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Couples being kept apart by stronger immigration rules

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 23 Aug 2019, 2:43PM

Couples being kept apart by stronger immigration rules

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 23 Aug 2019, 2:43PM

Thousands of couples are struggling to prove their love is real, as immigration puts its foot down.

In the past year nearly eight hundred visa partnership applications were declined for failing to prove they were 'genuine and stable'.

Immigration lawyer Aaron Martin told Andrew Dickens the documentation criteria and proof of joint accounts is outdated.

He says it's particularly hard for couples trying to establish their lives here, because some banks won't allow a joint bank account to be set up if one partner is on a visitor visa.

"The criteria for proving a relationship is too old-fashioned. It is very difficult to provide mail sent to joint names, because more companies are using email."

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