Reversing the process - migrating to Australia

[Lainie B 465]

OK so I know that this website is for people migrating to the US, but my husband and I are thinking about the future and someday perhaps applying for an Australian partner visa for him so we can move to Australia. I was wondering if anyone here has looked into this, or has been through it already? How long does it take to get the visa? The website states 6 months but is that true?

It would seem that there is a big difference in terms of getting him in as a "temporary resident" (if we have been together less than 3 years when we apply) and "permanent resident" (if we have been together for more than 3 years), particularly in getting a Commonwealth-funded place at a university for him, or certain jobs. So I think we would be better off waiting until 3 years has passed.

Do I need to move back there first or can we wait until he is approved and move together? Also I read that the government removed the assurance of support requirement for partner visas on January 1 2012, which is great news.

I've been reading the Australian government immigration but am interested in hearing of personal experiences.

[kattze 0]

A friend of mine is in the middle of the process with his girlfriend. They've been waiting for approval for over 10 months now.

[Lainie B 465]

A friend of mine is in the middle of the process with his girlfriend. They've been waiting for approval for over 10 months now.

10 months - that's depressing. Having just gone through all this to get me a green card I was hoping for a bit more efficiency!

[KLS2010 30]

The forums I have seen, people have gotten them in as little as 3mths.... most seem to be around 4-5mths.

Check out Mates up over - mainly a site for Aussies now living in the US, but there have also been a couple moving back to Australia. One member is going through the process now and is documenting some of it - so you might find that helpful.

Another is Yanks Down Under .

Neither of these sites are as informative as VJ is, but you may find something that helps you.

Apparently it is quicker and cheaper if you apply 'off-shore' (ie outside Australia) rather than 'on-shore' ( apparently if you have a valid visa for entry to Australia, as long as it doesn't have the 'No further stay' condition on it, then you can apply once you arrive in Oz - from what I've seen it's about $1000 more to do it within Australia).

I have yet to find any definitive info on the sponsorship aspect. It doesn't seem to be as clear cut as the US process (ie having to earn over 125% of the poverty line or needing co-sponsor), but people seem to be getting approved even without being in Australia and having a job ahead of time.

Good luck with it (feel free to PM me - we are looking into moving back also - If I find anything else I'll let you know

[Travis and Meghan 24]

I don't know anything about the process but I'll be interested in anything you find out about. I'm still hoping that one day Travis will want to move to Australia, lol. I briefly looked into it last year but found it confusing and was kind of tired of immigration things.

[Lainie B 465]

Megan, I know exactly what you mean, I too am tired of all the forms and fees! However, one day it's my hope that we move back to Australia. Probably not for another couple of years, since we want to make sure my husband qualifies for the permanent resident visa right away. Right now I am just fantasizing about moving back, and having a look at what we are in for. I will certainly keep everyone informed if we go down that path.

KLS2010, thanks for the websites, they were helpful. It's good to know that it is faster when applying out of Australia.

[danielmalvarado 1]

My offshore subclass 309 application took 4 months to completion

I just followed the guide step by step and everything went without a hitch.

The closest Aus version of VJ I have found is actually:

http://www.australiaforum.com/

They have timelines, etc, and an incredibly helpful community.

In the end we chose to move to America because of the affordability of homes, but I will keep my Aus residency current, and we will both keep our Medicare cards so that medical care doesn't bankrupt us like it does to U.S. residents/citizens.

[riss 12]

Wow, I'm so glad to find this thread! We're waiting on the K-1 for me to go to the US and marry my fiancé, but I'd really like to move back here and he seems quite keen on giving it a try in a couple of years or so. Great to hear about other people doing the same thing. Maybe we can keep each other updated from time to time.

[Xanax 349]

We plan to move back to Australia once I have citizenship in the US, so 3-5 years ish.

[Travis and Meghan 24]

So, thanks to this thread, Travis and I started to talk about maybe moving to Australia. And we decided to start the process at about halfway through next! Not what we'd really planned but after talking about it, seems the best option...

