's family
-	Receipt for registering domestic relationship (Both paid)
-	Receipt for Vincent's English classes (Sarah paid)
-	Receipt for translation of Vincent's documents (Sarah paid)
-	Receipt for Vincent's working holiday visa (I paid for it)
-	Selection of our Metcards, I paid for mine and Vincent's metcards (we included lots showing dates we travelled together, all stuck onto A4 paper)

*The nature of the household*
-	Statutory declaration made by Sarah
-	Statutory declaration made by Sarah's mother
-	Selection of letters received by us both and individually from Vincent's family
-	Letters Vincent received at our address: Police check from France, bank statements, letters from Vic Roads, birth certificate (which Vincent's mother sent got sent to our address), Myki letter, Tax File Number, letter from French consulate, National Police Check letter

*Social context of the relationship*
-	Statutory declaration from Sarah's best friend Marcelle El Hage
-	Statutory declarations from family: Sarah's mother, father, sister
-	Joint activities together in Australia: ACMI Disney exhibition, Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Otway Fly Treetop Walk, Eureka Tower, Melbourne Zoo
-	Joint travel in France: Fencing world cup in Orleans, movies, site- seeing, time spent with family
-	Photos from France and Australia, us together and with family
-	Vincent's learner driver logbook, showing my mother as supervising driver 
-	Christmas card from Vincent's grand parents written to both of us
-	Card from Vincent's family sent to Sarah for her birthday
-	Cards written to us for our marriage from Vincent's and Sarah's family, gifts sent to us from Vincent's family
-	Receipt for hotel room at Bell City on wedding night
- Acceptance of intent to marry from the French consulate *[if your partner's country provides this service, it's a good idea to get it done - we basically had to notify the French authorities that we inteded to get married and they sent a certificate saying that there was no legal impediment and we can now register the marriage in France] *

*The nature of our commitment to each other*
-	Sarah's superannuation beneficiary details
-	Skype history with dates of calls made from December 2008 till the 10th July 2010
-	Package and letter Vincent sent to Sarah 15th December 2009
-	Calls made from Sarah's mobile to Vincent's mobile during 26th February to 20th May 2010, after being together in France and before Vincent coming to Australia
-	Letter Vincent sent to Sarah 9th April 2010
-	Copy of Sarah's will

I wish everyone applying for the partner visa the best of luck, make sure you use your imagination for the evidence!

If you are on a centrelink payment DON'T FORGET to tell them about your relationship because it would not look good if immigration goes enquiring and centrelink reports they never knew about your partner!

We did not staple anything, everything was glued to A4 paper, neat, heavy, thick pile, some paper clips, all stacked in a cardboard folder to hold it easier.


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## wimo (Apr 12, 2010)

Very helpful, I will be using your list for reference..GOOD LUCK tommorrow!!!


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

wimo said:


> Very helpful, I will be using your list for reference..GOOD LUCK tommorrow!!!


You're welcome, thanks and you too - good luck with your application


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## nighstar (Apr 22, 2010)

goodluck and thanks for sharing.  my application is about complete now too and i wish i had some of the evidence that you have... :'( ← jealous


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

nighstar said:


> goodluck and thanks for sharing.  my application is about complete now too and i wish i had some of the evidence that you have... :'( ← jealous


I think that each application has it's weak and strong points, but I'm sure all of your evidence would tie together to create a picture of your relationship. I'm sure you have great evidence, also - a long list of evidence is not in itself what makes the application a good one. Think about the quality of each stat dec you have, I'm sure your family or friends wrote lovely supporting things about you and your partner. I've seen your older posts and you seem organised, I wouldn't worry at all


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## dan (May 16, 2011)

good luck sarah (and vinny!)

did you take any photos?? i want to see how big your wad is!!


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

dan said:


> good luck sarah (and vinny!)
> 
> did you take any photos?? i want to see how big your wad is!!


 I forgot to take a photo, but I can still take a photo of the document holder I put it in - I handed it in in person today and they didn't take the folder  I'll post it today


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## francesco_totti (Sep 2, 2010)

SarahM said:


> I forgot to take a photo, but I can still take a photo of the document holder I put it in - I handed it in in person today and they didn't take the folder  I'll post it today


They took my folder when I presented my application (it was 2 inches high)... I "borrowed" the snazzy folder from work anyway so no loss!


