Episode 3 Show Notes
Partner Visa Podcast Season 1 Episode 3
In Episode 3 of the Port Migration Partner Visa Podcast, we focus on one of the most critical parts of the Partner Visa process: evidence.
Having a genuine, loving relationship isn’t enough — you need to prove it clearly and consistently to Home Affairs.
In this episode, we break down the four essential categories of evidence: financial, household, social, and commitment. You’ll learn why evidence matters, what common mistakes to avoid, and how to build a strong, decision-ready application.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed about how to present your relationship, this episode gives you the structure, reassurance, and expert insights you need to move forward with confidence.
Key Takeaways
✅ Having a genuine relationship isn’t enough—you need to prove it.
✅ Evidence must show your relationship is genuine, committed, and ongoing.
✅ Organise your application around the Four Pillars: financial, household, social, and commitment.
✅ Common mistakes include inconsistency, irrelevant documents, and gaps across evidence categories.
✅ Clear, well-organised evidence makes it easier for the decision-maker to approve your visa.
✅ Strong evidence tells your story across multiple aspects of your life.
✅ You don’t have to document everything—just the right things.
✅ Professional guidance can dramatically reduce overwhelm and avoid critical errors.
✅ Tools like the Relationship Statement Guide can fast-track your preparation.
✅ Expert help is available—through our free resources, downloadable guides, or our Done For You Partner Visa service.
🎙️ "Evidence is essential—but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming."
🎙️ "You’re not just ticking boxes—you’re telling your story."
🎙️ "Clear, consistent evidence gives your application the best chance of success."
🎙️ "You don’t have to navigate the Partner Visa process alone."
Timestamps
00:07 – Welcome to Episode 3
00:39 – Why Evidence Is So Overwhelming for Couples
01:22 – How the Decision-Maker Sees Your Relationship
04:19 – The Four Pillars of Relationship Evidence
08:05 – Financial Evidence
08:40 – Nature of your Household
09:30 – Social Evidence
10:02 – Nature of your Commitment
11:17 – Common Evidence Mistakes to Avoid
18:20 – Coming Up Next: Episode 4 – How to Tell Your Love Story
Articles
Partner Visa Evidence Step by Step Guide
Partner Visa Evidence: 4 Essentials for a Successful Application
Top 10 Partner Visa Australia Questions Answered
Episode 3 Transcript
Hello and Welcome to Season 1, Episode 3 of the Port Migration Partner Visa Podcast. If you and your partner are planning to apply for an Australian Partner Visa, this podcast is your roadmap.
If you’re new here, I’m so glad you’ve found us. And if you have already listened to Episode 1—welcome back.
Today, we’re talking about one of the most important—and often most confusing—parts of the entire Partner Visa process: evidence.
For many couples, this is where the overwhelm really kicks in.
You’ve heard you need to prove your relationship. You’ve heard that just being genuine isn’t enough. But what does that actually mean? How much evidence do you need? What kind of evidence? Are messages enough? Do you need joint finances? What about statutory declarations, or photos, or household bills?
This is the stage where many applicants feel completely stuck—not because they don’t have a genuine relationship, but because they’re worried about whether they’re proving it the right way. And that’s completely understandable.
The reality is: you could be in the most loving, committed, long-term relationship—but if you don’t know what kind of evidence Home Affairs expects to see, your application may be delayed… or even refused.
In this episode, I’m going to walk you through the four key categories of relationship evidence that are essential for a successful Partner Visa application.
This is based on over ten years of experience helping couples just like you navigate this process—from every background, every visa type, and every relationship setup you can imagine.
When it comes to your application, evidence is essential—but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Once you understand what’s expected, you can start building a strong case with clarity and confidence.
If you’re new here, make sure you’ve listened to Episode 1 (about eligibility) and Episode 2 (where we covered common Partner Visa pathways). Eligibility is everything, so don’t miss those episodes.
