Marisawright

The failure rate for partner visas is extremely high. It's because so many applications are fraudulent, trying to fake a relationship to stay in the country - nothing to do with whether an agent submitted them or not. However, it does mean the department sets a ridiculous standard of proof because they are SO suspicious of people like yourself, who've been here on a temp visa and looking for ways to stay on. It means you've got to be certain you haven't given them the slightest excuse to reject your application, and that's where the value of an agent comes in - they know what will satisfy the department.

Does this mean you got your partner visa? Congrats. A skills assessment is just to assess a person's eligibility for a visa, it has no relevance when you actually get to Australia, so there's no point in doing one. What you'll need to check is what employers will require. If you were a nurse, you'd need to get registered with the national governing body before you could work in any hospital. I have no idea. whether there's anything similar in aged care (I think probably not).

Yes it’s the same visa. You need to prove at least 12months living in the equivalent of marriage (dating doesn’t count even if you’re in a committed relationship)

That would have been to get the increase permanently, not the temporary holiday one

I am not up to speed with the new visa numbers but I knew what you meant - it's replacing the 489 visa. The main thing about the 489 or 491 visas are that you have to work in a regional area for a set number of years. After you've served that time, you are entitled to apply for permanent residency. The definition of "regional" varies from state to state. In some states it'll mean you'll be out in the country, too far from the major centres for your husband to commute. So that is one thing to check.

I'd be cautious of any agency that's charging money to "assess documents". A reputable agent (like Westly Russell) will give you an initial consultation free of charge. If you then decide you wish to proceed, the visa process is now so complicated, you'd be wise to hire an agent to do it for you. You were wise not to go for the PhD opportunity because there would be a very high risk of having to return at the end, and life as an international student is very hard. The agency is correct to say that some visas are changing in November so you'll need to wait and see what happens. If they are saying the 419 is your only option, be aware that is also a temporary visa, although it has an established pathway to permanency eventually. But it does carry restrictions - in some states you'll be charged school fees for the children, your spouse may have difficulty getting work because it's a temporary visa, and you'll pay tens of thousands of dollars in extra fees and duty if you want to buy a home.

If you wait until you are married, then you will have to apply for a partner visa. To get a partner visa, you must prove that you have been married (or living together in the equivalent of marriage) for a full 12 months.

If you have been living together already for 12 months then you can apply for a partner visa now. If you have not been living together, you have a problem.

Yes it is and I just threw away the piece of paper! It’s the ordinary Pensions office I think

Why not apply for a prospective marriage visa?

You are paying an agent to give you advice so he should give you advice. The question is, can you prove that your company can afford you? If not, then there isn't much point in appealing.

Get quotes from other agencies, that sounds excessive. You can even do most of the work yourself then pay an agent a fee to check it. There are several good agents on these forums

Have you checked to make sure it's a good idea? Even if it's a luxury car, it may not be worth bringing it with you. This is the man to ask: https://www.pomsinoz.com/topic/94767-is-it-worth-bringing-my-car-the-iron-ladys-trusty-new-calculator-reveals-all/

Yes there's a lot involved but I'd say it's your best bet if you want to stay in Australia long-term. Even if you are eligible to apply for a 189 visa in your own right, the problem is that it's a competition. Applicants with the highest scores get cherry-picked while anyone with lower scores languishes in the queue until they expire. So unless you can get a high score, you could have a long wait and potentially even be wasting your time and your fees. The de facto visa is a lot of work to apply for - you need to gather a lot of evidence to prove your relationship - but if your relationship is genuine and you've submitted a good application, your application will go into a queue and be considered in strict order - no cherry-picking. So it's much less of a lottery than the 189. Note that you're required to show that you've been together in the equivalent of marriage for at least 12 months. Time spent dating, even if it's a committed relationship, don't count.

Bear in mind that THEY are sponsoring YOU. You can't engage a migration agent to do their work for them, they've got to do that (and pay for it) on their own. You can only do your part of the process, and you'll have to wait until they've got their bit done first. As Wonderingaloud says, do bear in mind that it's only a temporary visa and you'll probably be going home in 2 to 4 years, but if you just want to extend your stay in Australia for a few years, that's fine.

He is a registered migration agent.

Alice, your English is good, but you make small mistakes (for instance, a native English speaker would say, "I haven't found one yet." If you are applying for jobs in writing, those small mistakes will count against you because employers will worry your English is not fluent enough. However to be honest, it is extremely unlikely that you'll be hired for any job while you are still overseas, even if your English was perfect. There are plenty of qualified accountants and bookkeepers in Australia already. Why would an employer wait for you to pack up and move from a distant country when they can hire someone local? If you want to come to Australia, you will have to save up and move without a job. You would need enough money to survive for about six months because it may take you that long to find work even once you're in the country.

My immediate reaction is, if the holiday is so short that you can't afford a stopover, don't do it. Could you get some unpaid leave from your work so you could extend the holiday a bit and fit in a stopover? It doesn't have to be 48 hours. The big airports like Singapore and KL have good transit hotels inside the airport. You don't even have to go through customs. If you can get a stopover of 8 to 10 hours, you can be booked into the hotel within half an hour of getting off the plane, have a sleep, stretch your legs, let the baby play etc. They are not always cheap but I've always found it makes a world of difference to how I feel on arrival at the other end.

I was going to say the same thing. The important thing is that the name on the passport must match the name on the ticket. Otherwise all OK

Can you expand on that please?

Westly Russell is an agent and there is a limit to how much free advice he is able to give. I suggest you give him a call and arrange a formal consultation.

No you won't have a problem.

That's right.

Sadly, I would say there is no possibility of a visa for you. To get any kind of work visa, permanent or temporary, you must be under 50. The Remaining Relative visa is only for those whose only remaining relatives are in Australia. Since you have brothers and a daughter outside Australia, you're not eligible. Your only option is to come on vacation, which you can do every year if you wish (the "no further stay" condition just means you can't apply for another visa immediately - it's fine to apply the following year). Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

I was going to say the same thing. If you're no longer resident in Australia, then you no longer have an Australian business, and you'd just be creating tax headaches for yourself by trying to maintain one. You are now a UK business that has clients overseas. Of course you can bill your Australian clients in AUD and ask them to make payment to whatever account you like. What matters is that you declare that income according to when you receive payment from them, not according to when the money finally hits your UK bank account.