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## wimo (Apr 12, 2010)

SarahM said:


> I forgot to take a photo, but I can still take a photo of the document holder I put it in - I handed it in in person today and they didn't take the folder  I'll post it today


Was there any dramas handing it in day before other visa expires??:


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## dan (May 16, 2011)

SarahM said:


> I forgot to take a photo, but I can still take a photo of the document holder I put it in - I handed it in in person today and they didn't take the folder  I'll post it today


aww! i'll find a photo of my application to post up.. it covered a whole table!!


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

wimo said:


> Was there any dramas handing it in day before other visa expires??:


Not at all. I handed it in this morning (12th) and his WHV expires tomorrow (13th).

My partner was with a friend, so I went to the Melbourne office alone. I walked in, there was a desk and a little line to queue. They said "next", I told the woman I was there to hand in a partner visa application - she gave me a ticket with a number. I sat down and waited 15 minutes, then I heard "ticket no' xxx to desk xxxx".

I went to the desk and sat down, the person who took the application was a young man, very polite and nice. He took the stack of papers out of my folder, he made sure I had the two main forms, then he started doing things on his computer. I told him that my partner's visa expires tomorrow, he said that's fine as he was issuing the Bridging visa A straight away.

He took my bank check, gave me a receipt. He gave a letter detailing that the application had been received, and an ID/reference number for the application. He said my partner was eligible for Medicare now. He asked if I had any questions, I just asked how to give my marriage certificate from BDM when we got it, and he said to mail it in.

That was it  Nothing to be scared of.


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

francesco_totti said:


> They took my folder when I presented my application (it was 2 inches high)... I "borrowed" the snazzy folder from work anyway so no loss!


haha , maybe they liked the look of your folder !


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

dan said:


> aww! i'll find a photo of my application to post up.. it covered a whole table!!


 I'd like to see it!


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## Furryball (Aug 23, 2010)

Good luck Sarah! I actually did take a photo of my wad of an application - I've been meaning to make a list of what I added too but haven't got around to it yet! Good luck again!


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Furryball said:


> Good luck Sarah! I actually did take a photo of my wad of an application - I've been meaning to make a list of what I added too but haven't got around to it yet! Good luck again!


Thanks Furryball - good luck to you too. I really hope we both succeed as well as francesco (5 days !!!!!). I know mine won't be approved so quickly as I have to put in one more document this friday, but I hope the wait won't be long 

Let us all know about the progress of your app!!


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## dan (May 16, 2011)

dasdfasdfasdf.. thought better of it as you can see some personal details in that photo. will find another one.


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## francesco_totti (Sep 2, 2010)

Yes that looks pretty similar to mine!

Good luck Dan, Sydney came through in just 5 days for me so I hope you and your other half are just as lucky as me!


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## Furryball (Aug 23, 2010)

Here's my visa app - I only took a photo of the finished pile because I couldn't believe how fat it was!


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## Lisa84 (Nov 13, 2010)

I think you should be fine - our application was waaaaaayyy smaller (about one quarter of furryball's stack I think), only about 50 pages including everything. And we got PR straight away.


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Furryball said:


> Here's my visa app - I only took a photo of the finished pile because I couldn't believe how fat it was!


 That looks a bit like mine  It looks HEAVY!!


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## Furryball (Aug 23, 2010)

It was so heavy! There was no way I was posting it, definitely the cheaper option to take it in by hand!


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Furryball said:


> It was so heavy! There was no way I was posting it, definitely the cheaper option to take it in by hand!


haha  Exactly, I opted for taking it by hand too - the cost of registered/express post was so much more than my $3 train ticket - I can't wait until we find out about our visas !!!!!


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## lildevil872 (Dec 24, 2010)

Hi everyone,

Congrats SarahM in submitting ya application. I know for sure that your application will be approved soon  You had all the details in so thorough. I am definitely using that as a check list for me in future.. You and the rest of the ppl on this forum inspire me haha Good luck..


Melissa


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi Melissa,

Thanks a lot. Good luck with your own application, make sure you share with us your timeline when you hand it in

Sarah


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## Furryball (Aug 23, 2010)

Hey guys - I've started a new post with what I handed in for my own application so feel free to have a read, hopefully it will help


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## hariharansivakumar (Jul 24, 2011)

*Thanks*

Very Helpful - Thanks Sarah


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## Stillwaiting79 (May 1, 2011)

Do the sponsors need to submit their PCCs as well?


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Stillwaiting79 said:


> Do the sponsors need to submit their PCCs as well?


