Taking my Filipino girlfriend to Australia for a holiday

Ok, so you have begun a relationship with a Filipino girl, and now you have a plan to bring her out to Australia for a visit. Unfortunately, this is not as simple and straight forward as you might think it would be. This is because the Philippines is classified as a “high risk” country by Australia Immigration. Citizens of the Philippines are not eligible to apply for an eVisitor visa or ETA visa, and a subclass 600 Visitor visa is the only option for a visit. In order for your girlfriend to obtain this subclass 600 Visitor visa, she must be able to show, amongst other things, that she genuinely intends to stay in Australia temporarily.

What is a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily?

Many people think they can just say things like “my girlfriend only wants to visit Australia for a holiday”, or “I guarantee that she will return to the Philippines after her stay with me in Australia”. However, no one can guarantee that someone else will comply with the conditions of their visa. So that sort of statement will carry very little weight with the Government. Furthermore, providing reasons in an application for wanting visit Australia do not prove that the applicant has a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily. If it was that simple then everyone could just say in an application that they want to visit Australia for a holiday and their visa would be granted.

Another common misconception that we are often coming across is where people think that they just need a certain specific amount of money in their bank account and that will be enough for them to be granted a visa. This is however way off the mark. The amount of money required by an applicant will vary from case to case, and the a key factor is that Immigration (DOHA) want to see a history of savings which is consistent with the applicants income, and not a certain sum of money that has only recently been deposited tomake the applicant look financially sufficient. Even if the applicant dose have employment, this is still only one factor to be considered in an objective assessment of all of the applicant’s circumstances to determine whether or not they satisfy the genuine temporary entrant test.

The reality is that many factors are assessed in a Visitor visa application. The Government will look at the country of passport, employment, age, savings history, family ties and financial ties in the applicant’s home country, and the history of travel and visa compliance. Even these factors are not only those considered, and an Australian Embassy or visa office must consider any other relevant matters in order to make a decision.

At Australian Visa Advice (AVA) we focus on all of the potential criteria, including any other relevant matters that may exist to help the applicant to successfully obtain her visa. We specialise in relationship based visas including Visitor visas, and every year we submit 100’s of applications for Filipinos that want to visit their Australian boyfriends / partners. We are experts in Australian Immigration law and guide our clients through the complex Immigration rules and regulations. We will not submit an application unless we think it has every chance of success, and we prepare applications to give them the best chance of success. We even write detailed submissions which address all the eligibility criteria of the visa and are designed to satisfy and reassure the Decision Maker that our client’s intentions are congruent with those of the visa being applied for. For more information contact AVA today at: info@aussievisas.net / australianvisaadvice.com

Written by Luke Gorham ©2020
Registered Migration Agent
Legal Practitioner
Owner
Australian Visa Advice
www.australianvisaadvice.com

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FAQ

How much does it cost to apply for a Fiancé Visa Australia?

The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs has increased the base cost of the visa over the years, and the current Visa Application Charge is $7715. This fee must be paid in full at the time of lodgment of the application. If you want to add a dependent child there are added fees.

Can I stay in Australia while waiting for my Visa?

No, you can only apply for a Fiancé outside of Australia, and after submitting your application you will not be given any special permission to enter Australia while you wait for you application to process. If you want to enter Australia during the processing of your application (for example to spend time with your fiancé) then you will need to apply for and obtain some sort of temporary visa.

Can I work in Australia while waiting for my Visa?

No, you can only apply for a Fiancé visa outside of Australia, and after submitting your application you will not be given any special work rights in Australia for while your application is processing.