The Department nevermeets you. It reads a file.This is what a filethat wins looks like.
Regulation 1.15A tells the delegate to look at four aspects of a relationship: financial, household, social and commitment. A strong partner visa has dated evidence under every one, across the whole relationship, with two personal statements and Form 888 declarations that agree with each other and with every earlier application you have lodged.
What the evidence protects
- Partner visa charge, not refunded on refusal$11,710
- Tribunal review fee if it goes wrong$3,727
- Form 888 declarations expected2 minimum
- Police certificates, countries of 12 months' residencelast 10 years
As at 1 July 2026. Genuine couples are refused every year on evidence, not on the relationship.
Evidence under four headings, dated across the whole relationship, told consistently by both of you and by your witnesses.
Partner visa evidence is assessed against the four aspects in regulation 1.15A of the Migration Regulations: the financial aspects, the nature of the household, the social aspects and the nature of the commitment. A decision-ready file has documents under each heading spanning the relationship, two personal statements that match, at least two Form 888 statutory declarations from Australian citizens or permanent residents, and no contradiction with any earlier visa application.
Verified as at 1 July 2026 against regulation 1.15A of the Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department of Home Affairs partner visa document checklists.
Is the file ready? A 30-second check
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A guide only, not legal advice. The consultation is where the real answer comes from.
What goes under each heading.
The delegate scores each aspect on documents, not on adjectives. The best files have a short table of contents and a document under every line of it.
- 01
Financial aspects
Joint accounts and how they are actually used, shared liabilities such as a lease, loan or car, who pays which bills, and money sent between you when apart. Statements over the whole relationship beat a declaration that you share everything.
- 02
The nature of the household
Where you live and how the domestic load is split. Lease or title in both names, mail to the same address, utilities, and each of your own descriptions of who does what. Periods apart are explained, not hidden.
- 03
Social aspects
How other people see you as a couple. Form 888 declarations from Australians who know you both, joint invitations, travel together, photographs with names and dates, and family on both sides who know the relationship.
- 04
The nature of the commitment
Wills, superannuation nominations and insurance beneficiaries naming each other. The history of the relationship in each of your own words. Plans for the future that match. Knowledge of each other's families, work and lives.
Two personal statements and the Form 888s, written to agree.
The statements are read against each other, against the documents, and against every earlier application. Consistency is the test, and it is where most files are lost.
Your own history of the relationship
Each of you writes it separately: how you met, when the relationship became committed, when you moved in, the periods apart and why, the plans. Dates, places, names. We draft the structure and check the two against each other before anyone signs.
Form 888 statutory declarations
At least two, from Australian citizens or permanent residents who know you as a couple. We brief each witness on what to describe: what they have seen, when, and how they know it. A declaration that says you are a lovely couple says nothing.
Statements from overseas family and friends
Not on Form 888, but still useful, translated where needed. They cover the family knowledge on the applicant's side that Australian witnesses cannot.
The audit against earlier applications
Every visitor, student or work visa either of you has lodged is on the Department's file. The relationship start date, addresses and marital status in those applications must match the new statements, or the difference must be explained before lodgement.
Strong evidence, weak evidence, and what it should be replaced with.
Volume is not weight. Three hundred screenshots are worth less than one page that summarises them.
| Weak | Strong | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hundreds of photographs | Twenty photographs with names, places and dates, across the years | The delegate needs to know who and when, not how many |
| A message export | A one page table of contact by month, with a sample | Shows the pattern of the relationship at a glance |
| A declaration that you share finances | Joint account statements showing both of you using it | Use is evidence; a declaration is a claim |
| A Form 888 that says you are a wonderful couple | A Form 888 that describes three occasions the witness saw you together and what they observed | Specific observation is what a statutory declaration is for |
| Evidence gathered in the month before lodgement | Evidence dated across the whole relationship | A burst of evidence before lodgement reads as preparation, not a life |
Original documents are not required for online lodgement, but every document is certified or scanned in colour and translated where needed.
The charge the evidence protects.
Government charges only. The partner visa charge is not refunded if the application is refused on evidence.
As at 1 July 2026. Health examinations, police certificates and translations are paid to third parties.
When the standard evidence does not exist.
Some couples cannot produce the usual documents. The file explains why, and replaces them with what does exist.
Couples living apart: the 309- 01
Living in different countries
Transfers instead of joint accounts, visits instead of a shared lease, a contact table instead of household evidence, and family on both sides. The submission explains the shape of the relationship.
- 02
Cultural or family reasons for living apart
Where family, religion or a law in the applicant's country prevented living together, the reason is stated and evidenced. Delegates accept it when it is explained and inconsistent with nothing else in the file.
- 03
Separate finances by choice
Some couples keep money separate. The file shows the shared costs, the joint decisions and the support, and says plainly that accounts are separate and why.
- 04
A previous relationship or sponsorship
Earlier marriages, de facto relationships and sponsorships are disclosed with dates and documents. Left out, they surface from the Department's own records and become a PIC 4020 problem.
Relationship evidence, answered plainly.
How much evidence do we need for a partner visa?
Enough to put a dated document under each of the four aspects in regulation 1.15A, across the whole relationship, with two personal statements and at least two Form 888 declarations. Quality and consistency matter more than volume.
Who can sign a Form 888?
An Australian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 or over who knows you as a couple. Family members can, but a mix of family and friends, and people who have seen you at different stages, reads better. Each declaration is witnessed by an authorised person.
Do photographs count as evidence?
Yes, under the social aspect, when they carry dates, places and the names of the people in them. On their own they are the weakest evidence in the file. Bank statements, leases and consistent statements carry more weight.
What if we keep our money separate?
Say so and show the shared life another way: shared costs, joint decisions on large purchases, support during unemployment or study, and the commitment evidence. Separate accounts do not fail a couple; an unexplained absence of any financial evidence can.
Do we need to translate documents?
Any document not in English is translated by an accredited translator, with the translation and the original uploaded together. Overseas statements from family are translated the same way.
Can we add evidence after we lodge?
Yes, through ImmiAccount, and for the permanent stage you will. But the application is assessed on what was true at lodgement, so the file should be complete on the day. A request for further information adds months.
Does an earlier application really matter?
It is the most common reason a genuine couple is refused. A visitor visa that said single, a different relationship start date, or an undisclosed refusal is read as false or misleading information under PIC 4020, which carries a three year bar. It is addressed in a submission before lodgement.
Where this visa connects.
- 820Open
Onshore partner visa
Lodging the evidence from inside Australia.
- 309Open
Offshore partner visa
Evidence for couples living apart.
- De factoOpen
The twelve month rule
Proving the start date and registering the relationship.
- ReviewOpen
Refusals and review
If a partner visa is refused on evidence, what happens next.
Get the file audited before the charge is paid.
One consultation reads your evidence against the four pillars and every earlier application, and ends with a document request written for your relationship.