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Joe and Alex | Citizenship

Migration Downunder made the citizenship application journey very smooth for us and we were confident that the paperwork is done correctly and no misunderstanding or mistake would hinder or delay the process of our application

Joe

Joe and Alex’s Story – Citizenship

Can you tell us a little about your background

I, Joe, come from Iran and I got to know Alex for the first time when I was studying in Singapore back in March 2013. So it has already been about 9 years since we started our relationship.

Alex comes from Malaysia and lived with me for 3 years in Singapore until we decided to apply for nominated skill visa subclass 190 and eventually moved to Australia where we don’t have to hide our relationship or worry about residence and visa issues.

What made you want to live in Australia permanently?

First time we landed in Australia and Sydney was on 30th of December 2016 when we were so fortunate  to kick off our new life in Australia with the splendid Darling Harbour New Year’s countdown. Granted, it took us some time to assimilate into the Aussie lifestyle and work culture, but when we settled down we decided to call Australia our permanent home and even got married in March 2020.

A variety of reasons together convinced us that living in Australia permanently is going to be in our best interest. For example, neither of us could support the other for long term residency in our countries of birth. In Iran and Malaysia, LGBTQ partners are at best not recognised and at worst persecuted by the governments. The Singaporean society, although secular and tolerant, doesn’t recognise gay relationships and we had to hide our love and affection for each other. On the other hand, after living in Australia, we found supportive friends and learned new skills and made financial advances, all of which helped us stay hopeful and positive about the future of our relationship.

How was your experience with Migration Downunder?

Migration Downunder made the citizenship application journey very smooth for us and we were confident that the paperwork is done correctly and no misunderstanding or mistake would hinder or delay the process of our application. That peace of mind is so invaluable and we are so grateful for the job that Alice has done especially since I had lots of travel records that I did not know how to handle in my application.

How has your life changed after obtaining citizenship?

After we received our citizenship certificates, we decided to book our travel to overseas for my birthday to unwind a bit after two years of Covid restrictions and visit our families to celebrate our new citizenships and marriage with them. It is so sweet for an Iranian to travel with the Australian passport as I don’t have to worry too much about visa and travel restrictions and I can enjoy the same privileges that my Aussie mates have such as being able to get higher education loans to up-skill and to have a say in the elections.

Published Wed 20 April 2022.

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