I am thinking about marrying an Aussie. I was just wondering what exactly is entailed in marrying someone from another country.

Are you asking on your behalf, or his?

In Australia it is a very lengthy process – depending on their nationality. My cousin recently married someone from Tonga and she went through months of paperwork to finally get him here 6 months a few thousand dollars later. They had to provide proof that it was a legitimate relationship with stuff like phone records, bank accounts, witness statements, photos etc… I have also heard along the grapevine that they have to stay together for at least 5 years to get the citizenship.

You can check out our government immigration website:

http://www.immi.gov.au/

I had to be in Australia for 1 year before I could apply for permanent residency (we didn’t marry immediately). We had to prove our relationship was legtimate. Such as letters of testimony from friends, correspondence that had taken place between us before I even moved, lots of paper work. I think it was weighed rather than read. I used the services of an immigration agent and it was fairly costly. Eventually the PR status was granted and now dual citizenship is allowed for Americans in Australia.

After permanent residency or dual citizenship is achieved, I am here legally and entitled to all benefits of a citizen regardless of my relationship with my husband.

The link provided by @Sariperana should give you all the information you need.

I don’t know if and how this varies according to each country. But I believe that after you present your marriage license and proof that it is legitimate, he will obtain a 2 year conditional residency (It typically takes about 6 months from the time you submit the info). If in two years you two are still together, he can get his 10 year residency and later apply for citizenship. This is information that I obtained from a lawyer but I’m not marrying an Australian so I don’t know if it’ll still apply to you.

Sacrificial lamb , tho in Australia i think its KAngaroo

In Australia this week it is feral camel!

Awww i missed teh KAngaroo :’( when is it it’s turn again

A sexy accent?

I’m not saying I find men attractive, but Aussie accents are pretty awesome

There is no legal requirement to “be in love” in order to marry – there never has been. Nor is there one to consummate “in law”. There is with most religions.

Most of the criteria that government departments run through when trying to determine whether a marriage is genuine or simply a ruse to enable a quick path to citizenship is bluff. Anyone can call their bluff. If the marriage doesn’t last – then they can reverse any decision on citizenship.

My experience with the Dept of Immigration was not quite as you describe. We did indeed have to prove a “relationship” existed for a period of time prior to my arrival. If the representative was bluffing in this requirement, it is a universal bluff used by all immigration offices. The immigration agency I used concurred with the process.

Once citizenship or permanent residency is established, you are just that, a citizen and entitled to stay regardless of whether the relationship endures or not.

Yes, they can ask you do fulfill all manner of requirements and if you don’t close the “easy” door in your face. You can no longer simply follow the dotted lines to a visa. They have no legal authority to demand many of the things that they do – about a decade or two back there was a lot of fuss about “bedroom Police” etc., that brought a lot of their practices into public (and legal) scrutiny.

The upshot is that they have departmental guidelines – not laws, and that if you wish to dispute any, you can do so. It requires you to be prepared to take the matter through a series of court actions – but you always win if they have refused based on the type of issues that we are discussing.

I have attended court a number of times and seen successful reversal of decisions ordered.

It entails intercultural knowledge and skills.

I am not super familiar with Australian policy, but they all pretty much work the same.

It’s not a really difficult process, but I’ve seen people screwing it up because they didn’t do their research beforehand. Basically they want to be sure this is a legitimate relationship and you aren’t marrying to con the system. You need proof of sharing a life together. And another thing that a lot of people don’t consider is it can be a pretty damn long process. So plan for that.