[andre]

Hi guys, first of all thanks so much for everyone help, this forums are a great way to support our journeys with the immi..

Well, I am in Australia now on my second year of WHV. I have been living together with my gf, who is australian, for the past 4 years, including 2 yrs and half before in europe. My visa expires on August and we are going to apply for the Defacto. However, I'll be going back home (overseas) for a couple of months in august, and my partner will be staying here in Melbourne. We are not sure whether it will be easier for me to apply for the defacto visa here in australia or once I'm away.

After applying in Australia, could I leave the country and come back later? Would I have to apply for another visa for the meanwhile?

If I apply for the visa overseas, I get worried that the immi could take really long to process the application and I would have to stay away from my gf for a long time...

Thanks already for your help!

 

[Megera]

As long as your visa covers the time it would take for your visa to be approved while you're in Australia you should be fine. However, I've read that you need an appropriate "bridging" visa --- I don't know if that's a specific visa or just one that is valid during your application.
I'm not sure how long it takes for applications to be processed onshore. I've heard varying stories from hours to months.

Where are you from originally? Applying in your home country might not take too long. In Canada for example, I was quoted as my visa taking 12-16 weeks to process. Is it possible for your girlfriend to travel with you back home?
I think it all depends on your case and the country you're from with how long things will take.

If you do apply IN Australia, you have to be IN Australia when the decision is made on your visa (which is why the appropriate visa is important). You will also at some point have to send them your passport. The same is applicable if you apply outside of Australia (you have to be outside Australia when your visa is approved -- in my case I don't have much of a choice since they have my passport at the moment!).

Also, if you're applying in Australia do you have all your appropriate documents with you? (birth certificates/etc?)

If you're thinking of applying regardless of WHERE you're going to apply, start gathering documents and looking over the forms NOW. It took us a year of slowly getting things together and then 3 months of working every day at writing x letter, y letter, getting things certified, photos printed, letters from the bank and our landlords, etc etc! We planned to apply in January of this year and didn't manage to send our stuff off until the middle of March.

Best of luck!

 

[Wanderer]

Megera has saved the best until last for you as it is not so much where you apply from that will cause immi to differ in processing time but more what is going to be best for you to be able to get your documents together, any translations, copies certified etc.

And whilst you and your Gf may have been together for 4 years it sounds like that a fair bit of that may have been while travelling abroad and in Australia and so you need to have a close look if you haven't already at what evidence constitutes being in a relationship together for 12 months and travelling together may not quite measure up.

So as Megera says, no time like now to get the checklist of requirements printed off and seeing what you have to do.

As to leaving Australia while your application is being processed, I do know of one applicant who had returned home to Europe and then returned, subsequently getting the defacto visa but not sure if that was done before their application was submitted or afterwards.