We Don't Have a Joint Bank Account. Can a Lawyer Help With Our Partner Visa?

Can a lawyer help with a partner visa if we do not have a joint bank account?

A lawyer can help with a partner visa where the couple has no joint bank account by showing the Department how the couple shares financial responsibility in other ways. The absence of a joint account is common and is not a reason for refusal on its own. The task is to present the real financial arrangements clearly. Our article on partner visa joint bank account evidence explains how case officers read account statements.

Why do some genuine couples not have a joint account?

Some genuine couples do not have a joint account because of cultural or religious views about money, a bad experience in a previous relationship, one partner's business, a bank that would not open an account for a temporary visa holder, or simply a preference for separate budgets. These are ordinary reasons and should be stated plainly. Our article on partner visa separate finances discusses how each is presented.

What evidence can a lawyer use instead of a joint account?

A lawyer can use separate bank statements showing regular transfers between the partners, evidence that one partner pays rent and the other pays bills or groceries, joint loans or credit cards, jointly owned vehicles or property, and superannuation or insurance nominations naming the partner. Our guide to partner visa financial evidence sets out each factor in the regulations, and our article on partner visa mortgage evidence covers shared property.

What if one partner supports the other financially?

Where one partner supports the other financially, that support is itself strong evidence of financial interdependence. A partner who pays all the household costs while the other studies, cares for children or waits for work rights is pooling resources for the relationship. The transfers or payments should be shown and explained in the relationship statement. Our article on partner visa bridging visa work rights explains the work conditions that can apply to onshore applicants while they wait for a decision.

Should we open a joint account before we apply?

A couple can open a joint account before applying if they will genuinely use it, but it will not replace evidence of the financial history. A lawyer will usually advise presenting the earlier arrangements first and using any new account for real shared costs during processing. Our guide on how much evidence a partner visa needs explains why history counts more than recent documents.

What if a partner visa was refused because of separate finances?

A partner visa refused partly because of separate finances can generally be reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal within a strict time limit, where the couple can present the financial history and the reasons for it more fully. Our page on partner visa refusals explains the review process.

How does My Migration Lawyers build the financial case without a joint account?

My Migration Lawyers goes through each partner's statements to find the payments that show the couple supporting each other, then builds a short financial summary that a case officer can follow in minutes. The firm drafts the explanation for the separate accounts in the couple's own terms and checks that the financial evidence matches the household and commitment evidence. Couples can speak with our partner visa lawyers, and onshore applicants can read about our Subclass 820 visa work.