1300 320 300Everything you need to know about form 888 partner visa
Form 888 is a key requirement for partner visa applications in Australia. This form allows people who know the relationship to vouch for its genuineness.
The Department of Home Affairs requires at least two Form 888s as part of a valid partner visa application.
This article provides an overview of the Form 888 partner visa requirements. We’ll cover who can complete the form, how many are needed, common mistakes, and how to make your Form 888s stand out.
With the right Form 888s, you’ll be on your way to a successful partner visa application.
Form 888 – Why is it needed?
The Form 888 is a statutory declaration that provides proof of your genuine relationship for a partner visa application.
The Department of Home Affairs requires Form 888s from friends or family who can attest to witnessing your relationship first-hand. This provides independent confirmation that your relationship is genuine and continuing.
Form 888 serves as important evidence for partner visa case officers in determining if your relationship meets the legal criteria. Without sufficient Form 888 declarations, your application risks getting refused.
The statutory declarations help demonstrate the four main factors case officers look for:
- Commitment to each other emotionally, physically, financially, and socially
- Mutual support and companionship
- Degree of dependency on each other
- How you present as a couple to others
Form 888 gives case officers insight into these aspects from an outsider’s perspective. The more high-quality Form 888s you provide, the stronger proof you have of a genuine relationship.
Number of Form 888 Needed
The Department of Home Affairs requires at least 2 Form 888 Partner Visa to be submitted with a partner visa application. However, we recommend having between 4 to 6 Form 888s completed to strengthen your application.
While only 2 are required by law, providing additional Form 888s demonstrates a greater breadth of witnesses who can speak to the genuineness of your relationship.
More statements from various perspectives provide stronger testimonial evidence for case officers to review.
With the current housing crisis, high inflation, and increase in migration numbers, the government is under pressure to scrutinize partner visa applications more strictly. Where in the past, simple Form 888s may have been sufficient, nowadays strong and well-written Form 888s are recommended to avoid refusal and delays. The more quality Form 888s you submit, the higher your chances of a quick and successful visa grant.
In a moment I will explain how you can draft perfect bullet-proof 888 forms. Let’s first address the common mistakes…
Common Mistakes with Form 888
One of the biggest reasons for partner visa refusals is poorly written Form 888 Partner Visas. The Department of Home Affairs case officers hate ambiguity. They want to be spoon-fed with clear, consistent, and precise language.
A common mistake that most other migration agents that do not specialise in partner visas make when completing Form 888s and other relationship statements is explaining the 4 relationship pillars in a structured and boring way. They talk about each pillar separately, in blocks or chunks of text. This doesn’t have a proper narrative flow. It looks artificial. The Department case officers don’t like that approach.
I will explain how these Form 888 Partner Visas should be completed if you want to be successful with your partner visa application in just a moment. Stay with me…
Who Can Complete Form 888 Partner Visa
According to latest legislation, Form 888 no longer needs to be completed by an Australian citizen or permanent resident. They can be completed by foreigners who know the couple, including relatives and friends. This change allows applicants to get Form 888s completed by people who know them best, even if those people are not Australian citizens or permanent residents.
The key requirements are that the person completing the Form 888 must:
- Know both members of the couple
- Know about the couple’s relationship
- Be able to describe the social aspects of the relationship
So if relatives or friends who live overseas can meet these requirements, they can complete a Form 888 in support of a partner visa application, even if they are not Australian citizens or permanent residents. This provides applicants with more options for who can complete the important Form 888s.
How to make perfect Form 888 Partner Visas that could potentially speed up your application…
Gold Migration Lawyers have created bullet-proof templates for Form 888 based on an analysis of thousands of successful partner visa applications. How?
After over 12 years of experience with partner visas, Gold Migration Lawyers compiled a database of all the Form 888s from approved applications. A computer program developed for Gold Migration then analysed these forms to identify common elements in the most successful Form 888 Partner Visas.
