Online Weddings for Australian Filipina couples
This is the Down Under Visa Online Weddings information page.
Are we marriage brokers? No, not at all. Not marriage brokers. Not marriage celebrants. Definitely not matchmakers! Definitely not!
We are Registered Migration Agents
Our job, profession and vocation? We help Australian Filipina couples get together in Australia, and this requires a lot of hard work in preparing successful Partner Visa applications from Philippines to Australia.
We are registered by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (a statutory authority under the management of the Department of Home Affairs, eg “Immigration”) to provide advice to these couples legally, and to manage their visa applications as their representative. Down Under Visa are well-known and respected by those many umpteen thousand Australian Filipina couples out there, many of whom are our present clients or were clients in the past.
Travel Bans and Online Weddings
What happens when travel bans and distances stop couples from getting together and marrying, and this is making it impossible for them to move forward with their Partner Visa applications?
Fortunately Online Weddings have become a reality, thanks to the farsightedness of the Government of Utah in the US!
- Spouses of Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents may apply for exemptions to the current travel bans which would otherwise prevent them from entering Australia.
- Online weddings are legal in the US State of Utah.
- Utah are happy to marry non-US Citizens and non-US residents! So neither the bride nor groom needs to live in the US!
- Australia, under the Marriage Act (Cth) 1961, recognises weddings that were legally solemnised in the US, just as it does marriages which take place in the Philippines or most other countries.
- Yes, I did confirm this with an Australian Family Law specialist lawyer. Letter of advice available on request
- And yes, we also confirmed with the Attorney Generals Department. Letter available on request.
So whilst this is fairly new, there is no legal reason at all why an Australian Filipina couple can’t marry online via the Utah State County Clerk’s office. And there is no reason why this marriage will not be recognised by the Australian Government and the Department of Home Affairs in particular.
Further reading: https://www.downundervisa.com.au/2021/01/want-to-marry-your-filipino-but-cant-visit-her-or-get-her-to-visit-you/
WARNING: Do you have an already-granted Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa? THIS IS NOT AN OPTION FOR YOU! Condition 8515! MUST ENTER AUSTRALIA BEFORE YOU MARRY! And note that it is your responsibility to read and understand everything on your visa grant notice.
Australian Filipina couples married online in Utah
An Australian Filipina couple, legally married, may apply for an Australian Partner Visa based on that marriage, and may apply for a Travel Ban Exemption.
What does an online wedding look like?
With thanks to some very kind clients of ours.
How do we know we can get a visa this way?
Because Down Under Visa have had several successful clients (so far) successfully granted:
- Travel Ban Exemptions
- Tourist visas
- Partner visas
Please watch the following videos. Your concerns are completely valid! Hopefully this will ease your worries when you hear from some gentlemen who were in the same position as you a short time ago.
Why through Utah Government only?
A number of reasons...
Firstly, when I was emailing the Utah Government I asked them about “go-betweens” or wedding coordinators. They told me they don’t deal with anyone at all.
Reasons?
Because this is a legal process, and to issue a marriage license (which allows you to marry) requires an interview process plus checking of ID’s etc. They cannot and will not trust any third-party to do this.
Secondly, because why would you? This is a simple process! Amazingly simple. How could someone justify being a coordinator when the process is easy? No one has yet asked me to help, or said “Jeff, this is too hard! I’m confused!” That to me says it’s definitely something anyone can do by themselves!
If this was difficult, we would offer to help...maybe for a nominal fee to cover time-invested. But no. WAY too simple!
Our advice?
Strongly advise you to just go to the Utah sites below. Do it yourselves. Avoid opportunists who take advantage of your naivety. Tie the knot, and let’s move forward.
Think an Online Wedding is cold and impersonal?
Please watch the video below and decide for yourself...
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: No as I said it’s pretty simple. This isn’t a “marriage service” or a “wedding agent”. This is the Utah Government issuing a marriage license, and performing a registry-office-style wedding, much the same as if you went to a Registry Office in Australia. And it’s remarkably cheap!
My enquiries with the Utah Government tell me that they don’t accept go-betweens anyway. They deal with the couple directly, and that’s it. That’s how the Law there works.
