mr steve wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I have an Australian residency as my parents immigrated about a year
> ago.
>
> What do I need to do in order for my girlfriend to come and live and
> work in Australia with me? We were planning to get married, would she
> still need to apply for a visa in order for her to get residency or
> would we just have to fill in forms and show our marriage certificate?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
>
> Posted via http://www.mymigration.net
Hi Mr Steve
You need to start your research by reading DIMA's Booklet 1 (Partner
Migration.) Here is a link to it:
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/1127.pdf
When you have read the Booklet, the next step is to read the entire
section about Partner Migration in the main part of the DIMA website.
Also, look on British Expats, not just in the Immigration Forum (which
is published on Usenet) but also look in the Lifestyle & Culture and
the Barbie forums on BE as well. You will find LOADS on the topic.
Loads.
It sounds to me as if you and your girlfriend are both very young,
however, and at this stage you have no way of knowing whether she would
be able to settle happily in Australia, half a world away from her own
family. I think it might be a bit too soon for you two to rush into
marriage, particularly since a spouse visa does not grant immediate
Permanent Residence anyway as I understand it.
Therefore I would suggest that you and your girlfriend also consider a
Working Holiday Visa for her at this stage. Very recent changes in the
legislation seem to make it very much easier for youngsters who have
used the WHV route to become PRs in their own right after a while.
I'm inclined to think that this route might be better for the two of
you at this stage. Nobody ever believes that their marriage will not
last forever, but the hard statistics are that 53% of all UK marriages
now end in divorce, and I should think that the figure in Australia is
probably around the same mark.
So at the risk of sounding like an interfering old Granny, I reall
would urge both you and your girlfriend to take your time over this,
and a WHV would give you that time in which you could be together, far
from her own home, and work out whether a life together, out in
Australia, is really what both of you want in the long term.
Good luck and have fun. If the link to the booklet is sticky, look for
www.immi.gov.au
Gill
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