Sponsors don't need to do police checks unless there are dependant children


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## Stillwaiting79 (May 1, 2011)

Thanks Sarah! One less thing we need


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Stillwaiting79 said:


> Thanks Sarah! One less thing we need


I know  There's so many documents to get and photocopy and certify, it can be annoying!


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## miniature.moose (Jul 22, 2011)

Wow, you started collating all this over a year ago?! I'm trying to do it all now that we have become eligible. Wish I'd thought to do it all in advance. I was so caught up in getting a visa for Germany that I forgot to think about going back to Australia! One thing that struck me, SarahM, was the mention of a receipt for registering a domestic relationship. I have never heard of this. Is it essential for a de facto visa? If so, how would one obtain such a thing?

The information you provided is fantastic! I'm a little worried about the "future" commitment side of things as I don't really have much set up in the way of that as I haven't worked much in the past couple of years due to uni studies and visa restrictions whilst in Germany. I don't have a will or anything like that. Do you think that will matter? Any other suggestions for showing commitment for the future? I learned German in case we come back to Germany to live permanently... do you think that will count?

Any help would be great. Thanks again for all the great info!


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## lildevil872 (Dec 24, 2010)

miniature.moose said:


> Wow, you started collating all this over a year ago?! I'm trying to do it all now that we have become eligible. Wish I'd thought to do it all in advance. I was so caught up in getting a visa for Germany that I forgot to think about going back to Australia! One thing that struck me, SarahM, was the mention of a receipt for registering a domestic relationship. I have never heard of this. Is it essential for a de facto visa? If so, how would one obtain such a thing?
> 
> The information you provided is fantastic! I'm a little worried about the "future" commitment side of things as I don't really have much set up in the way of that as I haven't worked much in the past couple of years due to uni studies and visa restrictions whilst in Germany. I don't have a will or anything like that. Do you think that will matter? Any other suggestions for showing commitment for the future? I learned German in case we come back to Germany to live permanently... do you think that will count?
> 
> Any help would be great. Thanks again for all the great info!


Hei there,

I hope I am able to answer your questions..regarding the registration of relationship that ain't necessary but it is an extra way to prove commitment together and it could possibly help waive the 12 month de facto period thing. However relationships can only be registered in NSW, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania(not too sure about TAS but see the link below). The best and hardest to get is a registration in Vic due to the various evidence required.

Links to registration of relationship:
Relationships in Tasmania: how the law affects you and your family

NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages

Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages - Relationships - Register a relationship

In regards to the question you asked regarding evidence about your commitment I am pretty sure if you look deeper you'de find lots. and like Sarah had listed some of hers which included putting your partner's name as the beneficiary of her superannuation, a will is good but not necessary and everyone's evidence will vary according to their own relationship. More commitment could include buying a car together, putting a down payment for a house together, getting a phone plan together, and the list goes on..

Good luck and all d best..


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Spot on lildevil 
Also, miniature.moose, I actually married my partner before we even found out if our relationship was registered or not. First we applied to register because it's a good thing to have for a de facto couple, but a couple months later we wanted to get married.

Everyone has different sorts of evidence, and in your case it seems you've spent time in Germany with your parter which shows you are committed to each other and that you want to be a part of his life in Germany. Certainly mentioning that you are learning German is a good thing, and in your statement of course you can talk about things like wanting to go back to Germany with him.... I speak fluent French, but I sort of have to because my partner's English is not at a great level   But I'm sending him to classes to improve. So, with your application you each have to provide a statement regarding the history of your relationship; this is your opportunity to talk about your life with your partner and everything you're doing to be closer to him and to make a permanent life together (eg: learning German).

You should read the partner migration booklet, you'll find it very informative :
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf

All the best!!


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## Michael.Tran (Jul 26, 2011)

*Help~!!??*

Hi,
I am a few days away from sending my Application.
i have gotten all the evidence but am quite confused about
payslips? for my employment of the past 2 years. (i am the sponsor) 
do i just print out 2 years worth of payslips =S..

i have managed to get my employer to write me a letter of length of employment but i cannot ask him to confirm my annual salary because i am not fulltime.

Another question is.. if my Girlfriend's Student visa expires in the next two months do you think i'll receive a temporary partner visa in time?? i'm sorry to post this on your thread i am just a little stressed.

Congrats and best wishes for success!

Mike.

P.S to add to that with the statements did you hand written or is it okay to type up the statements and sign it by hand? (i am more comfortable with typing than writing)


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi,

2 years of payslips is a bit too much - if you have a group certificate for each financial year that would be better. Also, usually on your payslip it tells you how much you've earnt that year (Y.T.D - year to date, and it should give an ammount). So maybe you could provide your latest payslip for each financial year and the YTD figure will tell you how much you earned. If you don't have either of these, call immi on 131 881 and maybe they'll know what to do.

