Living apart during a partner visa application can make the evidence feel harder to organise. You may have plenty of messages and photos, but fewer documents showing a shared address.
The useful starting point is to explain why you are apart, how your relationship continues, and what your shared life looks like despite the distance. Then choose documents that support that explanation.
Here is a practical way to prepare that part of your application without uploading your entire phone history.
Does living apart prevent a partner visa?
Not automatically. For both married and de facto partners, Australian migration law allows for couples who live together or do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis. The relationship must also be genuine and continuing, with a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others. These requirements appear in sections 5CB and 5F of the Migration Act.
Different addresses can therefore be consistent with an ongoing partnership. They still need a clear explanation. A work placement, family caring responsibilities or immigration restrictions might explain the distance; the application should show what actually happened in your circumstances.
For de facto applicants, there is a separate duration question. Generally, the de facto relationship must have existed for at least 12 months immediately before application, unless an applicable exception applies. Relationship registration under a recognised Australian law can remove that duration requirement, but does not replace the need to establish the relationship itself. Simply dating for 12 months is not necessarily the same as being de facto for 12 months. Migration Regulations, regulation 2.03A.
If you are unsure when your relationship became de facto, resolve that before deciding when to apply. Our partner visa expert-review guide explains when a prepared application is ready for a professional cross-check.
Start with one simple timeline
Before collecting more screenshots, write down:
- when you began your relationship;
- any periods when you lived together;
- when each period apart started and ended;
- where each of you lived and why;
- visits during that period;
- your arrangements or plans to live together.
Use this as your working checklist, then compare it with both partners’ statements, address histories and travel records. If one document uses a different date, check the original record rather than guessing which version is right.
A short table is often enough:
| Period | Why we were apart | How we maintained our shared life | Supporting documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates of the period | The actual reason and location | Visits, decisions, support and commitments | A few clearly named records |
This is an organising tool, not a required government form.
Choose evidence that answers the real questions
Think about what a reader who has never met you would need to understand.
Why were you living separately? Include relevant records where available, such as a work assignment or evidence of the practical restriction you describe. If there is no formal document, explain the circumstances honestly.
How did you stay involved in each other’s lives? Select communication showing the pattern over time and meaningful shared decisions. Calls, planning, everyday support and arrangements for visits can be more useful than hundreds of near-identical greetings.
What responsibilities continued? Where applicable, show how you managed shared costs, cared for family members or made important decisions together. Explain a payment’s purpose rather than expecting a bank entry to speak for itself.
What happened when you were together? Match travel dates with accommodation, photographs or other records. Give photographs a short caption identifying the occasion and date.
What is the plan from here? Describe realistic arrangements for your shared future. Distinguish something already booked or agreed from something you hope to do.
Home Affairs asks applicants to explain their relationship history, including time apart, and provides examples of financial, household, social and commitment evidence. Use its official partner document guidance alongside the checklist for your application.
Need help working out what your evidence shows? A migration strategy consultation can help you identify the main questions before you spend weeks collecting more documents.
Explain gaps instead of trying to hide them
Separate finances, limited visits or a period with fewer messages may have a straightforward explanation. Say what it is and provide whatever relevant evidence you have.
Do not invent joint arrangements, backdate records or describe plans as completed events. If you cannot establish a date precisely, explain that and identify the records you used.
For a hypothetical example, a couple separated by a temporary work assignment could organise the assignment dates, their visits, shared commitments and plans to reunite into one short section. That is easier to follow than a folder full of unexplained screenshots.
Do one final consistency check
Before lodging, check that:
- both partners describe the important dates consistently;
- address and travel histories match the explanation;
- the attachments actually support the statements that refer to them;
- filenames make the date range and purpose clear;
- personal statements describe your own experience, in your own words.
If the application is already lodged, keep relevant relationship evidence current. A relationship breakdown is different from temporarily living apart and should be dealt with separately. Home Affairs explains how to report a relationship ending or changing in its partner visa FAQs.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a joint lease for the whole relationship?
A joint lease can be useful evidence of shared accommodation. If you lived apart, explain the actual arrangements and support them with the records available. The application needs an accurate account of your relationship, not a document you cannot truthfully provide.
How many messages or photographs should we upload?
There is no useful one-size-fits-all number. Select enough to explain the relevant periods and events clearly, then follow any specific document request from the Department. Avoid repeated material that makes the important evidence harder to find.
Does registering our relationship solve the living-apart issue?
Registration can affect the de facto duration requirement where the legal exception applies. You must still establish a genuine, continuing relationship and address your living arrangements. Check eligibility to register and the visa requirements before relying on it.
Choose the support that suits you
If you want to prepare and lodge your own application, WiseKangaroo’s Expert Application Review is A$990 including GST. It covers forms and supporting evidence, identified gaps and inconsistencies, a lodgement-readiness assessment, consolidated recommendations and one follow-up review after your changes. Preparation, lodgement and ongoing representation are not included.
If you would prefer us to prepare and manage your partner visa application, Full Service assistance is also available. The temporary and permanent stages are engaged separately. Compare our services and book a consultation.
General information only. Please refer to official government sources for the latest requirements and get advice on your circumstances.
