Jbean

I just found this site and wish that I had found it 8 months ago. I am a
healthy 23 year old Canadian who is engaged to an Aussie. We started
dating 3 years ago in oz, we then lived in Canada together for 15 months
and now my fiance has been back in OZ for 9 months. We aplied for a
pros. marr. Visa 15 weeks ago. I am now scared that some things about
our aplication may not be so good. Is it bad that we did not send a ring
recipt with ap.? Is it bad that we don't have much evidence of continued
contact from June to August? Is it bad that my fiance proposed over the
phone after he had left Canada? All the evedince of the engagement that
I gave is, a NOIM, a stat. dec. from my mom and a sworn statment from my
australian aunt where they mention it, and also we mention it in our
statments. Is this going to be anywhere close to enough? We have heaps
of evidence to support our relationship though. Such as banks, rental
agreements, more stat decs letters pictures, you know. Man am I ever
going to be able to sleep again?

Pollyana

Everyone seems to be talking about "ring receipts" - we didn't enclose
one, and we had no problem. I kept it, for sentimental value! We talked
about the engagement in our Stat Decs, and enclosed a photo of us at our
engagement party, with the cake - but that was one of the photos they
returned.
I think the inclusion of the Notice of Intended Marriage is
more important, and we had a letter from our celebrant talking about the
arrangements we'd made with him.

Jodie

We are submitting a photocopy of the ring receipt, just as we see it as
extra proof for the application

we intend to go to the solicitor
tommorrow to get everything signed off and then (hopefully!) post by
Friday at the latest, this is so nerve wracking.

The one thing that
continues to concern me is the fact we are not submitting a NOIM with
our application due to the fact its outside the 6 months submission
time. We do however have a letter from our priest stating date, time and
place of the ceremony and that is officiating it and that a NOIM will be
submitted within the appropriate time



Originally posted by
Pollyana
    > Everyone seems to be talking about "ring receipts" - we
didn't enclose one, and we had no problem. I kept it, for sentimental
value! We talked about the engagement in our Stat Decs, and enclosed a
photo of us at our engagement party, with the cake - but that was one of
the photos they returned.
I think the inclusion of the Notice of
Intended Marriage is more important, and we had a letter from our
celebrant talking about the arrangements we'd made with him.

Pollyana

We submitted a NOIM even though our wedding date was 10 months ahead.
We were told by the celebrant (who had done lots before) that the date
on the form is not lodged with the registrar, therefore it doesn't
matter that it is more than 6 months ahead. Once I got to Oz we filled
in a new NOIM, same date, but by then it was within the 6 months
timeframe.
I think the NOIM is still on the list of documents to be
submitted, so they might come back and ask you for it, I don't know.


Maybe Jaj or someone will spot your post later and have the answer.


Good luck with the application anyway; hope it doesn't take too long
to hear back.

Pollyana

Jodie

thanks for that polyanna, im sure youve mentioned to me numerous times
before, just to get to nitty gritty did you supply a copy of the NOIM
with your application, if yes was it signed or unsigned ? you see we are
both over here so that would mean having to post it out and then signed,
i thought the signatures had to be witnessed and the only way it could
be done here is the oz embassy in dublin within the six month period !!


Originally posted by Pollyana
    > We submitted a NOIM
even though our wedding date was 10 months ahead. We were told by the
celebrant (who had done lots before) that the date on the form is not
lodged with the registrar, therefore it doesn't matter that it is more
than 6 months ahead. Once I got to Oz we filled in a new NOIM, same
date, but by then it was within the 6 months timeframe.
    > I think the
NOIM is still on the list of documents to be submitted, so they might
come back and ask you for it, I don't know.
    >
    > Maybe Jaj or someone
will spot your post later and have the answer.
    >
    > Good luck with the
application anyway; hope it doesn't take too long to hear back.

Pollyana

Tonyonthemove

Originally posted by jodie
    > thanks for that polyanna, im
sure youve mentioned to me numerous times before, just to get to nitty
gritty did you supply a copy of the NOIM with your application, if yes
was it signed or unsigned ? you see we are both over here so that would
mean having to post it out and then signed, i thought the signatures had
to be witnessed and the only way it could be done here is the oz embassy
in dublin within the six month period !!

I'm not sure if I'm
the best person to answer this question as I'm at the same stage as you
by the sounds of things, but here goes..

We have been advised by our
celebrant to get the NOIM signed before we send it to her, otherwise she
will send it back to us - she has just had to do that for a similar
case. We are heading down to Australia House next week (from Newcastle)
to get it signed by a representative there - although we had to go
anyway as there are several items we need to discuss with them as they
seem unwilling to help any other way. The celebrant did advise us that
we could get a Notary Public to sign it which would suffice (although
it's cheaper to go to London in person as it costs £50 for my nearest
NP).

We are applying 10 months ahead of the wedding, which does not
seem to be a problem.

Hope this is of use, it's about time I gave
something back for all the good advice that I have received.

Fingers
crossed,
Tony

Jodie

thank you very much for your feedback tony

only the oz embassy in
dublin told us they wouldnt sign it unless it was within the six month
period. you may want to double check this with oz house as well.




Originally posted by Tonyonthemove
    > I'm not sure if
I'm the best person to answer this question as I'm at the same stage as
you by the sounds of things, but here goes..
    >
    > We have been advised
by our celebrant to get the NOIM signed before we send it to her,
otherwise she will send it back to us - she has just had to do that for
a similar case. We are heading down to Australia House next week (from
Newcastle) to get it signed by a representative there - although we had
to go anyway as there are several items we need to discuss with them as
they seem unwilling to help any other way. The celebrant did advise us
that we could get a Notary Public to sign it which would suffice
(although it's cheaper to go to London in person as it costs £50 for my
nearest NP).
    >
    > We are applying 10 months ahead of the wedding, which
does not seem to be a problem.
    >
    > Hope this is of use, it's about time
I gave something back for all the good advice that I have received.
    >
Fingers crossed,
Tony

Pollyana

Hiya Jodie,
Yes, we did supply it. The celebrant e-mailed it to me, and
as it happened I was on holiday here so we then met him and he signed a&
witnessed it for us. He did say though that if I couldn't get to Oz, to
fill it in, post it to him with all the paperwork,and he would sign it
and send it back to us. He also wrote us a letter saying he had agreed
to perform the ceremony, and where/when we wanted it carried out.
It
all had to be done again when I finally got here, but he said what DIMIA
were looking for was the fact that we had made provisional arrangements,
and discussed it with a celebrant. If you have a letter from the priest
stating all the details, you may be OK. If you like, pm me your email
address and I'll send you a blank NOIM then you can at least put your
details on it.

Pollyana

Tonyonthemove

Originally posted by jodie
    > thank you very much for your
feedback tony
    >
    > only the oz embassy in dublin told us they wouldnt
sign it unless it was within the six month period. you may want to
double check this with oz house as well.

Now it's me who is
going to lose more sleep! I know Australia House has an important job to
do, but surely it is in their interest to cut down unnecessary work for
themselves by helping folk out with stuff like this.

May be they should
scrap DIMIA and replace it with this forum - at least that way people
will get the help that they need, when they need it...

Oh well, I'm
just going to have to keep thinking happy thoughts about Perth and
getting married in 367 days time - but who's counting? :-)

Pollyana

Tony, Try your local magistrates court, and see if a JP can sign it for
you - might be cheaper?