James & Maria's Story

James is an Australian citizen. Maria is from Brazil. They applied for a subclass 820/801 partner visa.

Visa

Subclass 820/801 - Partner Visa

Location

Sao Paulo to Sydney

Relationship

De facto, 2 years

Outcome

820 visa granted, 801 pending

Organised 18 months of relationship evidence into a clear, structured application

Generated statutory declarations with the right format and content

Saved $5,500 compared to the agent quotes they received

"We were quoted $6,000 by an agent for our partner visa. MigrateYou helped us understand what evidence we actually needed and build a stronger application ourselves."

Challenge

Partner visa applications require extensive evidence of a genuine relationship. James and Maria were unsure what counted as valid evidence and how to organise it effectively.

Solution

MigrateYou's workspace provided a structured evidence checklist covering financial, social, household, and commitment categories, with clear guidance on what the Department expects to see.

Building a case for love

When James met Maria in Brazil, they knew they wanted to build a life together in Australia. What they did not know was how complex the partner visa process would be.

“Everyone told us we needed an agent,” James says. “The quotes we got ranged from $5,000 to $8,000. On top of the visa application fee itself, that was a lot of money.”

The biggest challenge was not whether their relationship was genuine - it was figuring out how to prove it to the Department of Home Affairs.

Evidence, organised

MigrateYou broke down the evidence requirements into four clear categories: financial, social, household, and commitment to a shared life. Each category had specific checklists and examples.

“We had plenty of evidence - joint bank accounts, photos, flight bookings, messages from family - but we did not know how to present it. The workspace showed us exactly what to include and how to structure it.”

The tool also generated their statutory declarations, ensuring they covered the specific points that the Department looks for.

The result

James and Maria lodged their application themselves using the ImmiAccount guide. Their subclass 820 temporary visa was granted, and they are now waiting for the 801 permanent visa decision.

“We saved enough money to put towards a deposit on our first home in Sydney. That would not have been possible if we had gone with an agent.”