Marrying an Aussie, Visa Questions

Hi,

Thank you for your blog.
I saw your post dated 2011 regarding the de facto partner visa.
I am asking to see if you can help to give us some advice...

My boyfriend(Australian citizen) and I(Singapore PR) would like to apply for this visa. However, just some things to note.. I am based in Sg as I need to stay in Singapore to work for another 2 years+ and he is currently still studying undergrad in Australia. Both of us are in our 20s

Our plan is that, I will migrate over to Australia to work in 2 years time when my bond is up. We intend to get married on the few years to come when we have enough finances. Thus, I will need a visa to find employment. Time is running short for us as the 2 years will fly by..

I am aware of the 2 years waiting period for the temporary visa to be granted to the permanent one. Will you advise us to apply for the visa now or still hold on? Or are there better options/ visas for us to consider? Eg spouse visa etc.

Hope u are enjoying yourself in Perth!
Will be looking forward to your reply


Best,
Chloe



Hi,


You have put me in an awkward solution because I don't particularly enjoy telling people what to do, especially if it involves changes that may have a huge impact on a person's life. I am wonder if I should post up my POSB Bank Account # each time I reply a migration question and see if anyone will donate any token sum to me. Perhaps I should, for the fun for it. I won't promise 'transparency' by posting details of donors though (where got time? I've got a job) 


Since you have plans to get married, I suppose the least complicated solution is to do just that and apply the Prospective Marriage visa (Sublcass 300). It is a quick temporary visa which allows you nine months of grace period to come to Australia to marry your spouse. It doesn't require you to have a wedding, so don't tell me it is unworkable because getting married legally is not at all expensive. It's just the marketing shit working up a rot in the ladies' (lately the men too) brains preventing a wedding to be as straightforward as eating a meal. Obviously we are not the same gender so I do not expect you to agree with my perspective so I'll leave that to your prerogative. Oh, by the way, the immigration does not even require the wedding to be held in Australia.


Subclass 300 will allow you to travel in and out of Australia as often as you need to within its effective period. You are legally allowed to work in Australia, though it may be harder to find permanent jobs because employers may not be willing to train someone up on temporary visa. Casual jobs shouldn't be an issue. After your marriage, you will be eligible to apply for a Partner Visa, which will eventually lead you to a permanent visa. While waiting for your Partner Visa to be approved, you should be able to extend your temporary visa (if required) or granted a bridging visa.


Good luck and wish you a happy marriage.


asingaporeanson

9 comments:

  1. I was about to comment that it doesn't cost that much to get married, the last I check it was S$25 at ROM in Singapore.

    I would say better to marry him now, rather than wait 2 years. You are there while he is here. In this age of instant gratification who knows what will happen in 2 years. Don't give me crap about how deeply in love you both are, how you both are the ones for each other. I was young once too.

    Marry him in Singapore and have the backing of the Women's Charter as well. Best of both worlds.

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    1. Hi Chloe,

      I agree with CK. As far as I remember, back in the days when it took 4-5 years to queue for a HDB flat, lots of Singaporeans ROM first before their actual wedding ceremony. If they change their mind about their spouse in the interim, they would file for an annulment. So be aware that you're making a choice not to "seal the deal" by choosing to delay your ROM.

      Alternatively, date CK (if he is still single and available) for your spouse visa to NZ. :p

      Cheers, WD.

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    2. For the uninitiated, people will wonder: why CK is talking like SG's women's charter is so big, so much so that it is more desirable than whatever Au offers to women in protection and benefits in the case of marriage separation/divorce/uncoupling?

      The fact is..... It is an unfair law in which it requires the ex-husband to provide a maintenance income to the wife, regardless of the financial status of the woman. So even if the woman is the one who own the house and earns more money than the man, the ex husband still have to LAN LAN and pay a regular sum until the wife gets married again. Wah Lao! Even a woman lawyer wrote in to the forum page in ST and organisations like AWARE bloody keep quiet. They know its unfair in a modern society like Singapore but somehow by not saying anything, they are complacent in the idea that a husband must pay the wife, after separation, even if the man is not employed and the wife may be a CEO.

      So much for fighting for equality. That's why I view AWARE as Hypocrisy

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  2. If you are degree educated, you can apply for PR (visa 189) instead of a temporary spouse visa.

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  3. It is very unique that singaporean couples have this idea than they must somehow organise things and get some sort of marriage certificate early so that things are swee swee sorted out early, so that they are not left waiting, even if they are not 100% sure....(you have some sort of bond in SG, he haven't even finish his degree and does not even have some certainty in when or where he can get employment, not even talking about the pressures on the relationship once both of you are working probably in an entirely different situation or circumstances)

    I blame this phenomenon from the SG's HDB application scheme for young couple. Very hard for couple to find a place of their own initially without subsidised housing like HDB, and so there is always a pressure on the couple to get things on the track early to minimise the time between sign-form-to-collect-key for HDB flats. In the meantime some, not many, but enough proportion will break up naturally during the wait, which is lucky for them, but many will only find out the true situation of living together after they move in, and then they are stuck with a big mortgage and pop out 1 or 2 children in the rush to get the 5c (you can tell I am old by my references)

    My advice: rethink why you are doing this. 2 years can be a long time in the initial stage of your career. You may find that you are less determined to leave your work, and SG... Your family situation may mean you have to stay around. You are sailing very close to being a bit kiasu mentality, and want to bow-ka-Liao cover all bases, but you can still lose at the end when things doesn't work out you intend it to be, and I am not even talking about your relationship

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  4. I assume you are a nurse and that you are in your early 20s as you have to complete the bond. The quickest/most reliable way for you to migrate to Australia is via the spouse visa. However, I do not advise that as you bound yourself to marriage just so you can move to Oz. Plus, your boyfriend hasn't completed studying yet.

    If you are a nurse (or whatever profession) then you have the skills to apply as a Skilled Migrant. Why not go for that route instead?

    But then yes, it takes 2 years from the time you submit the spouse visa application to get a Permanent Residency.

    Why do I know? I was once a Singapore PR, moved here to Oz via the spouse visa (my 2nd marriage) and I have children waiting for one more year to complete their bond in SG before finally moving here.



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  5. Hi Chloe,

    If you don't mind, from what country are you?

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  6. EMC - Education and Migration Centre. Partner Visa Australia Best overseas education consultants Migration Agent in Melbourne.Study in Australia,Immigration Visa services."

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