What Is Household Evidence for a Partner Visa?

What does household evidence for a partner visa show?

Household evidence for a partner visa shows that the couple share a home and a domestic life, rather than simply spending time together. The regulations direct the Department to consider the couple's living arrangements, any joint responsibility for the care and support of children, and how they share household responsibilities. Our article on the nature of the household for a partner visa explains how case officers read this aspect alongside the other three.

What documents count as household evidence?

The documents that count as household evidence are records showing a shared address and shared domestic responsibility. Common examples are a lease or mortgage in both names, a letter from a landlord, utility and internet accounts, mail to both partners at the same address, joint insurance, and records of shared costs such as rent and groceries. Statements describing who cooks, cleans, shops and pays which bills also help, because they explain the day-to-day running of the home. Our guide to partner visa household evidence lists further examples.

What if our names are not on the lease or the bills?

Household evidence for a partner visa does not depend on both names appearing on a lease or on every bill. Many couples rent informally, share with housemates or live in a property owned by one partner or a relative. In those cases, other records can link both partners to the address, such as bank statements, government correspondence, driver licence records and letters from the person who owns the property. Our article on informal living arrangements explains how to fill this gap.

Can we live with parents or family and still show a shared household?

Couples who live with parents or other family can still show a shared household for a partner visa. The evidence then needs to show how the couple function as a unit within that home, for example sharing a bedroom, contributing together to board or expenses and taking joint responsibility for their own children or household tasks. Our article on living with parents for a partner visa covers the questions the Department usually asks in this situation.

What if we live apart for work, study or family reasons?

A period of living apart does not by itself defeat a partner visa, provided the separation is temporary and the couple maintain a shared household in substance. The evidence should explain the reason for the separation, how the couple stay in contact and how they continue to share costs and plans for the home. Our articles on living apart for work and on the partner visa four pillars of evidence explain how time apart is weighed.

How does My Migration Lawyers build household evidence for a partner visa?

My Migration Lawyers builds household evidence by mapping every address the couple have shared against the documents that prove it, then finding the gaps before the Department does. Where names are missing from leases or bills, the firm identifies other records that place both partners at the address and prepares statements that explain the arrangement plainly. Couples who want their living arrangements checked before lodgement can speak with our partner visa lawyers.