_"Another question is.. if my Girlfriend's Student visa expires in the next two months do you think i'll receive a temporary partner visa in time?? i'm sorry to post this on your thread i am just a little stressed."_
The average processing time for the onshore partner visa is 6-9 months, that's why applicants are granted a Bridging visa which begins the day that the current visa (her student visa) expires, so she can stay in Australia legally whilst waiting for a decision. The Bridging visa has the same conditions as her old visa (student).

I actually wanted to do a statutory declaration rather than a statement, so I typed it all up, printed it, and signed it.



Michael.Tran said:


> Hi,
> I am a few days away from sending my Application.
> i have gotten all the evidence but am quite confused about
> payslips? for my employment of the past 2 years. (i am the sponsor)
> ...


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## Furryball (Aug 23, 2010)

My partner's statement from work didn't have his annual salary written on it - just his gross weekly pay all signed by his boss and we had it certified. We didn't provide payslips but I think 2 group certificates would also work perfectly well. It's fine to type your statements and quicker too!


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## homeboy0312 (Jun 24, 2011)

Furryball said:


> My partner's statement from work didn't have his annual salary written on it - just his gross weekly pay all signed by his boss and we had it certified. We didn't provide payslips but I think 2 group certificates would also work perfectly well. It's fine to type your statements and quicker too!


hey all,

im just curious about certifying payslips and apologies about going on a tangent... my payslips are provided as PDFs on the company intranet... is it necessary to certify these payslips or should I write in the statutory declaration explaining the situation?


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## Furryball (Aug 23, 2010)

Hi Homeboy,

It says on form 40SP...

"You should provide certified photocopies of one of the following
documents to show your employment during the last 2 years:
• Australian income and/or overseas tax assessment notices*;
OR
• a letter from your employer confirming length of employment and
annual salary;
OR
• payslips;
OR
• business documents or a letter from your accountant if you are
self-employed or self-funded from other sources."

If you can't provide a letter from your employer then it may be worth getting hold of your group certificates for the last 2 years. I would always try and go for the easier and clearer option when dealing with immigration. If you can't get hold of your group certificate or a letter and your payslips are only available as PDF's then I would call immi to check (131 881), seek their advice and then yes I would definately write a statement explaining the situation. Hope this helps!


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## homeboy0312 (Jun 24, 2011)

Furryball said:


> Hi Homeboy,
> 
> It says on form 40SP...
> 
> ...


hey furryball, thanks for your reply and suggestion about calling up.

I'm offshore in Hong Kong and I managed to contact the Australian Consulate here on the phone and asked them whether I would need to certify payslips/tax assessments downloaded from the internet - and the answer surprised me a bit. The lady told me that any documents that are downloaded from the internet do not need to be certified... it's probably a location specific thing though... not sure if this applies to other location, so guys, do check with the office you are applying to!


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## Sammel (Aug 4, 2011)

Hey Sarah,

Just wondering about your 'intention to marry' certificate from the french consulate. We tried to find it on the net but unsure exactly what it is.

How did you go about applying for this? Was it before you got married? And are there any conditions?

Sammel


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## SarahM (Feb 8, 2011)

Sammel said:


> Hey Sarah,
> 
> Just wondering about your 'intention to marry' certificate from the french consulate. We tried to find it on the net but unsure exactly what it is.
> 
> ...


I can help  Here's the link:
Formalités préalables à la célébration d'un mariage (publication des bans) - La France en Australie

Really it's called "publication des bans". You have to give it to the consulate at least 1 month before the date of your marriage (but we were late and they got it only 3 weeks before, I wouldn't suggest being later than that). You just fill out a form and have to give your certificat de naissance, proof of address....very simple.

You just follow the instructions on the link, and send it to the consulate in Sydney, and they will send you back a "certificat de capacité à mariage".

You will also need this when your partner needs a French spouse visa. 
- You get the "certificat de capacité à mariage"
- You apply for "Transcription d'un acte de mariage australien"
Transcription d'un acte de mariage australien - La France en Australie
- They will give you your livret de famille

If you are already married, you can still get the Transcription d'un acte de mariage australien, but I think if you want to do that without the certificat de capacité à mariage, they will want to interview you and your partner at the consulate. We didn't want to do this because we're in Melbourne and Sydney is far.


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