NB. Beware of opportunist “wedding coordinators”. This is simple! Save your money!
Answer: Not as romantic as a church wedding, but more so than a registry office in my opinion. Watch the video below! The issue though is that if you can get together maybe 6 months sooner, isn’t it worth it? Think that one over! You can always have a big family wedding later on.
Answer: Surprisingly no! Not needed!
Answer: Same sex marriages are legal in Utah, so this is OK.
Answer: No sorry. Utah State Law doesn’t allow for in-between coordinators. However it’s surprisingly uncomplicated and straight forward.
Answer: Yes, most definitely. Please click
HERE and we can assess your case. It will take you five minutes and cost you nothing.
Answer: Yes, you need two witnesses. 18 or older. And no, they also don’t need to be in the same place as the bride or the groom.
Answer: Cannot marry now. That’s called bigamy, and it’s a crime in most places in the world.
Answer: 30 days. So you must marry within that time (after obtaining the license, that is).
Answer: It’s emailed, and you will receive it within a day or so.
Answer: Current, $70.00 for the license and $35.00 for the ceremony. This is all in US Dollars.
Answer: No, we cannot guarantee any outcome whatsoever. We can only do our best, but visa decisions...by Law...rest with the Department of Home Affairs (Immigration).
Answer: READ YOUR VISA CONDITIONS ON THE GRANT NOTICE! This is your responsibility and no one elses! Condition 8515 - Must arrive in Australia before marrying!
Answer: Yes, you certainly can. Down Under Visa have had maybe 40 couples do this by now (July 2021). All confirmed that it was easy, quick and cheap.
Answer: Yes you most certainly can. It’s legal in Utah state in USA, and they may perform legal weddings online in 2021 via Zoom (online meeting software...popular, and easy to use) to US Citizens AND where neither party is a US Citizen (ie Australians and Filipinos)
Answer: Yes you can. The Migration Act 1954 and the Migration Regulations 1994 refer to the Marriage Act 1961 in interpreting what a marriage means. And the Marriage Act 1961 recognises the weddings performed online in Utah in 2021.
So in short, yes, if you are applying for an Australian Partner Visa or applying for a Travel Ban Exemption in 2021 based on you being the spouse of an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident, then yes an online wedding through Utah is valid
And we have client granted-visas and Australian Filipina couples together in Australia right now because of Utah online weddings!
And they would NOT be in this position now had they not married online!
Answer: We have had communication with family law lawyers in Australia over the matter, and with the Australian Attorney General too. Both have confirmed that THESE weddings (ie not all online weddings!) are valid and legal under Australian Law.
Marriage Act 1961 Section 88D explains that overseas weddings are legal as long as (a) no party is underage, (b) no party is already married, (c) the marriage is not between close relatives and (d) no party was coerced into marrying.
The UN Hague Convention on Marriages (1978) was signed by Australia, and requires Australia to recognise overseas weddings.
Where do we go from here?
Direct to the US Government Offices in Utah County, Provo, Utah, USA!
Marriage License
http://www.utahcounty.gov/dept/clerkaud/Marriage.html
Wedding Ceremony
http://www.utahcounty.gov/dept/clerkaud/MarrCeremony.html
Start with the first webpage, and then the second.
Again, you will find it surprisingly easy to organise. And we look forward to helping you and your sweetheart to be able to get a Partner Visa to Australia so you can start the rest of your lives!
Need a Partner Visa?
Want to know if you qualify for a Partner Visa?
Questions?
Disclaimer: Neither Down Under Visa or any of it’s staff are marriage coordinators or advisers on marriages and weddings, whether in Australia, Philippines or in Utah USA. We have no business arrangements with the Utah Government, nor do we receive any commissions or gratuities. This is purely an information page to allow site visitors to make their own decisions as to whether they wish to take this path.
Down Under Visa also give no guarantees that visa applications based on marriages performed online in Utah (or Australia or Philippines or anywhere else) will result in granted visas. The decision to grant an Australian visa rests by law with the representatives of the Minister and not with us. We guarantee only to do the best job we can to prepare and manage your visa application.
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