If you have already lodged your Australian Partner Visa application whether it be a fiancé/fiancée visa, prospective marriage visa, spouse visa, partner visa or de facto visa application you have two options for your newborn to migrate to Australia.

At the moment we have three couples who have all lodged visa applications (two partner (spouse) visas and one prospective marriage (fiancé/fiancée) visa application) and babies are all due mid to late this year. There are two options for baby to migrate.

The first option is after baby is born provided the application has not been finalised we can add baby to the application by providing a new sponsorship form, baby's passport and baby's birth certificate etc. The only issue with adding baby at this point means baby has to attend for biometrics and do a medical.

The second option is after baby is born to lodge an Australian Citizenship by Descent application and then baby can avoid any medical checks or biometrics. You need to allow the time for the application to be processed and then enough time for baby to then apply for an Australian Passport before travelling to Australia.

We are experts in partner visas and coordinating applications with the addition of newborns and we can assist with any type of partner visa or prospective marriage visa application or Australian Citizenship applications. Danielle Ferris is a specialist with partner visas and prospective marriage visa applications and with All Australian Visas has a 100% success rate.

Please contact us if you require highly professionally, highly experienced and successful migration agents who provide a high-level client service, migration advice and assistance. Danielle Ferris has 15 years' experience in analysing, interpreting and applying commonwealth law, regulations and policy throughout her 12 years served with the Australian Federal Government and making decisions as a delegate of Australian Ministers. Call or email us now for a FREE Initial Assessment of your eligibility for a partner visa.

Be careful about sending money overseas to a prospective marriage partner to visit Australia to further a relationship you began online.

Many Australian citiznes have been defrauded by online dating, friends and marriage schemes operating from Russia, but it happens from anywhere. These scams often start from people you have met in internet dating schemes or chat rooms.

The ploy of the fraudsters who are usually women, is to ask their Australian Ctizen or Australian Permament resident friend or prospective marriage partner to send money to enable them to travel to Australia. ONce the money has been received at the other end you will not hear from the scammer.

The scammers use emails that appear they are comng from Australian Immigration email address telling the Australian Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident friend or prospective partner that the visa has been granted.

If you begin an internet relationship with a prospective partner there are many ways we can help. Firstly, we can organise the tourist visa from this end without the need to send money overseas to apply for the tourist visa which means large sums of money don't need to change hands before you meet the person. We can tell you if correspondence you have received is genuine. We can also collect important documents such as passports and passport photos as part of application process which will verify your prospective partner's credentials.

There are many, many relationships which start over the internet and result in long-term happy marriages - the key is to choose carefully where you seek a partner and to verify their identity and intentions from the beginning. Withhold sending any money to anyone overseas before you have consulted a registered migration agent such as myself.

I can ensure from day one you have the correct and legitimate information so you will know if there is potential your prospective partner is a fraud and not who they say they are. We can give you all the information you need to know about Australia's visa requirement, procedures and costs.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship or the Australian Embassy or Australian High Commission where you lodged your application may contact you for an interview.

The purpose of the interview is to compare your answers given at interview with the information and documents you have provided with your application.

Generally, if the case officer has any doubts or there are any inconsistencies or discrepancies with your application, this is where they will investigate.

Sometimes the interview can be routine and sometimes it is because there is something the case officer is not so convinced or sure about the application.

We have had several clients who have not been interviewed because we presented a straight forward application with all the evidence clearly labelled and explained in submissions.

So, it is not a predictable event as to whether or not you will be called in for an interview as the applicant of a partner visa, spouse visa, de facto visa, fiance/fiancee visa or prospective marriage visa but it is highly possible.

What is also possible but also unusual if for the visa sponsor to be interviewed separately. If this happens or has happened to you, I strongly recommend you seek from professional assistance from a registered migration agent like myself.





 

The answer is yes! Always a yes, we can help.

If you have already lodged and you have doubts about your application having met all of the requirements, you want to follow up regarding its progress or you run into problems because you have been asked for more information or have been asked to do a phone or in person interview then we can help in all situations.

