White Lies versus Straight Talking White lies are common in the Philippines, and this is part of Filipino culture that Australians in Australian Filipina relationships need to get used to and to adjust to. Australians are fastidious about telling the truth, and tend to get very annoyed when others don’t do this. We […]

    Starting School in Australia Filipino kids – The “buy one, take one” part of the package when you marry a Filipina girl who is a single mum. Plenty of single mothers in the Philippines, often left to raise the child when the former boyfriend decided to take the easy path and not share […]

    The Obligation to Parents in Philippines In Philippines society and culture it is expected that kids will grow up and help their parents financially. This is a country with limited social security and social services, so children are expected to take care of their parents as soon as they are able to. This […]

Life in Philippines as an Australian     Jeff’s reflections on life in Philippines I felt like reflecting on life in Philippines and sharing this with those who may be interested. We’ve been here 8 years now, and have no plans on returning to Australia. We have an established business here (Down Under Visa) and […]

    Professionally Prepared Visa Applications Professionally prepared visa applications from Australia to Philippines, whether tourist visa applications or partner visa applications or anything else, are not in the same category as those prepared by amateurs. Registered Migration Agents, especially those who specialise in visa applications for Australian Filipina couples, are expected to prepare a […]

    A Philippines wedding – A good choice for an Australian Filipina couple? One of the questions that Australian Filipina couples need to ask themselves is where they should marry. Should they have a wedding in Philippines with the family, or should they marry in Australia in their new home?   Which is better? […]

      Visa Grant Notices Australian visa grants don’t come with passport stickers anymore. They are ancient history now. When a visa is granted, the Department issue a pdf file known as a Visa Grant Notice. If you’re fortunate enough to have used those excellent Registered Migration Agents known as Down Under Visa, this […]

    The Dreaded Tourist Visa Refusal Notice Probably the most heartbreaking moment to an Australian Filipina couple, madly in love and want to spend some time together in Australia. Then all of a sudden they get an email and it’s a visa refusal notice. No one ever expects it, and it comes as a […]

  How do I get an Australian Bridging Visa? How do you apply for a Bridging Visa when you want to stay in Australia? You’re from Philippines. You want to stay longer in Australia, but you aren’t sure what visa to get and someone tells you to get yourself a bridging visa in the meantime. […]