[Lainie B 465]

So, thanks to this thread, Travis and I started to talk about maybe moving to Australia. And we decided to start the process at about halfway through next! Not what we'd really planned but after talking about it, seems the best option...

That's so funny! I'm so glad this thread spurred the discussion. I can't wait to hear how the process goes. For ourselves, we think we will stay in the US for a few more years, and then move to Australia. After all the waiting for my green card it would seem a shame to give it up so fast. And even though I was so looking forward to having all this immigration drama behind me (until ROC) part of me misses it, and thinks it might be fun to start again getting my husband an Australian visa! If only it wasn't so expensive. Not to mention getting the pets to Australia...

Anyway we just booked tickets to Australia for a vacation, we are very excited about that.

Daniel thanks for the link, looks like a really good resource and I will be reading up on the process.

[Mitexi 8]

Lol, we've talked about this as well! I love Australia and would have no problem moving there with him later. But we definitely want to get him citizenship here first. We didn't go through all this mess for nothing. =P And I think it's better for my family that we start off here, and give them time to get used to the idea of me leaving later on. My entire family including grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc. all live within 20 minutes of each other. Me moving to another state, let alone another country, is like the end of the world to them, lol. Plus, I didn't want to have to ship my aging nerve-prone dog on all those flights and quarantine and stuff. So we're just gonna explore the US for a while. =) I'm going to bookmark this thread and information for the future though. ^^

[Travis and Meghan 24]

When we start the process, I will update here if you like. We're probably looking at applying in July/ August of next year because if we leave before March 2014 I won't have to remove conditions. I don't really want to have to bother with that when we're just going to leave anyway. We will probably start applying for things like Fbi check etc earlier in the year though. I've been on the mates up over website and reading about people there going through the process is really helpful! It seems so much simpler than K-1/CR-1

[hktw 7]

Hi Lainie B,

Are you married? If so, why don't you want to apply for a spouse visa?

From my experience, I applied for it offshore Australia(my birth country)by my own.

Because at that time, my husband was living in USA.

It's so easy,I just followed the booklet 1(http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/partners/partner/309-100/how-to-apply.htm)

I only spent 1 month to get my temporary visa because at time we just got married.

(Actually,it should be less than 1 month but my oversea police checks delayed my process)

Yes, it's better to have a permanent visa to study in university.

When I studied,my tuition fee was the same as international students'.

You can apply for it now in USA and once your husband's visa is approved.

You just need to come back to Australia to activate the visa.

If you would like to apply for a permanent visa then you have to wait for passing your 3rd year marriage. Before, we had to wait for 5, they changed it in 2009 or 2010.

From a temporary visa to be a permanent visa, no matter wherever you two are.

And I remembered they did't require you to pay extra $ to remove visa condition.

You only need to do just provide more evidences to show your marriage is genuine and ongoing.

I applied for my temporary visa, permanent visa and citizenship by my own.

[hktw 7]

The forums I have seen, people have gotten them in as little as 3mths.... most seem to be around 4-5mths.

Check out Mates up over - mainly a site for Aussies now living in the US, but there have also been a couple moving back to Australia. One member is going through the process now and is documenting some of it - so you might find that helpful.

Another is Yanks Down Under .

Neither of these sites are as informative as VJ is, but you may find something that helps you.

Apparently it is quicker and cheaper if you apply 'off-shore' (ie outside Australia) rather than 'on-shore' ( apparently if you have a valid visa for entry to Australia, as long as it doesn't have the 'No further stay' condition on it, then you can apply once you arrive in Oz - from what I've seen it's about $1000 more to do it within Australia).

I have yet to find any definitive info on the sponsorship aspect. It doesn't seem to be as clear cut as the US process (ie having to earn over 125% of the poverty line or needing co-sponsor), but people seem to be getting approved even without being in Australia and having a job ahead of time.

Good luck with it (feel free to PM me - we are looking into moving back also - If I find anything else I'll let you know

Actually, Australia is not strict for the sponsorship as the US.

from my experience