We would need to see a copy of your application and any correspondence you have had with the Department of Immigration or the Australian Embassy or Australian High Commission where you lodged your application.

We would then review your file to ensure it was thorough and complete to begin with, make recommendations to you if it was not thourough and complete, write a submission addressing how you and your partner meet migration law, regulations, and policy requirments for the visa, submit a 956 giving us authority to represent you and then follow up with your case officer initially to find out where things are at and then on regular basis and handle  your application moving forwards through to completion.

We know lodging a partner visa can be one of the most stressful, anxious times in your life and the most important. The wait for an answer can be agonising, the separation from your partner painful and doubt about if your application will be approved nerve racking. You don't have to do it alone, you can hire a registered migration agent. Contact us today to find out how we can help using our contact page.

Australia's population has reached an estimated 23 million people.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says the projection is based on last year's population estimate and takes into account factors such as the country's birth rate, death rate and international migration.

At All Australian Visas we have helped thousands of people migrate to Australia so we are proud to say we have had a part to play in helping Australia reach this population milestone.

If you are thinking of migrating to Australia or sponsoring a partner or family member to Australia then contact us and we can help!

Email or call us today to get a FREE Initial Assessment and to find out if you qualify for an Australian visa, you could be Australian number 23,000,000,001.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship or the Australian Embassy where you lodged your application may contact you for an interview.

Making your interview appointment.

The Departmental Officer should contact your migration agent directly to organise an appointment, however, if they contact you directly please be aware of the following:
• If you are called for a telephone interview, make sure you are relaxed and calm, you are somewhere quiet and
private.
• You must ensure if English is not your first language and/or you are not fluent in English and/or you are not confident to speak in English that you request an interpreter.
• You can request the Departmental Officer contact your migration agent to organise an appointment.
• If you live close enough to the Embassy they may ask you to come in personally for an interview. If travelling to the Embassy is a problem, please advise your migration agent and we will organise a telephone interview.

Before your interview
• Read all application forms (request from your migration agent if you don’t have them)
• Read the submissions your migration agent wrote and lodged with your application, this will give you the entire
overview of your case including lists of all evidence submitted. Please ask questions or ask to see copies or clarify any points you need to.
• Ask  your migration agent about anything you are unsure about.
• Make sure you take along with you to the interview any requested documents including your
passport.
• Review the types of questions that may be asked in a partner interview

During your interview
• Make sure your interpreter (if you have one) understands you correctly and is relaying your answers correctly. Advise the Departmental Officer, if you think there is a problem with the interpreter not understanding you.
• Try to remain calm and relaxed, remember it is not an interrogation it is just the Departmental Officer’s job to get the details from you to help them make their decision on your application that you are genuinely intending to be married (in case of prospective marriage visa) or you are in a genuine and continuing relationship (in case of partner visa).
• Try to keep notes about what questions were asked and how you answered.
• Remember to be truthful at all times and give the most accurate and correct information to the best of your ability.
• If there is a question you don’t understand, then let the case officer know so they can
rephrase it.
• If there is a question your don’t know the answer to, tell them you don’t know or provide your most accurate answer.
Types of questions that may be asked
The types of questions asked vary on the case officer. Some will ask questions really specific and closed direct questions that only have a direct answer, others will ask open questions.
1. How  you met
2. Where you met
3. Date you first met
4. When you decided to get engaged/married/move in together
5. History of your relationship
6. Knowledge of each other’s addresses and where you live
7. Knowledge of each other’s living arrangements – who live with
8. Knowledge of each other’s family members and where they live
9. Knowledge of each other’s occupations and/or studies
10. Knowledge of each other’s past relationships – de facto/engagements/marriages
11. Knowledge of each other’s day to day ives in own country
12. How often and how you are in contact and how
13. If you send money to your partner, how much and how often
14. Knowledge of each other’s family, family members, family background
15. Is wedding planned? When? Where? Who will attend?
16. If married? When? Where? Who attended?
17. Plans for the future – where going to live? Have children?
18. Knowledge of where you are going to be living when you move to Australia and what it is like
there
19. What did you do the last time you saw each other?
20. What do you normally do on the weekends together?
21. What friends did you see last and what did you do with  them?
22. What did you buy each other for your last birthday?

