M2UP

52 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

You must be married or defacto as per Australian definition to apply for the Spouse visa  

Marry and apply. 

Can i use an ETA and then get married in Australia then?

On 3/25/2019 at 7:04 AM, Lil bear said:

You are correct on this .. time is probably longer processing than here .. cost higher ... but benefits are all there . Check if you are eligible for health coverage through Australian  Medicare .. the single payer health care system .. while on the bridging visa. If you aren’t covered it’s not a problem ... health costs in Australia are so reasonable compared to US and bridging essential insurance is also affordable.

restrictions are on several family members  who cannot be petitioned as they can here ... but you got the K1... getting a US spouse visa should not be a problem in the future

So we were planning on doing the partner visa but we don't meet the criteria of what they consider defacto relationship for 12 months.  We've been together longer than that but never fully lived together outside of visits to eachothers respective countries. We have plenty of evidence(assuming it's about the amount USCIS asks for when they ask for more evidence) would we potentially be better off applying for the prospective marriage visa? Or just marrying on the partner visa? 

Thanks for the replies, figure I'll add to this; with applying for the partner visa would it be better to come in on ETA or visitor visa? Would it look bad to have a one way flight booked and then file for the partner visa?

26 minutes ago, payxibka said:

The Visa has a fairly short expiration date, when that date passes it is sunk

But do you think we could potentially use the granted visa as further evidence in the partner visa?

25 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Wise people !!!! Enjoy 😁

Just be aware that the AUST immigration process is much more expensive and more restricted than US ... but still 😁

More restricted? It was looking like we could apply for the partner visa and get a bridging visa while they decide our case to which I would be able to live and work there with her. Am I off on this?

Honestly I have no idea where to put this, it is dealing with a completed k1 visa that has not yet been redeemed. Now we have both decided to move to Australia instead of redeeming her visa. I was wondering if we can utilize the granted visa in any situation. Maybe as a tool to help prove our relationship on the eventual partner visa we will be filing for in Australia. Or are we pretty much just going to let it expire and we essentially just have the sunk cost? I'm assuming it's probably just documents that never get touched again but figured I'd ask if anyone knew anything on it. Thanks