In need of some desperate advice

[Roevale]

Hey Guys,

First off, I have to say I'm glad I've found this forum!
I am about to complete a Master in Space Engineering in the UK. I also have an EU passport (unfortunately my country does not have a working holiday agreement with Australia).

Last year whilst touring Australia for 2 months I met my Aussie boyfriend. We decided to take things further and he returned to the UK with me, where we lived together for 8 months, thanks to his Irish Passport.
I desperately want to live with him again, so I am flying to Aus in the second week of June.

I have researched visa options and unfortunately i am not eligible to apply for an interdependency visa, not having living together for at least 12 months. With this in mind I have been trying to find companies in Australia willing to sponsor me. I found a company and they've agreed that we meet to discuss future possibilities. I am concerned I am not eligible for a sponsored working visa as I have no previous working experience. Another possibility, however, includes applying for an Occupational Trainee Visa, whereby my research experience would be enough.

My questions are as follows:

(1) Can I fly to Aus on an ETA for the purpose of a job interview? Last year I was interrogated in Perth for an hour or so about the purposes of my trip. I was there on tourism and was given such a hard time! As you can imagine I'm scared now.

(2) I read elsewhere that stating that you are visiting a boyfriend/girlfriend raises flags at immigration, as they presume you might want to overstay and work illegally. I am a 21-year old male, with no further ties to the UK. This could make them suspicious as to the intentions of my trip.

(3) If my sponsored work/occupational trainee visa goes as planned, can I apply for it and remain in Australia until deliberation?

(4) Should my work visa be rejected, could I simply fly to NZ or SE Asia and apply for a new ETA before expiry every 3 months, until the required 12 month period cohabitation for an Interdependency Visa has been fulfilled?

(5) I am aware there are 12 month tourism visas available, however I already have an ETA, and apparently 12 month tourism visas are only issued in very special circumstances. Is this true?

I feel that my time is running out, and the last thing I want is to be heart broken. I am sorry I have burdened you with such a long post.

Thanks alot in advance,
Roevale

[Dolly]

Hi Roevale,

I think your best bet is to get in touch with a migration agent. They'll be able to give you the advice you're looking for. The first consultation is usually free, without obligation.

We have 2 agents who occasionally post on here (Alan Collet & Liana Allen) ....or I can recommend George Lombard, who we used.

Dolly

[apeskin]

I am an American currenlty living in australia going through the process of getting an Interdepndency Visa, this is what you have to do!

Go to Immi.gov.au and apply for the ETA...This visa is valid for 12 months and allows you to stay in Aus. for 90 days at a time. You are allowed to leave and enter Australia as many times as you want during that 12 months as long as you don't stay over the 90 day limit each trip.

Pretty much, you will do this for the entire 12 months to satisfy the living together requirement for the visa. You are not required to go back to your home country when you leave, a simple trip to New Zeland will do, as long as you leave the country you can catch the next flight back if you wish.

When you come through customs in Aus all you have to tell them is that you are satisfying the requirements for the Interdependency visa and they shouldn't have any issues with it. Just be totally honest on all forms you fill out. On your customs form, where they ask what your intentions are in Aus just write the previous statement down. I have done this and have not had a single problem. I have been asked a few questions but in the end they were satisfied.

No, you can't go on job interviews when you are here on a tourist visa.

In our case, my partner has supported me while we have been living together because I am on a tourist visa and I am unable to do work of anykind. These are the rules of the ETA.

During your 12 months in Australia, you and your bf need to get as many bills, leases, bank accounts anything and everything you can think of in both names. If you are able to be open about your relationship that is even better because when it comes to visa time, you can get them to write letters on your behalf that you are a couple. For example my partner and I spent a weekend in the blue mountains for our 2nd anniversary. As part of our visa application the woman that ran the motel was willing to write a letter on our behalf stating just that fact. And we contacted her about a month after we had stayed there, but by simply chatting with her during our trip she remembered who we were! Keep anything and everything that shows you are a couple, ex. movie tickets to movies that you saw together, reciepts for anything and everything you have purchased together or for each other, letters mailed back and forth and phone records while you were apart are great as well. I will say, letters that have been posted are better then just emails! Photographs of you two together and with each others friends and family. Proof of travel together is also really good.