After your interview
• Send any notes you made to your migration agent.
• Notify your migration agent of any issues you noted during your interview. For example consider: did you misunderstand a question? Did you answer incorrectly? Did you forget to mention something? Did the case officer
ask about a particular issue or focus on a particular issue? Did the case officer ask something that seemed strange or inappropriate?
• If there was something that happened that was of concern to you during the interview,
please notify your case officer immediately.
• If the case officer ask you to submit any evidence or any information following your interview, please
advise your migration agent immediately.

We always get asked for advice from happy couples who are confused about what they can do to live together in Australia.

If you a the person applying for an Australian visa you should be aware of the intents and purposes of a tourist visa for people who are genuine visitors to Australia and who plan to visit and return home.

If you are overseas and you are not married or have not lived in a de facto relationship for 12 months (in some cases it can be 6 months or less) then you may need to consider two things.

First, do you plan on getting married at some point? If you do genuinely intend to get married in the near future then you could apply for a prospective marriage visa. You will then have 9 months from the date of grant to come to Australia and wed your beloved. Your other choice is you could get married overseas first and then apply for a spouse visa.

Second, if you don't plan on getting married then things could prove difficult unless you can arrange to live in a de facto relationship visa restrictions taken into account. For example, you could possibly apply for a student visa if you are genuinely interested in being a student in Australia and can prove you meet the criteria for a student visa. You could learn English, do a diploma or even a University Degree. This would allow you to meet the de facto requirement of cohabitation for 12 months (6 months in states where relationship registration available and less in some circumstances). Or you would need to travel between each others countries and proof you "live together but not permanently apart".

In all cases, our goal is to reunite couples as quickly as possible in the correct way according to Australian immigration law, regulations and policies. We have 7 years experience in dealing with Immigration and visas and we are experts and specialise in all partner migration.

Book a consultation today and we can give you advice about your options and how you can meet your goals of being reunited and living happily together in Australia with your Australian partner.

We have so many diverse cultures of people living in Australia its a melting pot of diverse nationalities. In Australia we really know how to celebrate our diversity!

One of the things I love doing is going to the French Film Festival. Last night I was lucky enough to see What's in a name? - Le Prenom. It was the funniest film ever and I laughed out aloud - a lot!

The French really do make the best films and the funniest films, I must confess I named my youngest daugther Amelie after one of my favourite French films and I'm not even French.

Later in the year we will be lucky enough to be able to indulge in the Italian Film Festival, Greek Film

The French Film Festival is happening in most capital cities right now, check out http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/default.aspx and do yourself a favour.

The Legal Services Commission of South Australia provides a brilliant training program for new migrants. The program called, Migrant Information Legal Education won a Harmony Day award. Here's what the LSC says on their website:

Why legal education for New Migrants?

For people who face the complex challenges of resettling in Australia, legal education and information about legal services can significantly reduce the risks of hardship and social isolation. Traditionally, migrant communities
have negotiated the first years of settlement in Australia with a limited understanding of the laws
and operation of our legal system. Community legal education (CLE) plays a key role in assisting new migrants, particularly of non-English speaking backgrounds, achieve greater social mobility and self-reliance through improved awareness of their rights and obligations under Australian law.

There are also a number of videos you can watch to learn about topics including Australia's Legal System, Driving, Renting, Centrelink and Family Law.
 
Visit www.lsc.sa.gov.aufor more information.

Harmony Day is tomorrow 21 March. It is a day set aside to honor and respect everyone who calls Australia home - from the traditional owners of our land to those who have come from many countries around the world.

Getting involved in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to our nation of Australia and contribute to the multicultural melting pot that is Australia. 

Schools around the country are asking children to wear orange as a symbol of Harmony Day. Children as young as 5 will have the opportunity to take part in Harmony Day and develop a better understanding and respect for anyone who comes from a different background, no matter what that cultural background is.

So, let's celebrate our country and the people who call it home.