Just a reminder that in this podcast, we talk about the three main types of Partner Visas:
- The Subclass 820/801 Onshore Partner Visa
- The Subclass 309/100 Offshore Partner Visa
- And the Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa
The Port Migration Partner Visa Podcast is chock full of information you can trust, and it’s designed to be listened to in order— each episode builds on the last.
At Port Migration, we are MARA-registered Australian Migration Agents. You’ll find our registration details in the description, and you can also verify them on the official Migration Agents Registration Authority website (MARA). Always check that the person giving you Australian Visa or Migration advice is legally authorised to do so—your visa is too important to leave in the wrong hands.
Finally, before we get started, please listen to this disclaimer:
The information in this podcast is general in nature. It doesn’t take into account your personal circumstances or specific visa needs, and it is not intended as migration advice. If you need advice tailored to your unique situation, please use the links in the description to get in touch with our experienced team—we’d love to help.
The Port Migration Partner Visa Podcast is available in both video and audio format. It’s available on all your favourite podcast platforms. So while you’re here, please like this episode, subscribe to our channel, turn on notifications, and share this podcast with your partner. We’d love to hear where you’re listening from—drop the flag of your country in the comments to let us know. Your support helps other couples find this podcast too.
Alright—let’s talk about the evidence you actually need to include in your Partner Visa application to give your application the best chance of success.
This part of the Partner Visa process can feel so overwhelming.
Collecting evidence can be so hard because your relationship is personal. It’s not a government checklist—it’s your life. And now you’re being asked to take that deeply personal relationship and prove it to a faceless stranger at Home Affairs who you will probably, and hopefully, never meet. That can feel uncomfortable, confronting and scary, because it’s your future plans as a couple at stake.
Add to that the fact that every relationship is different. Some couples live together, some don’t. Some share everything financially, others don’t. Some have been together for years, others are still early in their journey. There is no single formula for a “real relationship”—but the Partner Visa process still requires you to follow one.
This is where couples often get stuck: they start second-guessing themselves.
Do we have enough evidence? Are we missing something? Do we have too much? Are we even doing this right?
You’re probably doing this for the very first time. But at Port Migration, we’ve been helping couples through this process for over ten years. We’ve seen what works. And we’ve developed a clear, reliable process to help you present your relationship in a way that makes sense to the person assessing your application. This is the process we use with our clients when we assist them from start to finish through our Done For You Partner Visa service.
In this podcast we tell you some of what we know from everything we’ve learned.
When you are collecting evidence for your Partner Visa application, your job is to collect evidence that clearly shows your relationship is genuine, committed, and ongoing. That’s the standard Home Affairs uses when they assess your application.
You’re not just ticking boxes—you’re telling your story.
The case officer reading your file has never met you and they know literally nothing about you. They don’t know how you met. They don’t know what your life looks like. They don’t know how you support each other.
Your evidence has to speak for you. If your evidence is going to speak for you, it has to make sense. It has to be consistent. And it has to show your relationship from multiple angles—not just romantic, but practical, financial, emotional, and social.
People often call these the Four Pillars of Relationship Evidence
When you apply for a Partner Visa, you’re not just saying you’re in a relationship. You’re not just asking the government to trust your word. You’re being asked to prove that your relationship is genuine, committed, and ongoing.
That’s the standard that Home Affairs requires. And to meet that standard, you need to tell your story—clearly and consistently—using the right kinds of documents and statements as proof.
Think of it this way: the person assessing your visa application doesn’t know you. They’ve never met you. They’re looking at a file, not a couple. So it’s your job to help them understand your relationship—to connect the dots for them and make it easy for them to say, “Yes, this makes sense.”
That’s where structure comes in.
Rather than dumping a stack of random documents into your application, we recommend building your evidence around four key categories. These categories match the way Home Affairs assesses relationship claims, and they give your application a strong, organised foundation.
