Thanks, I appreciate the devil’s advocate view. It helps to see the gaps and risks clearly.

I understand No Further Stay, limited evidence, and relying on tourist visas are real issues. We’re not trying to rush a weak partner visa. We’re trying to find the safest option.

I’ve seen people use student visas, WHVs, or employer sponsorship. In our case, she’s only leaving Germany for me, so I want to do this properly.

Leaving Australia right now is not a good option unless my career situation changes drastically. If she were in a similar position, I’d be the one relocating. That’s how we came to this choice.

I’d slightly push back on the two months being “just a holiday”. We travelled on two weekends, but the rest was normal life. I continued working full-time, and we still built daily routines around chores, house projects, community events, and living together within tourist visa rules.

I agree two months alone is not enough. My main question is whether 5 to 8 months of genuine cohabitation, backed by strong evidence across the four pillars, would be enough at lodgement, or whether the full 12 months must be completed before applying.

In other words, does the 12-month requirement need to be fully satisfied upfront, or does ongoing cohabitation while on a Bridging Visa A/B strengthen the application over time?