The unique software then filtered all Form 888s associated with the fastest visa approvals. Based on those selected 888 forms, Gold Migration generated optimized templates that incorporates all the elements known to potentially speed up partner visa grants.
The templates draw on a robust dataset to include the precise language, structure, and content that immigration officials respond to best. This differentiates Gold Migration Lawyers from other firms without access to such comprehensive data on successful applications.
Gold Migration Lawyers’ data-driven approach to creating the Form 888 templates is a key reason they maintain a 100% approval rate for partner visas. The templates provide a proven format for presenting a convincing case to immigration authorities.
If you need any help with your Form 888 Partner Visas contact Gold Migration Lawyers on 1300 320 300.
Form 888 Partner Visa – Drafting statements that make your partner visa application stand out and get approved
A big mistake that most other migration agents and individuals who lodge partner visa applications on their own commit is to explain the 4 pillars in their statements in a structured way, talking about each one of the pillars in a separate block or chunk of text.
That’s not good. It doesn’t have a proper narrative. It looks artificial. The Department case officers don’t like that.
At Gold Migration, we ensure that you and your partner relationship statements match. The department case officers detest inconsistencies.
Instead of structuring statements into pillars, we craft them into a cohesive narrative that flows chronologically. This provides a natural storyline that is compelling and easy to follow for the case officer reviewing your application. Blocks of text dedicated to each pillar disrupt this narrative flow.
If you need help with creating strong relationship statements and Form 888s call us on 1300 320 300.
Matching Statements
Consistency between the applicant and sponsor’s statements is crucial. The Department case officers look for any inconsistencies that may indicate a fraudulent relationship. Even small discrepancies in dates, places, or details of your relationship history can raise red flags.
This is why at Gold Migration Lawyers, we ensure that both your and your partner’s relationship statements align perfectly. We review all the facts, events, and timelines to identify any potential inconsistencies. We then work with you to revise the statements so they match up seamlessly.
The case officers want to see that you and your partner tell the exact same story of your relationship journey. Any contradictions make the relationship seem artificial or suspect. With our expertise, we guarantee your statements present a clear, consistent, and genuine narrative that leaves no room for doubt in the case officer’s mind.
Evidence presentation to complement your Form 888 Partner Visa
At Gold Migration Lawyers, we arrange all evidence, photos, and chat logs in a chronological and organized manner for presentation. We pair documents and photographs with the right statements, backing up all written claims.
Everything from facts to evidence must be 100% genuine. But they should be presented in a very compelling and easy-to-understand format. We sequence the evidence to tell the story of your genuine relationship from the beginning to now. The case officer can clearly see the progression of your relationship this way.
A common mistake that people commit when lodging a partner visa application is to think that simply following a partner visa Australia checklist is sufficient. But this is far from the truth. With Government being more and more strict since last year, partner visa applications that don’t stand out are destined to be refused.
If you need help with making your form 888 and other statements convincing and powerful before putting your partner visa application in front of a not-so-friendly Department case officer, fill in the form below…
Many people make common mistakes when completing 888 forms and other relationship statements on their own, such as having inconsistencies, not using the recommended language, and failing to properly address the four relationship pillars. This often leads to visa refusals.
Gold Migration Lawyers has extensive experience with partner visas and provides bulletproof Form 888 templates to ensure your application is compelling and successful.
At Gold Migration we have had record processing times for partner visas. We understand what it takes to prepare a convincing and complete application that leads to quick visa grants.
Some of our notable partner visa successes include:
- On 2 January 2024, a Malaysian national who hired us received their 309 visa approved in only 3 months and 5 days.
- On 14 February 2024, a Lebanese client who had his visa 309 prepared by our lawyers, got approved in just 4 months and 17 days.
- A Cambodian couple who applied in July 2023, with the assistance of Gold Migration lawyers, received approval for their partner visa 309 in around five months.
- On 3 February 2024, a Japanese applicant who sought the help of Gold Migration got his partner visa 309 approved in only 2.5 months.