The Four Pillars of Relationship Evidence underpin the proof in your relationship
The first category is the financial aspect of your relationship. This is where you show that you share financial responsibility—things like joint bank accounts, shared bills, money transfers, or evidence that you’ve supported each other financially. You don’t have to combine every dollar you earn, but you do need to show that you’ve made financial decisions together and contributed to your life as a couple. Even something as simple as splitting bills or paying for each other’s travel can help build this picture.
Next is the nature of your household. This category is all about daily life—how you live together, manage routines, and share responsibilities. For couples who’ve lived together, this might include a lease or rental agreement, mail sent to the same address, or evidence that you shop, cook, or make decisions together. For couples who have spent time apart for whatever reason (and there are all sorts of reasons why this can happen), it might look a little different—screenshots of planning chats, travel itineraries, or messages about shared tasks. What matters is that you can show how you operate as a unit, even if you’re managing life across different locations.
The third category is the social aspect of your relationship. People often think this is easier than the others, but don’t underestimate it, because it’s really important. It’s where you demonstrate that your relationship is known and recognised by other people. That could be through photos with family and friends, invitations you’ve received as a couple, messages from loved ones, or statutory declarations from people who know you well. Social recognition doesn’t need to be extravagant—it just needs to reflect that your relationship exists in the real world, not just behind closed doors.
And finally, there’s the nature of your commitment. This is where you show your long-term intentions and emotional support for one another. You might include messages that reflect your future planning, screenshots of visa discussions, travel plans, savings goals, or even a timeline of your relationship. This is also where your relationship statements come in—those written explanations from both of you that tell your story in your own words. These are powerful, because they pull everything together. They give heart to your application. We’re going to talk about this a lot more in future episodes.
Now, we know that even just hearing this can still feel like a lot. But the key thing to remember is this: you don’t need to include everything—just the right things.
A few clear, well-organised documents in each category are often more effective than hundreds of scattered pages. If your evidence is consistent, relevant, and easy to follow, that helps the decision-maker understand your relationship—and that’s the goal.
Now that we’ve talked about the types of evidence you need to include, let’s take a moment to talk about what can go wrong. Because when it comes to Partner Visa applications, evidence errors are one of the biggest causes of delays—and in some cases, refusals.
One of the most common mistakes we see is inconsistent information. For example, the dates in your relationship statement don’t match the dates in your statutory declarations. Or you say you’ve lived together since January, but your lease doesn’t start until March. These kinds of inconsistencies might seem small to you, but to a decision-maker, they can raise doubts. And those doubts can slow everything down.
Another frequent issue is overloading the application with irrelevant documents. We see couples uploading hundreds of pages of screenshots, emails, and photos—many of which don’t add value or prove anything the Department actually needs to see. Not only does this make your application harder to assess, it also makes it easier to miss the important evidence that is relevant. A clear, well-organised application always makes a better impression than one that’s been rushed or overloaded.
Some couples fall into the trap of submitting strong evidence in one category but neglecting the others. For example, they provide a solid financial history—joint accounts, shared bills—but no social or emotional evidence. Or they write a great relationship statement, but include no photos or joint travel plans. It’s important to remember that the Department assesses your relationship across multiple categories, and strength in one area doesn’t automatically compensate for weaknesses in others.
And of course, there’s the issue of not including enough evidence at all. Sometimes couples assume their relationship is obviously genuine, and they don’t need to explain or document it in detail. Unfortunately, that’s not how the system works. Every claim you make in your application needs to be backed up by evidence—and if that evidence is missing, vague, or poorly organised, it can significantly impact your outcome.
The good news is, most of these errors are completely avoidable. With the right guidance, you can prepare and present your evidence in a way that tells a clear, consistent story—and supports your application from every angle.
You want to make the decision makers job easy by presenting clear, structured and coherent evidence that paints a strong picture of your genuine relationship.
If this sounds overwhelming, keep listening.
