Plain-language visa guides — written to be organised, not impressive.
Plain-language walkthroughs for organising a visa application — what goes in each part of the bundle, and the gaps that trip applicants up. We’re starting with the Australian partner visa, with more visa types and countries on the way. Each guide is here to help you organise your application — not to give legal advice.
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Australian partner visa · 820/801
Complete 820/801 checklist
The pillar guide — visa overview, the two-stage onshore process, fees, and the eight evidence categories in summary form. Start here if you are new to the partner visa.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · evidence
The 8 evidence categories explained
A plain-language walkthrough of all eight categories the Department of Home Affairs reviews — the four relationship pillars plus the four supporting categories — with example items and the gaps applicants hit most.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · relationship evidence
The four pillars of relationship evidence
A closer look at the four relationship pillars — financial, household, social, commitment — and the uneven-evidence gap behind most refusals. The deep dive on what makes a balanced bundle.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · pitfalls
10 common partner-visa mistakes
The organisational patterns that delay or sink applications — uneven evidence, weak Form 888s, expired police checks, lodging the permanent stage too early — each paired with the fix.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · social evidence
Form 888 statutory declarations
How to coach friends and family through statutory declarations that carry weight — who can complete one, a section-by-section structure, and the vague-praise mistakes that make them worthless.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · processing
The partner-visa timeline
A realistic, stage-by-stage walkthrough of the onshore 820/801 — lodgement, bridging visa, the temporary 820, the two-year point, and the permanent 801 — and what moves the wait.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · costs
Partner-visa costs breakdown
The full budget behind the headline visa fee — additional-applicant charges, panel-doctor health exams, police checks, NAATI translations, and optional migration-agent fees.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · bridging visas
Travelling on a bridging visa (BVA vs BVB)
Leaving Australia on a Bridging Visa A cancels it — you cannot return on it. The Bridging Visa B you need before you travel, what it costs, and the two mistakes that strand applicants overseas.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · visa conditions
Condition 8503 (No Further Stay)
If your current visa carries condition 8503, you generally cannot lodge a partner visa onshore — the application is invalid and you can become unlawful. What 8503 means, the high bar for a waiver, and the offshore 309/100 alternative.
Read the guide →US family green card · direct consular filing
Direct consular filing after filing I-130
Can a US citizen switch to direct consular filing after already filing Form I-130 with USCIS? The August 2025 Policy Manual rule — and why withdrawing the petition does not change the answer.
Read the guide →Australian skilled visa · the points test
How Many Points Do You Need for the Subclass 189 Visa? The Points Test Explained
65 points gets your Expression of Interest into SkillSelect — it doesn't get you invited. Here's how the subclass 189 points test is actually scored, the categories applicants most often miscount, and how to work out a realistic score.
Read the guide →Australian student visa · the genuine student requirement
The Genuine Student Statement: How to Answer the Subclass 500 Visa's GS Questions
The Genuine Student requirement is the most common reason subclass 500 student visas are refused. Here's what the GS questions actually ask, the four 150-word answers Home Affairs reads first, and the patterns that weaken a statement.
Read the guide →Australian partner visa · onshore vs offshore
Onshore or Offshore Partner Visa? Why Your Location Decides 820 vs 309
Whether you lodge the onshore (subclass 820/801) or offshore (subclass 309/100) Australian partner visa isn't a preference — it's decided by where you physically are when you lodge and when the Department decides. Here's how to tell which pathway is open to you, and what actually changes between them.
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Turn any of these guides into one organised checklist.
Every guide here is wired into a tracker built for the partner visa — with prompts, examples, and progress per requirement. Free to start.