What Is Financial Evidence for a Partner Visa?

What is financial evidence for a partner visa?

Financial evidence for a partner visa is any document that shows the partners combining or sharing their finances. The regulations direct the Department to consider joint assets, joint liabilities, pooling of resources, legal obligations between the partners and how household expenses are shared. Each factor can be shown in more than one way, and the evidence should reflect how the couple actually manages money rather than an ideal arrangement. Our guide to partner visa financial evidence explains each factor.

What documents count as financial evidence?

Documents that count as financial evidence include joint bank account statements, a mortgage or lease in both names, car loans or credit cards held jointly, statements showing transfers between partners, receipts for shared purchases, superannuation and insurance nominations, and evidence of one partner supporting the other. Our articles on joint bank account evidence and mortgage evidence explain two of the strongest categories.

How much financial evidence is enough?

The amount of financial evidence that is enough is a representative sample across the relationship, not every statement. A few statements from different periods, highlighting the relevant transactions, usually show the pattern. Large unmarked bundles are hard to read. Highlighting rent payments, transfers and shared purchases, and adding a one-page summary of how the couple divides costs, lets the case officer see the arrangement without working through every line. Statements should also cover the period the couple relies on most, such as the 12 months before lodgement for de facto partners. Our guide on how much evidence a partner visa needs explains how to select documents.

What if we keep our finances separate?

Couples who keep their finances separate can still provide financial evidence by showing how costs are shared in practice and explaining why they keep separate accounts. Cultural views, earlier divorces and business interests are common reasons. Our article on partner visa separate finances shows how separate arrangements are presented.

Does financial evidence matter more than other evidence?

Financial evidence does not matter more than other evidence, because the Department weighs all four aspects together. Strong financial evidence cannot cure a relationship with no shared household or social life, and modest financial evidence can be balanced by strength elsewhere. Our article on the partner visa four pillars of evidence explains how the aspects fit together.

Is financial evidence different for self-employed or low-income couples?

Financial evidence for self-employed or low-income couples follows the same principles, but the documents often look different. Business accounts, cash payments and support from family may need explaining. A partner with no income can still show financial interdependence through being supported. Our article on a partner visa when self-employed addresses business finances, and couples relying on Centrelink can read our article on partner visa Centrelink.

How does My Migration Lawyers prepare financial evidence?

My Migration Lawyers reviews each couple's accounts, loans, assets and payment patterns, picks the documents that best show shared responsibility and marks the relevant entries so a case officer can see the pattern at a glance. Where finances are separate or unusual, the firm explains the arrangement in the relationship statement. Couples who want their financial evidence checked can send it to our partner visa lawyers, and Australian sponsors of a partner overseas can read about our Subclass 309 visa work.