We also want you to know that you’re not alone in this. If you’re doing the application yourself, we’ve created tools and guides to help you get it right. Our Relationship Statement Guide is one of the most downloaded resources we offer. It walks you through the key points you need to cover and helps you match your evidence to the official categories. It’s ideal for couples who want to stay in control but still follow a proven structure. It’s available with other resources to purchase via the links in the description.
And if you’d rather trust your application with people who have a proven track record helping couples successfully apply for Partner Visas, that’s where we excel. You don’t need to rely on guess work or spend hours online researching. Just pause the podcast here and reach out through the links in the description. Our Done For You Partner Visa service takes care of everything—from checking your eligibility and planning your evidence to submitting your application and supporting you through to the finish line. It’s one of the smartest investments you can make in this process, and we’re thrilled to have helped so many couples succeed with it. We are extremely proud of our strong track record of Partner Visa success over the past ten years.
If you’ve been listening to these episodes in order—and we strongly recommend you do—you’ve probably already downloaded our very popular Ultimate Guide to Partner Visas. If not, it’s free, and it’s a great place to start. You’ll find the link in the description.
But maybe you’re starting to feel what many of our clients feel around this point in the process—overwhelm. You’ve done your research. You’ve read the guide. You understand what’s required. But now it’s time to pull it all together, and suddenly a downloadable PDF just isn’t enough.
If that’s where you’re at, then now is the time to jump on the phone or book a video call with our team. Wherever you are in the world, we can help. Whether you're in Australia or overseas, you’ll be speaking with one of our MARA-registered migration agents who do this work every day.
Most of our clients are applying for a Partner Visa for the very first time. But what’s fascinating is that some of our clients have done this before—in a different country, under a different system. And they come to us not because they can’t figure it out, but because they know how complex it can be. They’ve been through it once and they don’t want to do it alone again. They choose to get expert help the second time around—and they’re glad they did.
If you’re hitting that point where it all feels a bit too much—book a call. We’re here to help, and the links are right there in the description.
At the end of the day, Partner Visas aren’t just about paperwork—they’re emotional. They affect your future, your relationship, your plans, and your peace of mind.
Before you keep listening, take a moment to get the support you need. If it’s feeling overwhelming, get on the phone (or a video call).
We’d love to help.
Before we finish, let’s recap.
Throughout the Port Migration Partner Visa Podcast, we’ve been exploring the Three Es of Partner Visa Success: Eligibility, Evidence, and Errors.
In Episode 1, we talked about eligibility—making sure you’re actually able to apply for the visa in the first place. Then in Episode 2 we looked at common scenarios, you might have recognised yourself in one of them.
In this episode, we’ve covered evidence—how to prove that your relationship is genuine, committed, and ongoing, using a clear structure that makes sense to the person reviewing your application.
But Partner Visas aren’t just about paperwork. They’re emotional. Behind every document is a real relationship, with real feelings, real commitment, and a genuine desire to build a life together.
So how do you communicate the real story of your relationship to a decision maker who’s never met you?
How do you make sure your application reflects not just the facts, but the depth and meaning of your partnership?
That’s exactly what we’ll explore in the Episode 4 of the Port Migration Partner Visa Podcast. We’ll talk about your Love Story and how to tell your story in a way that truly connects. Telling your story is a really important part of the Evidence you provide in your application.
And just a reminder—this podcast is designed to be listened to in sequence. Each episode builds on the one before it, giving you a clearer picture of the process and more confidence with every step. So if you haven’t already, set aside time to listen to all eight episodes, in order. You won’t regret it.
Thanks so much for listening today and being part of our Partner Visa Community here online.
If you found this episode helpful, please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes. And if you’re listening on YouTube, give it a like and let us know in the comments what stage of the Partner Visa journey you’re on—we’d love to hear from you.
This podcast is here to support you every step of the way, and we are looking forward to sharing all our tips about how you tell your love story.
If you and your partner are planning to apply for an Australian Partner Visa, this podcast is your roadmap, and we’ve got lots more practical, real-world advice coming up.
Until next time, all the best with your application.
Behind the Scenes
