Michaels Permanent Visa Cost

We are asking for a LOAN-DONATION. Anything you donate will be repaid to you...  

Operation Keep Delia and Mike Together!


G’day, I’m Delia of Delia and Mike, you may know us from
“Where in the world are Delia and Mike".
Perhaps you’re a family member, or a friend, or someone we have House-Sat for.

If you don’t know us, here’s a little to fill you in:

Michael and I met in Adelaide almost two years ago. It was love at first sight, for him. It took me a little longer. Eight months after meeting we set off on an adventure with the goal of meeting his family in Canada. Since then we have started our life together; we have lived in 12 different houses, in 4 different countries and cared for 18 different pets (and countless plants!) Together we have braved the heat of Australia, the humidity of the Costa Rican jungle and a frigid winter in Canada (minus 30). But now we face our greatest challenge yet
....THE AUSTRALIAN VISA APPLICATION FEE….
which has risen 400% in the last five years and now sits at a heartbreaking 6,850 dollaridoos, and that's without legal fees, yowch!!! ...And it’s set to rise again on July 1st. 

Here’s the situation and why we are turning to Gofundme for your assistance… 

-Our original plan was for Michael to get a less permanent/much less expensive Visa and then work towards making the money for this Visa later, but recent changes to the Visa Laws have forced our plans to change.
 
-Michael cannot work as his current Visa is a Tourist Visa so he is unable to make money… Leaving me to win the bread once again.

-A ‘Working Visa’ is not an option as it’s not a permanent solution to being able stay in Australia and requires a Long-Term Sponsor.

-We can't get him a Student Visa as he would have to be a student, and School Fees are more expensive than a Partner Visa (as well as not having access to Student Loans.)

-He can’t apply for a Sport Visa (as we had planned) due to recent changes; the Australian Government just made it much more difficult for anyone who is not consistently competing or coaching at an international level. 

Here's the scary part:

If we do not submit the Visa Application by July 1st Michael will have to leave the country on July 11th. We would then have to wait for up to 12 MONTHS to start this same process again. During which we would be separated by an ocean, and all the paperwork needed for this endeavor would become much more difficult to complete. 

Alternatively, he could leave the country on July 11th and come straight back in on another Tourist Visa, but would have to wait another 3 months before he could start working... Leaving us right back here in this same situation (but down the cost of flights and living expenses for 3 months.)
Aside from it being less than ideal, if they found out we were planning on applying for a Defacto Visa they could ban him from Australia for THREE YEARS.

Here's the good news: 

If we apply for a Partner Visa before July 1st, he will be able to work as soon as his current visa expires (July 11th) under a “Bridging Visa A” which would permit him to work while they make a decision regarding the success of the Visa Application (~12 months)

Unfortunately until Michael starts working too, we can't make enough money to apply for the Partnership Visa... Hence asking for your help in the meantime!

We have considered bank loans but they do not lend to Visa Applicants, and Michael is unable to get a Credit Card as he is not a Permanent Resident yet.
I am in the process of getting a credit card to put towards the Visa costs, but as I have only just gotten a job, and it's Casual, the Credit Limit on any card I can get is not enough to cover the whole cost. 


This is where you enter the story…

We are asking for a LOAN not a permanent donation, so anything we receive we will be repaying as soon as Michael is able to start working too (July 11th)

As we didn’t expect to need to apply for this Visa, financially we were not prepared to dish out $7,000 to apply for it – with an extra $3,000 on top of that to pay
a Legal Migrations Expert to look over our case.
We could risk it and apply without a lawyer, but there'd be a greater risk of our application being denied (in which case the Government would say, "Sorry, no. But thanks for the 7 Grand" we'd never see the money again and ...Goodbye Michael) 


If you aren’t in a position where you’re able to help us with a loan-donation, we still would love your help in other ways!

We need statements from
friends and family detailing what you know about our relationship. If you are willing to write something for us let us know and we can give you an outline of what they are looking for in the statements.

We really appreciate your kindness, it's desperate and scary times Down Under! Any help is appreciated. 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! 

ps. If you can, please contact us before you make a donation, there may be better ways to send it, (bank transfers or cash in hand) we are able to add offline donations to this page and we will keep it updated.