Being in love should not be this hard…

Have you ever been in love?

Most of us are lucky to get our happily ever after with our partners. But some of us are not so lucky. When the one you love is from a different country, trying to be with them gets complicated. You have to get a partner visa which requires detailed knowledge and expertise.

The process is long and stressful and, to make things worse, it now costs almost $7,000. For people in other countries, depending on the exchange rate, this fee can be a small fortune.

Emma Drynan, managing director of Freedom Migration, believes that love should not be this hard.

“People in love are willing to do anything to be together but the considerable cost will result in couples being separated for extended periods, or starting their life together in significant debt,” she said.

More and more couples are desperately trying to complete their applications without professional help to save money and of the 47,000 partner applications lodged to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) only 36% were represented by a Registered Migration Agent.

Migration to Australia statistics for 2014-2015

May Jungpakdee, a Consulate Officer in Royal Thai Consulate, says that most people are not aware of how complicated the process and policy is. She has completed work for the Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra and faced visa enquiries daily.

“Most Thai people applying for a visa think that it would be a good idea to do it themselves so that they can save money. But is it worth the risk?” she said.

“You save a couple of hundred dollars, but if you run into trouble later, you end up having to spend much more than that to fix the problem.”

“Especially for Thai people, after working in the Embassy, I know from experience that there is not much the Thai Embassy can do to help. This is because Australian law applies, so it is better to be safe and go with a migration expert.” May said.

Everyone deserves to have their loved ones by their side and even Emma’s own parents who met overseas had to navigate through the immigration system to be together. That is why partner visas have a special place in Emma’s heart.

“I’m a hopeless romantic and basically every family that we assist for a partner visa has a beautiful love story. I have seen grown men cry after being reunited with their wives or girlfriends,” she said.

“Partner visas allow us to connect with families on a very personal level. We are the ones that take away the stress and help them be together with their loved one sooner.”

Emma knows that not everyone can afford a migration agent, so she offers workshops to teach people how to complete applications at a lower cost in an effort to help them.

“These workshops are a bit like a ‘do it yourself’ session, where we will guide them through the process,” she said.

“It is a cheaper alternative that allows couples to save some money while avoiding many common mistakes and risks that jeopardize their application.”

Emma genuinely believes that being in love shouldn’t be this hard and she wants to do her best to help couples in the community find their happily ever after.

If you are interested in attending a DIY Partner Visa Workshop or would like more information, feel free to call 07 3063 1200.

IMPORTANT: Please note, this does not constitute Immigration advice. Always seek advice from a Registered Migration Agent before applying for an Australian Visa. Migration Law is constantly changing. This information is accurate only at the time of publication.