Hi there,
Was wondering if anyone can help us with some knowledge/experience?
I'm British and my Boyfriend's Australian. Met travelling, travelled to and forth for a year and half and then I got a working holiday visa to Australia. After a year I had to move back to the UK as my visa ran out and decided take up an employment offer in the UK with the intention he follows but we don't want to get married. Then we realised how in the UK you need 24 months proof rather than 12 months that Australia requires which we don't have.

I dabbled in a bit of research and it seems they are very strict and getting stricter. But we have so much evidence that we've been together for 3 years, countless flights, receipts, a joint bank account, thousands of photos, emails etc etc etc as any normal couple does. Is there any lee-way? And does periods of travelling together count as 'living', i'm talking months of travelling together...

It's a frustrating system as you can't get the 24 months of proof without the visa enabling you to be together, but you can't get the visa unless you have 24 months proof. Bit of a catch 22 situation.

Does anyone know if the 24 months has to be consecutively or can it be 6 months, 3 months, 5 months etc? Any help would be much appreciated.

It is so sad that visas could literally tear people in love apart