[DanielSan]

I am an Australian citizen and my partner is South Korean who is currently living in South Korea due to lack of visa. We intend to go down one of two paths for obtaining a new visa,

1. She comes here on a tourist visa and if the ‘No Stay Condition’ is not on her visa then we will get married in Australia and apply for an onshore spouse visa

2. We will apply for a offshore prospective spouse visa and if that is granted we will get married in Australia and apply for a onshore spouse visa.

We really only want to get married on paper now for the purpose of being together. We will have a dedicated ceremony in a couple of years in South Korea when we have the money to do so.

My concern and question is just having a simple ceremony to sign the papers with just the witness be enough to satisfy the visa requirements??

Note: We met while she was studying, on a study visa, in Australia a couple of years ago and started a relationship at the end of 2010. She has met my family and I have travelled to South Korea and met her family. We believe we have enough documentation to prove the relationship is genuine; she is not a criminal and is healthy so it really is just the extent of the marriage ceremony that is of concern at this stage for the approval of an onshore spouse visa?

--

 

[Guest]

You don't have to be married to get a spouse visa. If you have been in a relationship since 2010 you might be able to apply without it depending on your relationship circumstances. Have you lived together? Do you share finances? Are you formally engaged?

 

[DanielSan]

We are engaged. However we have not lived together and we do not have any financial sharing worth documenting. I have looked into the de-facto spouse visa.
We have plenty of photos, stat decs, air fares, emails, letters, cards to support a relationship before marriage, however not enough to support the requirements for a de facto spouse visa, well we don't believe anyway.

thanks _shel

 

[Guest]

Ok so the actual ceremony doesn't matter so long as it legally recognised as marriage in Australia. You'll still need evidence of a comitted and exclusive relationship but not as much.

 

[cutiepie17]

Daniel,

I am in the same situation as you were! Did it work out? I met my boyfriend last year and we are getting married but I dont want the actual ceremony. We will be moving together as soon as we are married (He is local and i am on a student visa). This is starting to do my head in!