A new Form 888 was released by the department of immigration this week – it’s a significant improvement on the previous version of the Form 888.
Until now, the Form 888 has been a Statutory Declaration. This means that the person signing the Form 888 needed to have their signature witnessed by an ‘authorised’ person.
That’s relatively straighforward, although somewhat inconvenient, for people in Australia.
For people outside Australia, it was often difficult and could be expensive.
The new Form 888
The new Form 888 is merely a written statement, and is not a Statutory Declaration.
That means that the person signing it does not need to have their signature witnessed.
The requirement that everything written in the Fom 888 must be true and correct remains.
Changes to the Form 888
This new form 888 will be much easier for your friends and relatives to use, as:
- Anybody in any country that is 18 years of age or older, and that knows you both (applicant and sponsor), can complete the new version of the form 888.
- The new form 888 is no longer a Statutory Declaration – so it does not need to be signed in front of an authorised witness. Only the person completing the form 888 needs to sign it.
- The person’s identity document that they provide with the form 888 no longer needs to be a ‘Certified True Copy’.
- The person no longer needs to list their occupation or contact telephone number.
All up, it’s a welcome common-sense change to the Form 888.
The new version of the Form 888 can be downloaded here: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/888.pdf
Feel free to contact me if you would like to book a consultation for more information about anything mentioned here.
Regards.
Ross McDougall.
Immigration Lawyer & Solicitor.
www.rpmlawyers.com.au
Tel: 08 8528 9187
This information is correct at July 14th, 2023. But, keep in mind that immigration law changes from time to time.
