Want to ensure an awful result that will leave you disappointed when your visa application is refused? Looking forward to seeing your dreams shattered? Let me tell you how!

Yes, I’m trying to inject a bit of humour here to capture the attention of video and BLOG viewers, so I can make some important points. Obviously nobody goes out of their way to see their applications refused, but honestly some of the decisions we see people make and you can certainly wonder! Careless actions and decisions made for the wrong reasons can and will lead to visa applications being refused. Want to bring your sweetheart from Philippines to Australia? Please read on, and learn how to avoid a horrible outcome.

What are the main causes of view refusal?

We at Down Under Visa see a lot of clients. We see a lot of scenarios, and we hear a lot of stories. We would assess at least a dozen new cases every day via our free online visa assessment form. Not all become clients, obviously. Some are simply not qualified! Many could, and I would guess that many decide to do it themselves to save some money….which is the first area where clients often make mistakes.

Saving money on visa applications

Yes, the desire to save money and to assume that getting a professional is a bit of a luxury. Australians are accustomed to doing things themselves. We tile our bathrooms ourselves. We paint our own houses. Many do their own tax returns. And the Department website makes it look like a great ol’ do-it-yourself weekend project. Visas, Bunnings style! Maybe you can get a barbequed sausage sanga at the same time?

The point is we get people all the time getting back to us saying:

• We did your website assessment form before
• We thought it was easy, so we did it ourselves
• And now we have a refusal

You might well do fine, just as you might well be able to tile your own bathroom. But there’s a good chance you will stuff it all up, and wish you had simply engaged a professional like you had meant to in the first place. At worst you may just waste a few months of time, and especially with partner visas you may waste a whole lot of money. But if you’re not careful and you put the wrong information …..or if you omit important information, even due to misunderstanding a question on a form…..you could face a three year ban too.

Question to ask yourself of course is how important is the outcome of the visa application to you both?

Not wanting to follow migration agent advice

We lodge hundreds of visa applications every year, and we have a great track record of success. If your application is genuine and if you follow our advice, the risk of refusal is minimal. Or at least it should be! And it’s our job to present your case in the clearest way we can so that the case officer’s at the Australian Embassy or the Department offices in Australia can see the real people behind the pile of paper they receive.

The Embassy and Departmental staff are not bad guys. They don’t go to work every day saying to themselves “Can’t wait to knock someone back today!” But they have a job to do, and that is to make sure that only those applicants who meet the criteria for a visa grant set out in the Migration Regulations actually get visa grants. They need to see that your relationship is genuine, and that you meet all the other criteria set out in the Regulations. It’s our job to extract that information and those documents from the visa applicant and the sponsor so that they can see this.

And let me tell you, it’s really frustrating when visa applicants fight with us over this, or act mortified and insulted when we ask for more information or more documents. This is our job in the first place. No “Yes Men” at Down Under Visa. We will tell it to you straight, and it’s only to your benefit to follow our advice. This is what we do, and we are very good at it.

I just heard from a previous client yesterday (no names mentioned, obviously) who had a partner visa refused. They didn’t like the standards that we set, and found another Migration Agent who was a bit more “relaxed” about standards. So they put together a much simpler application, no doubt thinking we were excessive in what we asked of them. Result? Partner visa application refused! Why? Because the application was not put together well enough to convince the Case Officer that they had a genuine relationship and therefore deserved an Australia visa!

Now, this was a married couple with a child between them. From our experience with them, we believed they had a genuine relationship. They were a bit unenthusiastic when it came to collecting paperwork, and had some legal corrections of legal documents to make, but in our view they definitely met the Regulations for a partner visa and should have one right now! And if they had continued with us and if they had followed instructions, yes they would be together in Brisbane right now living a life together as a family should. But they are now stuck apart, because they wouldn’t follow advice and thought it was easier than we said it was. Tragic!

So do yourselves a favour, and realise that the cost of a professional managing your application is money well spent. Watch our testimonials and hear from our happy clients have to say.

Further Reading

A quality visa application…..or a visa refusal

How YOU can avoid visa refusals

Why Jeff Harvie and Down Under Visa do what we do