After you have lived together you are elegable to apply for the visa. You can get all of the forms needed and get all of your personal info listed above together before that 12 months, you just have to wait the 12 months before you can actually apply. All the forms you will need are on the Australian Immi. Website. If you go to the forms and booklets section of the website and download the one for partner immigration it will tell you exactly which forms and documents you will need.

You will have to go through a physical as well as get police and federal government checks done from your home country as well as from Australia. So bring some stamps from your home country because you will have to include self addressed stamped envelopes for them to send you the results in Australia and you can't use Australian postage for them to send it back to you. You can get international money orders at any Australian post office to cover the fees for these record checks.

REMEMBER: All of your record checks and health checks must be current so don't do them too early, I think for the record checks they can't be more than 6 months old and the health check can't be more than 1 month old.

When application time rolls around you will need to call and make an appointment in advance! The phone number is also on the Australian Immigration website. You can call this number and ask as many questions as you want. They will do their best to answer or they will transfer you to someone who knows.

NO: you do not need in immigration agent to do all of this, it is easy enough to do on your own, and if you look at the forms they are all just basic info about yourself and your partner.

Well, this is just about all that I can think to tell you at the moment I know this is long but I sure do wish someone had told me this from the beginning! It can be stressful, time consuming and expensive but if you two really want to be together it is worth it!

hope this helps!

[kaz101]

Hi Roevale,

I agree with Dolly and would contact someone like Alan Collett. He's a migration agent that's sometimes on this forum.

The rest of us can only tell you about what happened to us but we are not qualified to tell you about your situation and an agent is. You don't have to hire an agent - just talk to them to make sure that you are doing the correct thing.

Australia isn't an easy place to get into and you don't want to do anything wrong.

Good luck,
Karen

[Roevale]

Hey guys thank you so much for your answers. Apeskin would I be able to contact you privately? I've got so many questions and so little time before my flight!

Thanks
Roevale

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by Roevale

Apeskin would I be able to contact you privately? I've got so many questions and so little time before my flight!

Thanks
Roevale

If you can put your questions and answers on the forum that would be great since then everyone else benefits too.

Regards,
Karen

[Roevale]

No problem Karen I just didn't want to bother people with more questions!
My questions are:

Do I need to show proof of funds every time I arrive in the country? If so, how do I do it? My parents transfer money every month, would that count?

Lastly, what sort of questions do they ask everytime you go back on an ETA?

Cheers
Roevale

[Gail]

Now I appologies if I got this wrong, but your first posts suggests you are male and have a boyfriend. Only reason i am asking is I have a good friend who lives in Australia who works for an orginisation who helps gay/ lesbian/ transgendered people to get through the visa process. He can't get you a visa where one isn't possible but I believe the can help with any "problems" that you may encounter. Do you want the details?

[Roevale]

Originally Posted by Gail

Now I appologies if I got this wrong, but your first posts suggests you are male and have a boyfriend. Only reason i am asking is I have a good friend who lives in Australia who works for an orginisation who helps gay/ lesbian/ transgendered people to get through the visa process. He can't get you a visa where one isn't possible but I believe the can help with any "problems" that you may encounter. Do you want the details?

Yeah you got that bit right but unfortunately I'm not yet eligible to apply for an interdependency visa as I haven't lived together for at least 12 months. Hence why I want to go live with him in Aus!
Any help is amazing though..

Thanks
Roevale

[Miss Swan]

Heya apeskin, do you mind if I ask how were you living life throughout the 12 months in Australia if you weren't working?