Partner Visas: Sponsor Need Not Contribute to Living Expenses
Suppose you have a case involving an application for a partner visa.
There is a 20 year age gap between the applicant and the sponsor. The evidence is that the applicant and the sponsor do not share a bank account, the sponsor does not contribute to shared household costs, and the sponsor instead spends large sums of her money on alcohol and cigarettes.
Although the applicant and the sponsor are lawfully married, the relationship ended after the partner visa application had been lodged, and before it was determined by the Department. There is a claim of family violence by the applicant. However, the Department’s officer declines to consider the family violence claims on the basis that the evidence does not establish that the applicant was in a genuine and continuing relationship with the sponsor at the time of the application.
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