Application: Proving a couple to be sociably acceptable?

[Sage]

Hi Everyone,

We are in the process of getting all the documentation together. Noticed on the immigration web site yesterday that one of the many additional things to include in the application, is to prove your relationship with your spouse(writing an essay about how you met etc) but also prove somehow that you as a couple are sociably acceptable and basically have friends etc.

How should we go about proving that we are socially OK? What did you do for this section of the application?

Thanks,

Sage

[Dedrei]

Spouse

Your 'spouse' is your husband, wife or de facto (common law) partner.

The definition of 'spouse' for migration purposes means that marriages between persons of the same sex are not recognised under the Marriage Act. Therefore, you cannot include your same sex partner in your General Skilled Migration visa application. However, if you become an Australian permanent resident, your same sex partner may satisfy criteria for the grant of a visa as a partner.

See: Family

Evidence to attach to your application

If you are legally married, you must include a certified copy of your marriage certificate issued by an official registry office.

Whether you are married or in a de facto (common law) relationship, you must include evidence that your relationship is genuine and continuing and you have a commitment to a shared life together. This may include:

Evidence of the history of your relationship

Both you and your spouse should provide a statement including all of the following:

how, when and where you first met

how your relationship developed

when you decided to marry or commence your de facto (common law) relationship

your domestic arrangements, that is, how you support each other financially, physically and emotionally and when this level of commitment began

any periods of separation, when and why the separation occurred, for how long and how you maintained your relationship during the period of separation

your future plans.

Note: Your statement does not need to be made on a statutory declaration form. Your statement or statutory declaration must, however, be signed by the author.

Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship

There are four broad categories of evidence that you need to provide.

financial aspects:

sharing of finances, household bills and expenses, such as joint bank accounts, joint ownership of real estate or other assets

the household:

your living arrangements such as joint ownership of your house or joint names on a lease, correspondence addressed to both of you at the same address, joint responsibility for children

social context:

evidence that you and your partner are generally accepted as a couple socially, such as joint invitations, evidence of common friends, assessments by your friends and family of your relationship, joint travel or joint participation in sporting, social or cultural activities

your commitment:

knowledge of each other, intention that your relationship will be long term, through things such as the terms of your wills, and correspondence and phone accounts to show that contact was maintained during any periods of separation.

Hope this helps, this is quote directly from www.immi.gov.au site.

[Sage]

Hope this helps, this is quote directly from www.immi.gov.au site.

Hi Dedrei,

Thanks for the info - I think what makes it more difficult for us is the fact that we haven't told anyone, not even family so I'm not sure how we should go about this section in particular:

"social context:

evidence that you and your partner are generally accepted as a couple socially, such as joint invitations, evidence of common friends, assessments by your friends and family of your relationship, joint travel or joint participation in sporting, social or cultural activities "

I've just chucked away christmas cards too and these days invitations are via phone or sms. Any other ideas?

thanks,

Sage

[Spider]

Hi there

Sage, i am just as confused by some of these requirements!!

Can anyone advise? We live together, have a lease with both our names on it through his mom (cottage on her property), i recieve post there, and andre receives everything electronically but records have his address on there too...so we split the rent, we go shopping together and split the bill of necessary, go on holiday every year together, most our friends are mutual since we all met around the same time...

but we are young and haven't bought property and so on together....so???

[australian]

Hi Sage

I am in the same boat as you....we are about to send in our application and I have included all the following.....hopefully it will be enough!!

- two invitations

- our wedding photo in the paper

- lots of joint accounts eg, rates, home loans, letters from builders and our body corporate

- birthday cards, anniversary cards and "a congratulations on birth of baby card"

- Christening certificates of both kids (which shows parents name)

- 3 declarations from Australian Citizens

- Wedding invitation and Hymm sheet

- I have also written a statement from both of us, and we have signed it

Not sure what else to put in, but I have a file full of paperwork that I am sending in!!

Do you think we would need to include photo's (of friends ect!!)

When are you looking at leaving, and where about in Australia are you planning to settle!

[DesV]

Good people

Once you understand the reasons for requests it makes it easier to answer their questions, What Australia is trying to avoid is where a single person qualifies to migrate to Australia and they then marry someone

"convienience marriage" often a financial transaction takes place they then apply together and go through the motions of moving together eventhough they have totally seperate lives once the second person is set up in Australia and is in a position to get PR or citizenship they divorce and the initial person is free to go home or stay and in the process has made a pile of money and the other person has effectivly bought citizenship for which they could not qualify for.

Your job is to prove your relationship is legitimate and not convienience, hope this makes it easier to see reason and prove legitiamacy think old photos on holiday etc that show you together years ago etc...

[Spider]

Hi There

I do realise their reasoning behind it and its valid, but i worry that things like that won't be enough...we've got photo's of us from our first year we met in University already...maybe i'm over-stressing about it???

[Sage]

Thanks to all you for your advise - we've included detailed documents to proof our marriage, so hopefully that will be good enough.

We haven't included photos but if they need that and request it, we'll happily send some.

Australian, you asked when we were hoping to leave and where we'll be going to - at this stage we aren't sure how long the process will take - our forms were posted last week. Hopefully the fact that we are on the skills demand list, will work in our favour. Their estimated waiting period is approximately 15 months? Long time to wait!

We are considering Perth or Brisbane - still thinking about a possible LSD trip to calm the fears. All depends on costs etc.

Thanks again.

Sage