If human rights is not something you think about, I invite to read Dr George Venturini
Dr Venturni has an impressive legal bio. He has started a new series of articles on Independent Australia looking at “the history and reasons for Australia’s current unfair and illegal refugee policy”. I invite you to click on the picture below and read Dr Venturini’s excellent article.
Dr Venturini on Independent Australia
User pays or profiteering? Partner Visa fees
In principle, I have no problem with the concept of user pays. I have a major problem if someone takes money and I get nothing for it.
There are costs involved in applying for visas. Here I am looking at Partner Visas for Australia. The current fees are set out below (current as at January 1, 2013).
Partner Visa Fees
The fees booklet is found at http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/990i.pdf
Partner (Spouse) Visa Applications and certified copies
I have written several articles about Partner (Spouse) Visa applications in the past, yet not once have I explained “certified copies”. In speaking to several people lately who are submitting Partner Visa applications I have realised the concept of certified copies of documents is a mystery to many people.
Just photocopying your birth certificate, marriage certificate and other required documents and sending those copies in with your application is NOT sufficient. Certified copies are required in most cases and it will be specified when required. I have a feeling applicants and sponsors ignore the word “certified” because the term is unfamiliar to them.
A certified copy is a copy (usually these days a photocopy) of an original document, that has on it an endorsement or certification that it is a true copy of the original document of which it is a copy. It does not certify that the original document is genuine, only that the copy is a true copy of the original document.
Wikipedia, that wonderful authority on everything, tells us:
A certified copy is largely a creation of English-speaking common law countries, and was designed for administrative convenience. It is usually inexpensive to obtain. A certified copy may be required for official government or court purposes and for commercial purposes. It avoids the owner of important documents (especially identity documents) giving up possession of those documents which might mean a risk of their loss or damage.
Now you want to break up?
So you went through all the drama and forms and interviews and prying into your private life, you got your provisional partner visa and now you want to BREAK UP? Avoiding your spouse?
This article was inspired by a couple of recent search terms that arrived on this site such as “how to cancel a temporary 309 visa“, plus a question I saw on a migration forum about a week ago. The question was from one partner of a couple on a temporary visa, who has children with the spouse, saying they don’t want to be together any more and asking what steps to take.
Fighting
Couples fight more than 300 times a year
Even if you are the same nationality or ethnicity, the very fact you are on a spouse/partner visa means one or both of you are in a new country and a new culture. Possibly a totally different climate. Different currency, food, TV, language. You are without your family – in some cultures family is a very important support when marriages hit bumps. You are dependent on your spouse to feel safe in this new world. You may be studying or working hard, it may have cost you all the money you had to get the visa and relocate, so you may be experiencing financial pressure.
Wife forced to leave Australia
Image via Wikipedia
This is an update on a case I’ve mentioned before, where the couple were devastated when the wife was forced to leave Australia by the Department earlier this year. I pleaded with her not to leave, but to lodge an MRT appeal. For many reasons, she had no choice but to leave. The couple is fighting to get back together, they have now been apart for over six months with no resolution in sight at this point.
Last night she emailed me to let me know how they are going. I’m sharing only little information as I do not want to identify the couple plus I have added emphasis, but part of her email says:
Somehow the Australian law puzzles me..Anyway, my application was received by the XXXX Embassy in XXXX, I got a confirmation of it on XXth. Been waiting for any word since..nothing..deep silence and our depression. Now we are in frame of 5th months of their processing time, I am expecting an answer to my agents another email soon, if not Ill be on it . So I hope it will be good and I can finally go back home, to my husband, where I belong.. Not to mention my husband is government worker from a few years, and he really lost the purpose of doing his job well, for those who took the most important away from him. At this stage we can only pray it will go well.. I send you the best wishes and lots of love. Be blessed, all of you..
Human Rights Commission case closed
Image via Wikipedia
Today we received the final decision from the Australian Human Rights Commission re my complaint. To cut to the chase, under their jurisdiction the complaint is considered resolved because my husband was finally granted a visa. This is not the Commission’s fault – under their powers it seems that is all they can do. I can’t say I am surprised, but I am disappointed. Not disappointed in the AHRC, I am disappointed this is all that can be done.
Partner or Spouse Visa people
Love Versus Goliath covers a range of topics. While our specific Partner or Spouse Visa journey involving Australia is the main topic, it is also about family life, immigration, cultural adaptation, asylum seekers, politics and human rights. There must also be some reference to sex in here somewhere as the highest number of Google impressions is still the search term “qatarsex” (yes, all one word). Not a high CTR (click-through rate) on that one, which is not at all surprising! If you are new to this site, go here: Partner/Spouse Visa.
I sometimes wonder how many readers are “Partner Visa people”. Today I was looking at the search terms used to find us. Here is a small selection of the search terms from the last 30 days that relate to visas. I don’t know if all of these relate to Australia or if all of them relate to Partner or Spouse visas.
i work and have a house will i win appeal for spouse
can spouse visa be denied?
example of statement telling visa officer about you relationship
visa availability system failures
australian visa temporary permission
can yo rebutt your visa dienal
what to say on a statutory declaration form 888
do you get originals back visa
immigration agent with mrt appeal experience
spouse visa denied australia
when you come to australia whith visa subclass 309 what you have to do
spouse visa motivation letter
barefooted mrt
failed visa statutory declaration affected
appealing partner visa cancellation
visa denied through australia spouse
spouse visa denied
spousal visa denial appeal
partner visa 309
my husband has been given a spouse visa on appeal
spouse visa appeal processing time 2011
supporting statement examples for partner visa appl. form 888
I’m not 100% sure that the “barefoot mrt” really applies – the idea of appearing at a tribunal hearing barefoot intrigues me! Maybe they were looking for something else entirely!
