One of the lovely things about being a Marriage Celebrant is meeting couples from so many different countries, who wish to get married in Australia.
Each and every couple has a unique story of how and where they met, and great plans for their future as a married couple.
Sometimes, this journey requires finding an Authorised Marriage Celebrant who understands what is needed to complete a letter of supporting evidence for the visa process, for example, a fiancé/partner visa.
I have helped many, many couples with completion and lodgement of their Notice of Intended Marriage form (the Notice) with me, as an Authorised Marriage Celebrant, and then supply of a letter of support for a visa or immigration application.
Once the Notice and letter of supporting evidence is completed, I stay in touch with the couples and receive regular updates on their visa application progress.
On a few occasions, the 18-month validity of the Notice of Intended Marriage Form has expired. When this happens, we complete a new Notice and support letter, to continue the visa application process.
How I help as a Marriage Officiant
The process starts with completion of a Notice of Intended Marriage Form.
You will need your identity documents (birth certificates, passports, driver licence, proof of divorce or death relating to a previous marriage, for example. I will walk you through this part).
If one party is overseas, I can accept the Notice with one signature, after I have confirmed that the person overseas is free and willing to marry.
Once the Notice is lodged with me, I then prepare a letter for the visa process. This official letter from Joyful Occasions Celebrant, confirms:
- Who the two parties to the marriage are
- That I have a valid Notice of Intended Marriage form legally lodged with me
- That I have a wedding ceremony booking confirmation with the parties
- The Ceremony date, time, and place/location
- When the Notice will expire, and
- Details of my Authorised Marriage Celebrant authority.
My Celebrant letter of supporting evidence confirms your intent to marry. (I have had many immigration consultants express their thanks to me for promptly and professionally assisting their clients!)
Happy endings and lots of patience and love!
The visa process takes time, and patience, but in the interim, you get to continue to build on both your deep love and goal of being able to legally marry in Australia. Thank goodness for Facetime, What’s App, emails, and international travel to visit each other, in the meantime!
Let me share one particularly memorable story with you.
The prospective groom was an Australian resident and his fiancé, was in Iran.
The groom had completed a Notice of Intended Marriage with the late Keith Lammond, an authorised Marriage Celebrant who died suddenly.
The groom had tried to contact Keith and after a bit of internet searching he found my name announcing Keith’s death and setting up a tribute book for his family. (Keith had mentored a lot of Australian marriage celebrants!)
So, I completed a new Notice of Intended Marriage for this lovely man. The application progress was very slow, and the Notice was about to expire, so we completed a fresh Notice to continue the application.
He phoned me some months later to say the visa application was rejected. The couple was devastated!
But they were deeply in love and committed to a long future together. So, they appealed the decision – AND THEY WON!
It was a beautiful day when I finally got to pronounce them husband and wife at their Sydney wedding ceremony, in front of family and friends. There were many, many happy tears that day, and I think Keith was shining down on both this couple and me, for being able to reach a Happily Ever After!
Need a visa support letter and Notice of Intended Marriage Form?
I am here to help! It is an honour to help all couples on their wedding ceremony preparation journey. As an authorised Marriage Celebrant for nearly 20 years, I love my job!
Note: I am a Marriage Celebrant and not an immigration consultant – I can’t (and don’t) give immigration advice. However, I am your perfect partner for your wedding ceremony, beginning with the Notice of intended Marriage form, through to signing your Marriage Certificates on your wedding day, and perhaps taking a photo or two, and ordering your official Certificate of Marriage from Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Reach out by phone, or email, or What’s App and let’s plan your Happily Ever After!
